I have had the opportunity this past year to photograph people celebrating special moments that take place later in life...anniversaries, birthdays, etc. I feel very strongly about capturing images for clients that tell a story.

There are people in your life who are part of your story. Maybe an aunt, uncle, or grandparent. Think of how influential they have been in your life. Maybe someone as nearby as your own parents. When was the last time they had their picture taken? What is important to them in their life now...interests, hobbies, special things they still do for you that bring back a wave of memories?

When my husband and I started dating, he took me to meet his grandmother, "Momma Dora". We spent the day at her farmhouse looking at dozens of photo albums...all of which she titled "Let Me Tell You About...". The blank was filled in with the subject matter of the books contents.

Afterwards, she cooked up some of her famous fried chicken. I had heard about it. It was good. The best part of her chicken was not how it just melted in your mouth after biting into the perfectly seasoned crispy outside...it was the way she prepared it. I watched her at her stove with her very well -seasoned, cast iron pans. She moved with a rhythm as if it were a dance she was performing. Meticulously waiting to turn each piece. Can't you just smell it cooking now?

Momma Dora is gone now. We have her pans and photo albums and memories. But there is something I will always regret not doing. I wish I had taken photos of Momma Dora perched up at that stove, on a stool, leaned over so she was comfortable there for the long haul, frying her chicken. It was so beautiful to watch her prepare it, give it to her friends and family and to see her glow with pride when anyone bragged about her fried chicken in her presence.

Do you have someone in your life like this? Get photos made to capture their story...for them and you. Ultimately, it is part of your story too. Imagine the photo book I could have assembled for all of our family of Momma Dora cooking her chicken? Her pans are with her daughters packed away but what a piece of accessible, enjoyable history it would be to have a photo book of her in action to enjoy anytime we felt the urge. A photo book to tell our story to our children?