Despite that clever title, this post is far from a rant. It is a rave. A gushing. A thank you. A showing of appreciation.

Sure, saying how awesome your clients are probably seems like a no-brainer. A mandatory “must” if you do what I do. So, I can appreciate if this post just seems like kissing-up to some. So be it. I am going to write it anyway, but hope you know this is really just an off-the-cuff outpouring of emotion about dozens of people that were strangers to me just a few short months ago.

The simplest way to put it is that I am in the business of making friends. I suffer from a complete inability to detach myself from my subjects. I cry at weddings. I love when a client “friends” me online.

Perhaps sentiment is the only thing that can keep a wedding photographer sane? Perhaps not? But, it certainly contributes to my process. I’m totally content standing a couple in front of the camera and chatting and joking with them until the genuine belly-laughs completely break down any chance we had at a solid pose. These are often my favorite pictures. I’ll talk an ear off during an e-session. … I suppose I’ll talk an ear off whenever given the chance? Ask anyone. Earnest conversation is a huge part of this job.

If you are a portrait photographer, you are a public speaker. In more ways than you may initially think. Foremost, you have to want to get to know your subjects. To care. To become completely dedicated to representing them with imaging. Those photographs that show an accurate reflection of their personalities will speak loudly. Not just about your clients, but about the relationship you have with them. A picture that shows genuine emotion is the result of the comfort your client was feeling in front of your camera. This comfort cannot be faked. It cannot be Photoshopped. The results will speak to everyone. Public speaking, so to speak.

I can’t say that I’ve ever had a bad client. Sure, I don’t hear from all of them regularly once the photos have long been hung on the walls. But, I appreciate everyone that opens the doors of their lives to me for a day. Choosing a photographer can be daunting, particularly for a wedding day. I can’t emphasize how much I respect this fact. I never point a camera at a bride without recalling the way her groom looked in her eyes when I hid behind a telephoto lens, back when I shot the e-session. I never push the shutter until I ask myself how much emotion would I want the shooter to put into the clicks if this were my wife, my sister, or my friend? And, I love every second. Every reading. Every speech. And the cake. Well, my assistant, Erica, loves the cake more than I do. But, who doesn’t love cake. Haha.

Wedding season has only been over for two weeks, and I am already itching for April to get here. I wish my new friends from 2009 good luck in their marriages, and I hope to be in touch for years to come. 2010 peeps: I can hardly wait.