Hi and thanks for finding my site! You may be wondering why I got into photography after practicing law for 15 years. It was a long term plan.
The truth is that I became passionate about photography when my daughter was born. I took what seemed like 10,000 photos of her the first day in the hospital. I waited at the drugstore for the film to be developed later that night, so anxious to show my family my beautiful girl...and...blah. The photos were horrible. They were nothing like what I saw in the hospital. I tried again the next day, next week, next month, trying to capture the beauty that I saw in my little girl, with very little luck. My wife even bought me a better camera in my efforts to capture my daughter on film the way that I saw her. This proved to be so difficult, so challenging, that I knew photography would be a life-long pursuit because I like learning and challenges (good thing, being a parent!). I realized that if you want to make really good images, this stuff needs to be studied because its hard! Through the last fifteen years or so I studied photography more and more, and took some good photos, a few great ones, and so many more really horrible photos. At least I was learning and having fun!
It finally sunk in that perhaps this is what I should be doing for a living. Not only is photography satisfying in it's own regard--the journey is a walk filled with surprises, struggles and victories along the way, with a constant learning curve for those who seek it--but it is immensely rewarding when you capture the type of photo that brings tears to somebody's eyes. Nobody ever shared my legal work on social media, or cried when I gave them a finished contract or estate plan (well, maybe they did when they saw the invoice). However, you know that you have done something special when you see someone cry in response to a portrait--you have moved them. You have created something that they could not have created on their own, and that feeling is irreplaceable. As the logo on the photographer’s t-shirt says, ”I can stop time. What’s your superpower?”.
It can be difficult to create the type of image that chokes people up. Some days I capture more of them than others, and with less effort. This takes constant study, devotion and practice and I take it seriously. It is part science, part art. However, when the recipe comes together, it is all magic. There is nothing quite like looking at the world like a photographer.
This is the person behind the camera (who really doesn’t get photographed very much, in fact, probably less than Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster).
Everyone needs something to wake up to every morning which inspires them to get out of bed early and stay up late. The person who finds it is blessed. Hopefully we will get a chance to meet in the studio where I will have the opportunity to capture the uniqueness in you.
Best to you,
Doug
All images copyright Doug Harhai, Harhai Photography, LLC. All rights reserved. No use permitted without written consent of the owner.