I'm Honored

One of my favorite walls in my house holds three photo ledges that display black and white family photos, all taken prior to my lifetime. I love reminding my kids who each person is, how they're related to us, and telling them our family stories.

I remember looking through my parents' wedding album when I was a kid, recognizing my mom, who by then wore an early eighties perm, standing at the altar with straight, long hair. Details such as that one told me that this had been a different time, that my parents and the rest of my family--in their bell bottoms, mustaches, and floral bridesmaids dresses--were slightly different people those ten years before. Photos like those gave me a sense of my own place in the story.

How adorable were my mom and her siblings?

When I do a photo session I'm typically helping families meet their short term goal of getting a holiday card photo or updating the photo over their fireplace, but I also know there's a good chance that this is not where the photo's impact will end.

It thrills me to imagine somebody's grandchild one day looking at a portrait, searching for her own features in the younger faces.

I can picture an uncle showing his niece and nephew how he and their dad were children together too.

I envision a mother setting up a table at a graduation party, thankful for all the memories of her daughter's childhood.

Photographs carry a certain magic within them, and I'm honored to help others capture it.