The hardest shoot

This summer was filled with joy, laughter, fun times, and sunburns. It also was marred by a tragedy. A rodeo friend passed away leaving behind a family. A wife and two young sons will be without his crazy antics and laughter. I met Allen while volunteering at the Elizabeth Stampede and he always made me smile. I got to know him through his sister and other friends, always a cheerful guy with a funny joke or a hug. I would take pictures of him and he would always ham it up on camera. When he passed away, his wife contacted me to take pictures at his memorial. Over 600 pictures later, I found that this was one of the hardest photo shoots I had to do. While tears are streaming down my face, I had to focus on a young man telling over 300 people that his dad was a hero, a wife who tried to keep herself strong for her family, a sister who lost his best friend, a brother in law who did too. And a sea of pink, his favorite color. What an amazing sight to see, but the hardest thing I had to do. My heart broke for her losing her husband, her sons' father, her best friend. My heart broke for her losing her brother, her rock, her best friend. My heart broke for him losing his best friend, his brother in law, his sidekick. My heart broke for them losing their son, their friend, their helper. My heart broke for them losing their dad, their mentor, their hero.