I recently heard a story on NPR about what happens to your body when you are in the zone. They say that when you are in the zone, the reason you are so focused and performing at your peak is because other parts of your brain have turned down in their functioning. In order for that high performance to happen, something else has to give. “When you are in it, writes neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, “attention is focused on a limited perceptual field that receives your full concentration and complete investment. Action and awareness merge.” Well, in this client session, what gave is their daughter’s name. Names are often the first to go and for a few hours that day their daughter was named Lily. Parents become simply mom and dad. Dad, being a fashion model, had the most natural poses and brother had the recline pose down.

As we strolled the grounds looking for the light and the beauty, we laughed over Lily’s new name, or whether brother would smile with his teeth showing or give us his best recline. The weather took on the cape of one of those perfect fall afternoons, with the smell of oak leaves settling into the forest ground for winter, yet still warm enough to be stroll worthy. Having the grounds to ourselves, it was like our own private park, with the freedom to laugh and create and make memories.

Yes, a picture tells a story, but the story tells the picture too. They are intertwined almost as confusingly as that darn chicken and egg. The picture becomes the story.

The best part, is that when one looks upon the photograph, the story comes back to life. The slight breeze, the aroma of fallen leaves and laughter across the open grounds. Yes, now the picture will tell the story.