Being a photographer, my profession gives me enough realizations about the ideas that revolves the story of man – as a living, as a resident of the earth. It is because I met different people everyday from different places, different races, cultures, customs and traditions that are literally different from where, who, and what I am now.
In my photo sessions, obviously, I have close connections to my clients, of course to my co-photographers and the entire crew (team). There are many times I encountered worse-than-ever-worst clients. Like freaking out if the make-up is not done well, if my directions are too awkward for her or if she does not like the area – especially in outdoor photoshoots. These trifling concerns are actually big deal to the part of the photographer if we will see it on the other side. As a photographer, I modestly find ways to please her as fairly as I could, instead to get mad or annoyed. Because to my conscience, I always hold on the principles that every one of us has its own individual differences, as long as I am not over-stepped, it is just okay.
As a matter of fact, one of my clients before named Shaina, 18, became one of my closest friends now. To tell you, she was the ever worst woman I have ever met in my entire life as a photographer. When I shoot her pre-debut session, she walked out of the set; her reason was she did not like her make-up artist that her mom had hired for her. The shoot was postponed and was resumed the next day with another make-up artist. She was better now, but she doesn’t like the idea that the photographers were different and I was not there, she wanted me to be her photographer but I have another scheduled shoot. She went home and postponed again the shoot.
If you were there that time, you can really say, “If only you are my daughter, I should have slapped you in your face!” She was really bad, actually, very demanding, super spoiled, and she was so hard to understand. She mocks people, she utters bad words. She is not an abnormal child, she is beautiful, she is quite well, her family is rich, she is loved, she is beautiful, she has everything. But why she was like that?
My Realization
After her debut, her mother approached me while I was in the lobby of the ball room, she told me to forgive her daughter’s actions she showed to us, especially to my fellow photographers. But in fairness to her, she was good to me. Her mom said, she became very “cruel” and nasty after her twin died with her father on a vehicular accident driving home after their high school graduation where she and her twin were the class valedictorians. After that incident, she was traumatized. She never even talked, she doesn’t like to go out of her room, and she fairly ate. Her mom told me her entire story, I was so sad. She said there are many times that her daughter freaked out in the middle of the night shouting that she have seen her father on his favorite couch and beside him was her twin sister. She wakes up at night crying.
After then I realized, not all bad people are really bad. It is because some are acting that way for that’s what how they react of the stimuli around them. It is like a stained glass of different colors, yellow, blue, red, violet that if covered by dust it seems so unpleasant but if you wash the dust out the beautiful colors will glow.
Why stained glass?
Shaina, is like a stained glass, haunted by her past, longing for something that she could not even imagine. She craved for something she do not know, the she is always highly-emotioned and always mad maybe because she is not comfortable deep inside, she has the feeling of uneasiness in her heart. It is because she always thinks of her father maybe, her twin sister, maybe she is really missing them and she is afraid of how she will grow up without her loved-ones.
“If only she was her, there should have two faces on this picture.” Shaina nostalgically asserted while looking up her blow-up pre-debut photo.
Sympathizing her grief, I can really feel how painful it is for Shaina to lose her beloved father and twin sister. That is why I can say, not all bad people are really bad for each and every one of us has its own individual differences that others do not understand.
Final words
It is really important to know first people’s story before you judge them as on what you have seen to them or based on how you look at them. Because every individual has its own story either it is bad or good, there is always meaning to it. Every story there is unique lesson, and in every unique lesson there is corresponding meaning. So, learn to play the every unique story of every individual because behind its lines are the wonderful people who made the meaning in it. By that, you’ll realize that the world is beautiful beyond its life fruitful wisdom.
