There is No Greater Honor

By Dency McClure

There is no greater honor for me as a photographer than to see my photos being used and enjoyed by others. When I first started taking pictures I would get excited to see them used as screen savers on phones and computers or on social media as profile pictures. Oh sure I enjoy being told that people admire my work. I mean who doesn’t like being appreciated. However, the greatest reward is seeing them be enjoyed by others.

I recently received a request for a written release so a printer would agree to print some of my work. I knew they were going to be used for something to honor seniors. Today on Facebook I saw the finished product. I was so honored and I have to admit I got a bit emotional. What a treat to see that some of my work had been used to showcase some great high school memories for some fantastic 1A kids.

Since I mostly shoot school age kids, I was quite shocked and taken a back the first time I received a request for some of my pictures to be used at a funeral. How could a child have died? I never, ever imagined that any of my photos would be used at a funeral. Yet here I was being asked for just such a thing. At first, I started to question what I was doing. Not sure why, but I did. I didn’t like the idea of my work being part of such a sad time. Then I realized that my pictures hadn’t caused the tragedy or the sadness. But that I had captured a moment in time that was cherished by the family and to be remembered. 

To all the small 1A communities, there is no greater honor than to capture on film some of your life’s most cherished moments. For you to be able to view them with your own eyes and know they truly did exist in more than just your heart and mind. Thank you for allowing me into your lives to capture some of those moments.