I got a call this morning from a client of mine.  At Christmas time, her in-laws had commissioned me to take their portrait so they could give them as gifts to their children.  Now my client was planning the funeral for her mother-in-law who had passed away earlier this week, and she needed a photograph for the funeral program and obituary.  With her mother-in-law gone, how much do you think that photograph was worth?

My friend and business partner is a photographer for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, a nationwide program for parents of still-born or babies who die shortly after birth.  The program provides photos of the child for the grieving parents as treasured mementos — usually the only photographs they will have of their deceased child.  In the midst of tragedy, my friend is able to make something beautiful to soothe troubled hearts and bring a little peace to their souls.  How much do you think those photographs are worth?

Not too long ago, my mother (who is my partner in my sports photography business) got a call from a parent of one of the athletes we had photographed the season before.  The child had died, and they wanted to use his soccer picture in his funeral.  How much do you think that photograph was worth?

Photographs of people still living are nice to have, but when those same people are gone, then those photographs become priceless treasures!  I know, because I took a picture of my parents a few years ago, before my dad’s illness took him from us, and it is one of the most priceless in my collection.  Do you have photographs like that?  How much are they worth to you?