For The Days That Come After
It was the first week of April when I logged into my Facebook account. I began my usual doomscrolling when I saw a post from a mom looking for someone to take some nice pictures of her and her sons before she departs this earth due to a terminal cancer diagnosis.
I clicked on the post and saw that the comment section was flooded. I thought, she has enough to choose from, I’ll sit this one out. I went about my day, and then a few hours later I saw a Facebook notification saying a couple of people mentioned me in a comment. When I looked, I saw I had been mentioned in the same post from earlier. I commented, thanking the people who suggested me, and shared my contact information. Still, I thought, in the sea of “I would love to be considered” comments, I left it and walked away.
Later that evening, I got a direct message from the mom asking for information on my photography services. I explained my package and let her know I would like to gift her a session. Long story short, she thanked me and then asked how soon I could do the session.
Unfortunately, Nikkie had been diagnosed with cancer, and it had spread to her bones now making it terminal. She was not sure how long she had before she became too weak to do a photoshoot. I offered her a session that would be 6 days away, and she took it.
I immediately started thinking of local locations I have shot at that would provide a beautiful landscape without requiring too long of a walk, along with a paved trail. That’s when I remembered a park in Azusa that offered everything we needed for this session.
Date, time, and location were confirmed. My wheels were spinning. I wanted to make sure this was a session with real memories for her sons. I needed to create interaction, which is something I normally do, but I also wanted to incorporate tangible items her sons could keep. That way, they would have something they could touch from this day, along with the images of their mother. So, a blanket for each of her sons and a book it was. They sat on their blankets while Nikkie read to them. We played with the blankets like a parachute, and they wrapped themselves up in them.
I delivered her gallery within 24 hours so she could have those images right away. With her permission, I am sharing a small part of her story here.
These images are for the days when her sons need to see her face, to remember how it felt to stand next to her, to be wrapped in her arms.
This session reminded me that photography is so much more than just taking pictures. It is about holding onto moments that won’t come back.
This is why I do what I do, for the days that come after.
A few of Nikkie’s favorite pictures:
