I can’t explain why this is hitting me as hard as it is, so I’m not going to try.
I only met Shianne twice, I spent less than five hours in her company yet she impacted my life.
It was so fun to photograph her, to talk and laugh with her about her future plans and dreams. Her smile was huge, and her heart was even bigger.
And the bond she shared with her mother was indescribable.
Most of the time, for high school senior sessions, the senior’s mother accompanies them to their session. And at the end of every session, I ask the mother if she would like a photo with her son/daughter. And usually I have to kind of talk them into it… reassure them that the photo is just for them and that it will just be included in their gallery for them to have. I have never really known why this particular image is so important to me that I would pressure the mama but maybe now I know why. Maybe I have actually always known.
Shianne was a victim of a mental health issue. She was killed for reasons I will never know nor understand.
And I can’t stop thinking about her and her mother. I can’t imagine the loss her mother is feeling.
Mother’s Day was a week after Shianne’s death, and I found myself thinking of her constantly. Because I didn’t know her well, but I knew that she would have done everything she could from across the country to make her mother feel loved.
And a week after that her body was flown home, her casket covered in our country’s flag, and her services were scheduled for people to stand by her mother to lay Shianne to rest. And I knew Shianne would feel badly for these moments causing her mother more pain.
And the week following that is Memorial Day, a day for remembering our nation’s heroes and I’m certain Shianne will be with her mother that day as well.
I offer discounted mini sessions a couple of times every year because I believe everyone should have photos with those they love. Oftentimes, in a family setting, a mother has tons of photos of her children and even of her husband with her children… because she’s taking those photos. She’s not in them.
My mini sessions are at a price point where, monetarily, it’s not “worth it”… I barely cover my expenses. But I strongly believe that every person, every family, should have the opportunity to have professional photos taken. Every mother should have the opportunity to be in a photo with her child.
We don’t get to choose how or when we say goodbye to those we love and that’s a terrifying thought. This is why we find ourselves taking photos of what’s important to us.
This is why I’m a photographer.
#ShineLikeShi
(You can read a news article pertaining to Shianne’s death here.)
One Comment
♥️♥️♥️ I’m a fellow Sailor and this story hurts me in more ways than I can describe and I never even knew her. Thank you for sharing with us even though you’re grieving.
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