You Don’t Have to Ask If You’re Welcome Here from a Santa Fe Tx Photographer

I have never written a blog like this on my photography website before, and honestly, I never really thought I would need to. But after two completely separate conversations happened on the same day, it stayed on my heart enough that I feel like I should talk about it.

A potential client reached out to me about photographing a proposal. Before we ever got into the fun stuff—what he was planning, where he wanted to do it, or what he envisioned—he needed to know something first. He wanted to make sure that because he was gay, that didn’t disqualify him from being photographed by me.

That really bothered me.

Not because he asked, but because somewhere along the way he had been given a reason to believe that he needed to ask. Before he could tell me about this person he loves and this huge moment he was planning, he first needed to make sure I was okay with photographing them.

Then, later that same day, another photographer reached out to me asking if I would second shoot a wedding with her. She had already asked several other photographers and had been turned down because it was a same-sex wedding.

Two completely unrelated conversations in the span of a few hours, and by the end of the day I couldn’t quit thinking about it.

I Love Jesus, and I Love People

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I love Jesus and my faith is important to me. I’m also going to tell you something that may surprise some people: my experiences with church haven’t always been good ones. I’ve experienced hurt there, and I’ve watched people I love experience hurt there too.

That hasn’t made me stop loving Jesus. It has, however, made me think a lot about what it actually looks like to love people.

I’ve watched judgment push people away while we are simultaneously telling them that we want them to come closer. I’ve never quite understood that. How can we ever expect to be a light to somebody if our first response is to turn them away?

Standing firm in what you believe and treating another human being with kindness are not mutually exclusive things.

I can love Jesus and photograph a gay couple.

I can photograph someone who is Buddhist or Muslim.

I can photograph a Democrat and then turn around and photograph a Republican.

I can photograph someone who has been married for 40 years, someone who has been divorced three times, an interracial couple, a blended family, a single parent, or a family that looks absolutely nothing like mine.

I don’t need you to believe what I believe in order to treat you like a human being deserving of kindness and respect.

And I certainly don’t need you to live exactly like I do before I can recognize love when I see it.

What Happens on the Other Side of My Lens

Photography puts me in the middle of some of the most personal moments in people’s lives. I’ve photographed women growing babies, parents meeting their newborns, families loving on their children, seniors closing one chapter and beginning another, couples getting engaged, people getting married, and families who have fought incredibly hard to get where they are.

People trust me with those moments, and I don’t take that lightly.

When someone steps in front of my camera, I’m not mentally checking boxes to decide whether I agree with their life. I’m watching the way you look at each other. I’m noticing the way your child reaches for your hand. I’m watching for the laugh that happens when you forget I’m standing there. I’m looking for the things that tell the story of you, because that’s what you hired me to capture.

That’s my job.

And frankly, it’s also one of the things I love most about what I do.

Photography has allowed me to meet people I probably never would have met otherwise. People with completely different backgrounds, beliefs, families and stories than mine. Yet when I get behind that camera, so many of the differences we spend our lives arguing about aren’t even what I see.

I see people who love their people.

You Never Have to Ask Me First

That’s really why I wanted to write this.

I don’t want another person sitting on the other side of their phone wondering if they need to warn me about themselves before they send an inquiry.

You don’t.

You don’t need to begin your message with, “I hope this is okay, but…”

Just tell me what we’re celebrating.

Tell me about the proposal you’re planning. Tell me about your wedding. Tell me about your babies, your crazy kids, the family you’ve built, the person you love, or the season of life you never want to forget.

We’ll talk about locations and clothes and lighting and all of the photography stuff after that.

I may not live like you. I may not believe exactly like you. We may vote completely differently, worship differently, come from different backgrounds, have different skin colors, or have families that look nothing alike.

That’s okay.

Because I don’t believe loving people requires us all to be the same.

So if you’ve ever looked through my work and wondered whether you or your family would be welcome at The Little Ranch Farm or in front of my camera, you don’t have to wonder anymore.

Come as you are. Love your people.

I’ll capture it.

Booking Invitation

If you’ve been looking for a photographer and something about this spoke to you, I would love to hear your story. You can visit my Photography Page….https://www.natashasnyderphotography.com to learn more about sessions at The Little Ranch Farm, see more of my work, and find the session that fits what you’re looking for.

Whether we’re documenting your family, a proposal, an engagement, a wedding, a new baby, or simply the people you love most, you never have to wonder if you’re welcome here.

If you’ve been looking for a Santa Fe, TX photographer serving the Houston and Galveston County areas and something about this spoke to you, I would love to hear your story.