How powerful is a photograph? What is the value of a photograph or can we even put a price on it? One answer lies in this moving story on Oprah about Stephanie, a mother of 4 young children whose life changed instantly when she and her husband survived a terrible plane crash.  Andrea, another stay-at-home mom who was at her wits end, visited Stephanie to gain another perspective on motherhood and what it means to get the opportunity to spend precious time with your children.

In the video of Andrea’s visit, there is a moment where she sees a beautiful family portrait of Stephanie and her family hanging on the wall in the hallway. Stephanie was (and still is, in my opinion) stunningly beautiful and the family looks so happy. Andrea says, “That’s a beautiful picture. . . you were very beautiful.” It’s obvious that the portrait is so very special to Stephanie. It is, I believe, the most poignant part of the video clip. I wonder what the photo means to Stephanie? Did the photographer know at the time just how important that portrait would be? As photographers, we need to remember that every shot could be the one a family will hold onto for a lifetime.

Here’s the video clip from Oprah:  http://www.oprah.com/media/20090924-tows-stephanie-struggle-crash 

If you would like to read more about Stephanie, she has a blog:  http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/. Her story is truly inspiring.