Please, don’t wait.
Usually I blog about recent sessions or events that have happened in the business, but today is going to get a little more personal.
As all of my wonderful clients are, I am an avid animal lover. I currently own my horse, three little budgerigars, a ton of fish (plus babies!), and an aquatic turtle. The only reason there isn’t a dog or two and a cat in the house is because our landlord doesn’t allow it. And believe me - we’ve tried.
Along with loving these wonderful creatures, I have lost them. I have lost two horses that I deeply care about in my dozen or so years of riding, as well as other types of pets I understand the deep pain that is experienced when a beloved animal passes. It doesn’t matter how old you are - it hurts.
I have also felt the deep pain of clients who have had their horse or pet pass away. It doesn’t matter if it was expected, or completely out of the blue. You are never ready for it.
My post today is not intended to sell prints or get you to book. It is to bare my heart and tell you that I get it; I understand. Sometimes, life just isn’t fair. I had a connection with one of the horses that I lost that was deeper than anything I have every experienced otherwise in my life. She was put down to an irreparable injury. She was only nine, and was an athlete in her prime, before it was all suddenly taken away. This was when I was a teen eager, and I am very sorry to admit that I have few photos of her. The ones that I do have, I cling to. I never had professional photos done of her, never showed at a show that had a pro photographing, never even took the time to intentionally clean her up and do little shoot with my phone, and I deeply regret that.
Please, don’t wait to capture your memories with your companion. Whether you hire a professional for a shoot, buy a photo or two at your next show, or simply take the time to take more photos with your phone when you ride, just DO IT. We never know how long you have with our family, and our horses and pets are the same way.
If I am able to help in any way, be it by capturing the memories for you, being a shoulder to cry on, or helping you preserve your memories in art, don’t hesitate to ask. We are all in this together - bonded by our love for these incredible animals we get to call ours. And in the end, through all the joy and tears and sweat and hard work and money spent and care given, our memories and legacies, in whatever form we capture them, are what will live on forever.
-Liz
This post was written in loving memory of all of our beloved horses and pets who have passed on.
