This will be a different kind of blog post for me, but I was compelled to share my experiences over this past week. For the past 6 or 7 years, I have primarily photographed weddings, but my love of photography started with something entirely different. I wanted to take pictures that made a difference, that made people think. Early on, I was always touched by the photos of people like Lewis Hines and Jacob Riis. Their photos didn't give you that 'warm and fuzzy' feeling, but they made you stop in your tracks and question our world. They made you want to DO something to bring about change. They made it impossible to just sit still and ignore the injustices happening around us. Their photos were heartbreaking, but they were real, and they were necessary. (stepping off of my soap box now) That is where my love of photography began, and what led me to become a photojournalist. This past week, I was humbled and honored to be asked by the NH Association of Chiefs of Police to photograph the services for Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney. In my time as a photojournalist, I actually had several interactions with Chief Maloney as he was Chief of one of the towns I covered and was often at town events. I can't say that I knew him well, but enough to remember his constant presence in his town. His passing also hit very close to home for me because my father-in-law, a man I have the utmost respect for, is a long time Police Chief, and I have a number of people near and dear to my heart who are also members of various law enforcement agencies. My husband, Mike, is also a full time firefighter, so any duty related deaths always give me reason to pause. The goal of having a photographer present at the services was to show the impact Chief Maloney had on the people around him and to illustrate the support and love shown by the community and his fellow officers. I was beyond honored to do this and what I saw over those two days will stay with me forever. Here are some of the images that I captured. Hopefully by looking at them you will be able to see what a great man he was, how many lives he touched, and how much he was loved and respected.
