A Photo Shoot

A few months back, at a photo shoot, I was with a lot of people. There were clients, dancers, crew, photographers, catering — it was a busy set and a lot to do. Time was of the essence and we were pushing through the day. It got to be about an hour left and I felt stressed — there was barely enough time to manage all of it. It was me against the clock. The dancers for the shoot gathered in a location and were doing their thing, we got the shots and were about to run to a final location for the last pieces of the day when the choreographer suggested we stop for a second. He said these words, “Hey, I know it sounds corny, but could we just pause right now for a moment of silence? It’s just something I want to do. I just want us all to remember this feeling and place right here.” It did sound corny to me, actually. Until we did it. Then it felt like the most amazing thing I’d ever done. And something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. I’ve been trying to make sense of why it made me feel that way and how best to describe it, ever since.