A thoughtful man

I know not all men can read minds like dogs do. They often wait until the last squeaky minute before a birthday, anniversary, or Valentine’s Day, and pray. to. God. there is something on Amazon that has 3-hour-shipping. Sometimes they need a little hint or nudge to know what their partner wants. And sometimes they just frickin nail it.

I hadn’t been doing professional photography for long when Emile reached out to me. He, his girlfriend and her dog were planning on visiting Emile’s sister in Atlantic Beach for a few days, and he was looking for a unique birthday gift for his girlfriend. Emile told me how much she adored her dog, and he was hoping to get some photos of Fin in his element—excited, outside playing, with a frisbee or toy, and also some photos with her. He knew she didn’t need more stuff, and thought this would make her really really happy.

I was so impressed by this young man’s thoughtfulness and fore-thinking. To think of gifting someone, not only a cool experience, but something that would allow them to hold their dog forever… it just made my heart mooshy. Of course I was thrilled he chose me to do the session, but I was more thrilled to be part of such a loving day.

SIDENOTE: I’ll be honest, I specifically remember one year … when my ex-husband and I were first dating … he handed me an envelope for my birthday, big smile on his face. An envelope, I thought. Huh. That’s not fun to open. In it was a thoughtfully planned out trip to New Orleans … and I cried. Because I wanted something … else. I wanted STUFF. Gah. I look back now and think how rude I was, how thoughtful he was to plan everything, and how much fun that trip ended up being. I’m shaking my head as I write this. Tsk Tsk, silly girl. We live, we learn. Now, I’d much rather give and receive experiences over things. Something heartfelt over something everyone else has.

It’s been a few years, and I’ve since met several more thoughtful men who’ve gifted their love a session with me, but the photos from my first “thoughtful man session” make me smile and are some of my favorites I’ve ever made. Apparently, you never forget your first. That’s a thing.