I have to begin this post by saying this one is a very bitter-sweet memory for me. If you’ve ever wondered the power of an image to evoke emotions in a person – no matter how simple that image may appear – then these images for me are proof of that, and they will be for so many who view them. For me they bring immense joy, and much sorrow. As I said, bitter-sweet.
I have been a photographer since I was 13. I have always loved it, and never really thought I’d photograph anything except for my travel adventures and street photography. I happened into it as a profession many moons ago, shooting high end weddings and family portraits, and while I love the freedom and flexibility that it has offered me, and I truly enjoy the clients that I work with, like any “job”, there are days that you just don’t feel like working. This family shoot was one of them. I was very sick with a chest infection, the weather was extremely gloomy, and so I just wasn’t feeling like moving that day. To top it off I was missing a camera (long story that I won’t bore you with), so not a good start to the day!
I have known Roy (the patriarch of this beautiful family) since I was a wee lass (I can say that as we are both of Scottish heritage!). We schooled together and then life circled us back to each other as he and my brother became near BFFs in recent years. I met Celeste, this amazing power woman, in my 20s and again, she also circled back into the periphery of my life. Just before Christmas Roy reached out to schedule a family session – his mother and sister would be on island from the UK and the US and he thought they were long overdue for some photos together. I was reluctant, and tried to back out but he wouldn’t let me (pushy lawyer! haha). The family visit had a short window so there was no other option. Okay, I sighed. Upon arriving at their beautiful home in Old Fort Bay Roy’s energy and enthusiasm for the shoot was very contagious and I had a complete turnaround. This was going to be a great afternoon! Of course there was reluctance from the teens – but then again there usually is!!
In spite of the crazy winds we found some beautiful backdrops around their newly finished home, and the chemistry and energy between Roy and Celeste was on point, as you can see in the images below. It was such a good shoot that I could have kept on going, but alas, they had evening plans – a fiesta with close friends. So I headed home, tossed the images onto my computer, and prepared to send them off to my editing house along with a few other shoots I’d just completed.
I woke up the next morning and something said that this was a photo shoot that I had to edit myself, from beginning to end. And I needed to get the images to them ASAP. So that’s what I did. I was super excited to deliver them within 2 days of the shoot and was more excited to hear that Roy and is mother were sharing them with just about everyone they bumped into.
7 days after this session we received the call that Roy had passed away suddenly. As I write this post tears have begun to stream again. I cry for the sadness and loss that his family must endure, but I also cry with a feeling of honour. I know that sounds crazy but I feel great pride and joy that I was able to capture these beautiful images and to gift them to his family, on his behalf. I sometimes struggle with the question of what is my purpose and am I fulfilling it? The time spent with this family, these friends, in Roy’s last moments…to capture the beautiful relationship between Roy and his wife, Celeste. It really was an honour for me. I know that had I not taken these images, had Roy allowed me to wriggle out of the session, regret would haunt me for many years.
So many lessons to be learned here. I’ve learned that my images have meaning, even though it may not be apparent right away. I learned that we must grab and savour the moments. I learned that there are greater messages out there, if we are willing to be open to receive them. I was reminded of a bride that I photographed many years ago. It was her first wedding and she was in her 50’s. A beautiful, kind soul who was marrying a saint of a man. I did not hear from them for about a year and was really worried that they had not liked the images. She finally reached out to say that after the wedding she was diagnosed with breast cancer and has spent the year in treatment and therapy, that she had received a double mastectomy. She also shared that her husband had placed my photos of their wedding around her treatment rooms and that those images helped her get through the most difficult time of her life. So I was reminded that we all have something to offer, even if it is in the subtlest of ways.
I am a highly sensitive person, an empath, and so funerals/memorials are particularly difficult for me. I knew that I would be unable to attend Roy’s but in my own way I felt like I had said goodbye already and that Roy and I parted in the best way that I could think of. So, I printed and framed a few of my favourites of these images for Celeste and her daughters to have in their homes. Roy Sweeting, never gone, never forgotten.
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