So We Were Just Thinking…about History
"Clients don't see themselves in a historical context anymore.
I want to provide something people can show their children, their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren."
-- photographer Kirk Darling on heirloom portraits
The quote above appeared on the cover of the November '07 issue of Professional Photographer magazine which featured the work of photographer Kirk Darling. I saved that particular issue for over two years because his words struck a chord in me, one that still resonates today, both professionally and personally. Every day, I'm involved in the process of documenting important events in people's lives. I'm acutely aware of what an honor this is. While Frank and I like to have fun when we work, we also take our responsibility as a family's photographic historians very seriously. A wedding photographer we admire said, "I don't work for the bride and groom. I'm working for their children and their grandchildren." I love this. It's a thought that I carry with me when I'm working. A professional photographer must be constantly aware that the images captured on the wedding day or during a portrait session will become a part of family history.
So today, we're thinking about history and asking one specific question: what will be your photographic legacy?
The part of Darling's statement that really caught my attention is his belief that "clients don't see themselves in a historical context anymore." Sadly, I have to agree. I can't remember the last time a potential client said to me, "I want a portrait I can show my children and grandchildren." That sentiment may underlie the reason for seeking out a photographer, but I rarely hear it spoken out loud. In wealthier families, it used to be common to have portraits painted. You think having your picture taken is no fun -- try sitting still for days on end while a portrait artist painted you. Yet it was recognized as a worthwhile undertaking. And I don't think it was done just to have something pretty to hang over the mantle piece. The knowledge was there that while the portrait would be hung in a place of honor and enjoyed in the present, one day, possibly when the subject of the painting was no longer living, that the portrait would become something even more precious...it would become a family heirloom.
Let's focus on that word -- heirloom -- for a moment. A quick Google search brought me this definition: something of great intrinsic value that has been in the possession of a family or culture for many generations. If I asked you to stop what you're doing and make a list of your family's heirlooms, what would be on that list? My list would be soberingly short. I don't possess any furniture, linens, books, or jewelry that I would consider heirlooms that have been handed down to me over the generations. Unless...you count photographs. Photographs I have. But my treasury of family photographs are snap shots, your run-of-the mill studio portraits and my parents' wedding photos. They're certainly not wall portraits. When my children were both nine months old, we had the photographer who documented our wedding do portraits of them in a very classical, traditional style. I clearly remember wanting something that would stand the test of time and be treasured for generations. Their portraits fall into that category of "If your house was on fire, what would you grab first?" importance.
Over the years, the pictures got smaller. We filled our walls with 8x10s and those ubiquitous frames with multi-opening mats, creating collages rather than portraits. Now, most of our images reside online. Not long ago, a drive that stored at least three years of personal photographs crashed. While I am fanatical about backing-up the files of clients, I'd become a slacker where personal family photos were concerned. I always intended to back them up on a portable hard drive and print the best ones. Now those precious images are gone. G-O-N-E. There's no recovering them. It makes me sick every time I think about it. How many of you are in the same boat? Are we all as a society relying on Facebook and fragile computer hard drives to safely house our memories? When was the last time anyone pulled out a wallet to show you a picture? Now we pull out iPhones. The ease with which we can store and share images through electronic media is amazing, convenient, fun...and dangerous. Suppose you see a friend from college you haven't seen in years and you want to show off photos of your kids. You pull out your phone, only to discover the battery is dead. Frustrating, right?
One of the things I love the most about Facebook is the ability to quickly and easily share photos with my friends online. But if I'm just leaving the photos there, never backing them up or printing them, what happens if one day Facebook gets hacked or goes away completely? This week, I challenge each of you to have prints made of your favorite images from the holidays. Put them in a book, hang them on the wall, but get them off of your computer and into a physical form that you can hold in your hands that doesn't depend on a battery to be able to see it. (If you want to be absolutely certain those prints will last, don't print them on a home printer. Go to a professional lab. But more on that in a later post.)
Here's why I want you to do this.
In the photo above, my children are holding a reproduction of a photograph of their great-great-grandmother Hannnah and their great-great-great-grandparents Emma and Albert. I never knew them; my children certainly never will. Photographs of them are all that we have now. Your great-great-great-grandchildren are going to be curious about you. What are you leaving for them to know you by?
-- Elizabeth & Frank
Moving Memories
We're moving to a new home on Monday, so I've been going through lots of stuff recently, including an unreasonable amount of boxes and things from the attic. I'm re-aquainting myself with stuff I haven't laid eyes on in more than five years -- most of which I've not missed at all. As I was going through a box marked "Memorabilia" I pulled a stack of old pictures from a manilla envelope and was horrified to come across an 8x10 of my aunt's bridal portrait. It's funny that in that same box, there was a wonderful old portrait of my in-laws, pre-husband, and an adorable portrait of Frank as a three-year-old boy. That picture, as you can see below, is torn and wrinkled, but I reserved my horror for the state of the bridal portrait -- not that it was in bad shape (it was remarkably well-preserved, much like the lady herself), just that it was stuffed in with all the others. I had this instant thought -- Oh my gosh, this should be in a frame! Protected! Displayed somewhere! I didn't have the same reaction to the other two photos although they are equally as important. There's just something about wedding pictures -- they are so precious. In our new home, I'm going to create a wall just for old family pictures, and if she will let me, reserve a place of honor for my aunt's portrait.
Think about us next week as we move...I keep hoping the moving elves will show up to pack for me, but so far, no luck. The office will be closed from Sunday, March 30 until Sunday, April 6. I'll be checking email, but only sporadically, so if you need to get in touch with me, please feel free to give me a call.
Baby L-O-V-E
OK, it's Valentine's Day, so I thought I'd post some shots from my most recent Baby/Family Portrait Session, because I especially love the subjects of the images. They're two of the newest members of the extended Myers family: Jonathan, the son of my nephew Alan and his wife Carole and Abby, the almost-brand-new daughter of my niece Wendy and her husband Walt. Jonathan turned one this January, while Abby is a tender 10-weeks old. Here's Alan, Carole and Jonathan. I think the shape they make in this image is rather heart-like.
Abby has reflux, a common but miserable condition, for baby and parents alike. Babies with reflux basically invented the sport of projectile vomiting. Daniel had reflux as a baby. If you know a family with a new baby who has reflux, stop whatever you're doing right now, run out and pick up dinner for them. While you're there, do one of the seemingly-endless loads of laundry lying around because Mom and Dad are always feeding the baby, holding him or her while they cry, mopping up "spit up" then beginning the whole process over again, day after day. Luckily, most babies outgrow it around six months. It certainly hasn't affected baby Abby's adorable-ness (that's not a word, but somehow it fits). If only adults could get away with hats like this.
Jonathan's nursery is decorated with a cute ocean theme highlighted by a wall-size, hand-painted mural. The colors made a nice soft backdrop for pictures.
When we did our shoot, Jonathan was just trying out the whole walking
thing. He's pretty fast on his knees!
Here he gets a little
help from Mom and Dad (and shows that he's not the only one in the family that can rock a cute hat).
Dad's shoulders are another great way to get around.
Wide awake now...aren't babies' eyes amazing?
My Favorite Picture…of 2008.
OK, so it's early days yet, but I have a new favorite picture:
I went to Greenville yesterday to photograph my niece Wendy and her husband Walt and his extended family. Walt's sister lives in Oklahoma and doesn't make it back to NC too often, so it was a chance for a family portrait that might not come again soon. The weather in Raleigh when I left was nice, so I didn't pay much attention to the forecast, which is never a smart move for an on-location photographer. Well, a ferocious cold-front swept through and by the time I'd made the 2-hour drive, it was cold and windy. We'd planned to do the photographs in an open field, but because of the weather, moved the family shots to an impromptu studio set up in the garage (which was getting great late afternoon light, believe it or not). Walt and Wendy have a new baby -- watch for shots of her soon -- and it was just too cold and too far from the house to take her out, but Walt's sister, niece and mom braved the weather and trooped through the fields to a spot where the light was beautiful. I really love this shot of three lovely generations!
I couldn't resist getting right to these images this morning! Here are a few more.
sweet mother and daughter shots...
There's nothing like late afternoon light.
I'll be posting more images from this shoot soon, including some of the
new baby in a cradle made by her great-grandfather. Stay tuned!
Carla and Jamaal – Engagement Session
I met Carla and Jamaal at Duke Gardens for a morning engagement shoot, then we met back up in the afternoon at Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern which is where Jamaal popped the question to his beautiful bride-to-be. It was Jamaal's idea to re-create the proposal and have me shoot it. Let me just say it was truly one of the coolest experiences I've had as a wedding photographer. When I got together with the couple for their consultation, it was obvious that Jamaal was excited about the engagement shoot and asked then if we could re-create the proposal. It seems like a natural fit for an engagement shoot, but I'd never been asked to do it before. Jamaal is obviously a man of great ideas! I contacted Tracy Thorpe, Special Events Coordinator at Second Empire to ask if it would be OK for us to come in for a quick shoot before the restaurant opened for dinner. She graciously said yes -- so a huge "thank you" to Tracy! Second Empire is absolutely gorgeous and is known in the Triangle as the place for a romantic dinner -- what a perfect spot for a proposal. The restaurant also hosts special events like weddings and receptions, so definitely check them out if you're looking for something really special.
Carla and Jamaal met in college and actually went to the same church but it wasn't until she ran into him in the DMV that sparks flew. They plan to marry in early November and I feel so privileged to be their wedding photographer. Click here to view their slide show.
