What does beautiful mean?

“We want a beautiful photo of us together”| What does beautiful mean?

After 12 years as a professional photographer, you would think I would know what that means.  Does it surprise you to know that I don’t?

When a client says to me that they want a “beautiful” photo I ask them what that would look like for them.  Because these words mean different things to everyone.

To some people, the hustle and bustle of the city is beautiful.  To others, beauty is found in wide open fields.  Some people think bold colours are beautiful and others love black and white.  For some people, the definition of beauty focuses on their clothing and appearance; for others, beauty is found in the emotions they feel when they are with the people they love.

What does beautiful mean to you?

What does beautiful mean to you? After my sessions my clients receive a viewing gallery of images that they choose their final photos from.  Why don’t I choose the photos for them?  Because my definition of beauty is different from theirs.  When they choose me as their photographer, there are obviously similarities in what we think is beautiful since they looked at my portfolio of work and said “I love her photos!” Ultimately I have my clients choose the final collection of images from their session because they know their loved ones and themselves best and when they look at their images they feel and think different things than I do.

My client chose this image from her session and it also happens to be one of my favourites.  Why do I think it’s beautiful?  I love the bold colours.  I love the way she is leaning into her partner and the looks of pure happiness and love on their faces.  I also know what the last year of their lives has been like and what this moment meant to them.