When I really think about it the greatest gifts I’ve received really haven’t been the ones that say “you’re awesome! I love you!”, so much as those that say “the love we share is awesome and I love every minute of it.” The best gifts are the ones that celebrate love itself.
I believe that loving and celebrating love in relationships is the highest calling a person can have. I’m a photographer because, for me, that is the most natural way to help others do just that. Creating images of families and loved ones gives a solid and timeless anchor to feelings of connection and relationship that are sometimes hard to hold on to and appreciate amidst all the regular busyness. Images that accurately document the historical moments and stages of life help us remember, but the images that we cherish most are those that help us re-experience the true blessings, the deeper impressions of connection and love present in the small and fleeting moments that pass during and between the monumental ones.
Whether it’s through photography or any other shared experience, whether it’s for Valentine’s day or just because, make time to celebrate the love you share with those who bring you joy. Find a way to create an amazing memory, notice the small moments, and just have fun!
Take a look at our galleries and if you feel a connection to the photos we create we would love to set up a time to get together and talk about some ideas for a custom portrait session. Additionally, until Valentine’s Day we’re adding 20% to the value of any gift card purchase – Spend $500 and receive a $600 gift card… Spend $1000 for a $1200 card, etc.
To order gift cards just send us an email with the following details:
- How many gift cards you want
- What dollar amount you want to spend on each
- Your method of payment (if credit card, please do NOT include your card info in the email)
We will add tax and let you know the total amount due. We can then schedule a time for you to come by the studio to pay and pickup your gift card(s) or we can send your gift card(s) to you once we receive your payment. If paying by credit card we will email you an invoice through which you can pay online.
This offer is not valid toward senior, wedding or professional headshot sessions and may not be used toward the balance of an existing order.
comments
So, this is the first blog post I’ve written in my life.
I don’t consider myself much of a writer. The words just never seem to flow as well as the thoughts behind them. Fortunately, I’ll be posting a lot of photos and the pictures-to-words conversion rate works strongly in my favor. :) If you’re reading this, leave a comment to let me know someone’s here – I’ll be super excited!
These are photos of my grandparents, Don and Lucy. More accurately they are my “Granny and Grampy”. Granny and Grampy were high school sweethearts and on May 18th, 2010 they celebrated 67 years of marriage. 67 years. When I am nearing the end of my life and pause to reflect on my time, I pray with all my heart that my wife Sheila and I will have as many good memories of fun times together and with family, as many truly close friends, as many silly stories, and as much love for each other as my grandparents.
One year ago today Granny passed away at the age of 87.
I’m proud to tell you a bit about her. Granny was vibrant, cheerful, and exceptionally clever. Her mind was sharp and she always had the best hilariously out of the blue one-liners. Even weeks before she passed away you could see her eyes light up momentarily, her mind clarify, and should would be right there with a subtly brilliant quip. She loved to garden, golf, and regularly joined friends to play bridge or dominos. She and Grampy spent hours and hours riding motor scooters, boating, sailing, snowmobiling, and camping. Most of all Granny loved her family and always had the heart of a joyful servant.
Granny was an amazing grandmother, mom, and wife and we all miss her so much.
After her memorial service we had a table set up with dozens of snapshots of Granny and Grampy and their family throughout the years. There were photos of them as newlyweds, my mom as a baby, family vacations, and so many other beautiful moments. I had framed the first photo in this post and stood it on an easel at the end of the table. We took these photos in a period of about 15 minutes after a walk on the beach while visiting Granny and Grampy in Florida. I’ll never forget how much fun they had in that period of time. Joking, laughing, blushing, it was awesome. :)
Grampy came quietly out of the service and began to silently look through all the photos. He moved slowly down the table, quietly remembering all the moments captured in the cherished snapshots. When he got to the photo, framed at the end of the table, he stopped and looked for a long time with tears starting to flow down his cheeks.
I’ll never forget that moment. He hugged me and told me that in his last memories of her she is laying in a hospital bed. Her health had been slowly declining. Her heart was weak and she had been suffering the effects of Alzheimer’s, her mind slowly but steadily slipping over the last several years. But this photo, he said, this pushed those memories out. This is Lucy as he really remembers her. He told me that it captured the special spark in her eyes and her clever and mischievous sense of humor. He treasured all the photos that were there, but to him this photo captured her spirit in a different way. This summed up what he loved about her and is how he would remember her.
I hung the framed photo up in his room and he thanked me many times that weekend. He later told me that he sometimes talks to her portrait as if she were there. Some days he buckles the photo into the passenger seat and takes her with him for car rides. He tells me that he misses her so much, but that he looks at this portrait and it’s almost like she’s there with him again.
This is why I’m a photographer. If I were to never make another image again I’d be content that my calling has been fulfilled in creating these images.
Thank you Granny and Grampy. Love you so much!
show comments
What joy to meet them in picture, Nate. Your words and talent are a blessing. Thank you for sharing them.
Nate, Beautifully stated. Your description is just like your photos…touches the heart.
As a Grammo, I would say you have given your grandparents the best gift – your time, your talents and your love. Well done, Nate. You are truly a gifted photographer. Thank you for sharing – and oh yeah – the words were pretty good too!
Fantastic photos Nate! This is a truly touching story and you’re great with words!
Such beautiful sentiments about your grandmother! I am so glad you were able to capture her spark and spirit. God has definitely blessed you with an amazing gift, Mr. Weatherly!
Your affection and appreciation for Grammy and Grampy is a testament to the kind of husband, son, friend and photographer that you have become. It is a rare artist who is able to create art in both words and images.
this is such a wonderful tribute to lucy. the pictures are wonderful and you comments made me cry. beautiful.
What a beautiful tribute!
Nice job Nate…. I love these pictures. They always make me smile. Lucy would be so proud.
This is wonderful, Nate – beautiful images, beautiful story!
This is a fantastic first blog post, Nate! Extremely meaningful, personal and relevant. It’s good to see into the heart of the photographer and know he’s not just incredibly talented, but that he loves what he does and that there’s meaning behind his work. I’m glad that so many priceless memories were captured in those few minutes of taking pictures with your grandparents. That’s definitely what it’s all about and what is most rewarding about what you do.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ’0 which is not a hashcash value.
comments