It's never too late...

Today is a very special day. Today marks my mother's 65th birthday! And I say that with such thankfulness. You would think that I would have endless portraits of my mother being a photographer but life gets busy and I could barely get photos taken of my own family.  

But the last year has rocked me. We lost three family members in such a short period of time that it put an impression of urgency to make time even if I didn't have it to capture her more as well as other family members. 

I wanted to give my mom the gift she never had. We have never had a "formal" family portrait with just her and my brother and I. Don't ask me why, but I'm guessing it was what most of us use as our reasons for "not" doing it. You know, "I'm fat, I'm old, It's expensive, I don't have time." I could go on, but what I really want to do is practice what I preach.  

Because what you don't see when you look at my mother is the fact that I almost lost her, TWICE! And I wanted to take the opportunity to not only give her the portraits she has never had, but also the time we spent as a mother and daughter getting ready just like I offer my clients. I wanted to experience quality time with her. She deserves to be noticed, to be valued, to be cherished and loved. I don't believe having great photographs of yourself is vain. I truly believe that every human desires to be cared about, and seen. They want people to know that they exist and to share their story and connect. Photographs are a universal language that can be spoken worldwide and understood. And when you see a great photograph of a person you love, you typically respond. You start a conversation. 

What I see when I look at this photo of my mother is the kindness in her eyes, the cackle laugh that makes everyone else laugh, her love for her family, her passion to know her heritage and her ability to always somehow be available when someone needs to talk. I see a beautiful woman, whose name is JULIE, and in her, I see me and my children.  

Three generations of incredible women all in one photo!!

Harmony(5) Julie (65) Lehana(10) Mary (29) Rosamae(1)

What I want to say to anyone reading this blog is this. It's never too late. You are never too old to have beautiful portraits of yourself and the people you love the most. If you're too busy, schedule the the time to do it. Please, for the love of God do not let your weight or how you look be what holds you back. If I can get in front of the camera at the heaviest I have ever been in my life, so can you! I've got you covered! 

Let me be honest and frank for a moment. When you or your loved one is no longer here, the first thing your family will look for is photographs. Portraits like these are your heirlooms, they are the tangibles that get passed down from one generation to the next. They tell your family story and one day your great, great grandchildren will hold them in their hands. To me, there is nothing more incredible in this world than that. 

Mom, (if you're reading this, which I know you are 😉) I want to take a moment to tell you thank you, that I love you so much, you're the prettiest hippie I have ever met AND Happy Happy 🎈 !! 

To everyone else I am going to ask you two questions. 

When was the last time you were professionally photographed? Better yet, when was the last time your mom was professionally photographed? If your answer was 5 or more years ago or never, please, give me a call. I want to change that. 920-445-8669!!