The *gasp* shots...

Have you ever seen an image that makes you feel an emotion? Maybe a tug at a heart string, a surge of sudden joy, or a lump in your throat? As a photographer, have you ever taken that image?
Sometimes the moment you realize that you captured the image is instantaneous. You know right away, and when you look at your screen, you see exactly what you wanted and what you know you were after. Those moments are a fantastic feeling. This image, for example, had me literally jump up and yell "YES!" I wish I was more professional than that, but I'm not.  {the letter is a note from her husband that he gave her on their wedding day}

I want to re-create this picture when she holds their newborn babies, when she holds their grandbabies and when they've been married 60 years and they're old and grey.

Sometimes, I become so engrossed in the shoot and the situation at hand that I don't often know I have a gem until I'm sorting pictures and I'm alone with my computer. I will come across an image and gasp, then whisper "yessss!" to nobody in particular. Newborn photography brings out the delayed gratification shots the most. I think because I become engrossed in the comfort & safety of the newborn, the light, my plan for this shot, the next shot, and the mother's comfort level. Also because newborns always smile when you've got your camera down and your hands full (it's a rule they invented). This next image is one that I only noticed after downloading and beginning the sorting process. I wouldn't have believed that this mama gave birth less than two weeks prior unless I had seen her big round belly myself.

There's something about chill mothers that produce chill babies. Does it not look like she just carries him around naked like this all day? Motherhood is her mojo. I love this image- I hope she does too. 

It's shots that evoke emotion- any emotion- that keep me behind the lens. 

What kind of shots move you?