I get lots of homework photo assignments from students, and I critique each one. Once in a while, I open up a homework email from a student, which completely moves me. That intake of breath, and a "Wow!" and "Oh my!", just because I think the picture is so beautiful and meaningful.

In this particular instance, I opened up my student, Bashy's email, and did all that, but also told myself,
"There must be a story behind these pictures!". I just sensed that there was, with every fiber of my being.

I asked Bashy, and she told me I was right- there was a story.

When it comes to Photography, I am a sucker for photos that tell a story, so of course, I was all ears.

This is what Bashy told me:

"These worn and beautiful hands have been there for me in every possible way.

Holding me and taking care of me as a newborn, from simple, mundane things, to things like walking me down to the Chuppah, and then finally holding my very own baby.

The hands you see here that are holding each other, belong to my mother and father. My father had his first heart attack at age 36. He got an LVAD in 2013, to keep him alive. But slowly over the years, his health declined more and more...In 2019 his leg was amputated, and the doctors told us that there isn't much more they could do for him. We dodged so many close calls, but this time the doctors admitted to hitting a dead end. There was nothing else that they could do.

When I gave birth, I moved in with them for a week, to help bring a little joy into the home. And I'm so happy that I did. Knowing that my father didn't have that much time left on this world, pushed me to hold onto everything just a little bit tighter. One day, I called them both outside my childhood home, and took a few photos of them. These are those pictures. I ordered 3 canvases, and hung it up in their home, so they would be able to look at it every day. The picture of them holding hands like that, just brings me to tears every time I look at it.  

For years, my mother was the one that kept him going. She was his caregiver. She looked after him day and night. I'll never find the right words to describe just how much she did for him.

Unfortunately, my father left this world on March 27th of last year. It's a heartache that will never get better. After my father’s passing, my mother’s health declined, and she is in rehab now recovering from surgery. But they're still holding hands, even though it can no longer be photographed."

When I finished reading Bashy's story, I just sat there for a moment processing it all. Tears were flowing.
My gut instinct, when seeing these beautiful photos, just KNEW there was a story, and I am SO glad I asked.

This is the beauty of Photography-being able to tell a story through your photos, and capture a meaningful moment like these with so much emotion, passion and feeling. Being able to inspire and move others through your photographs, is a gift that photographers don’t take for granted.

A striking image doesn't always have to be taken on an expensive camera. If you can elicit a feeling from the viewer, your photo can touch hearts around the world. It's the emotion that is important.

As a photographer, it is vital to capture the essence of a moment, so that it can live on forever...

Every stage of life is fleeting. Not only does photography help you to savor those moments, it allows you to hold on to them for a lifetime.

This story has inspired me to start a series of "Photographs that tell a story".
If you have a photo that is meaningful, and dear to you, that you feel tells a story, please email it to me at pixbydevorie@gmail.com.

I'd love to hear YOUR story.