Yes, she does have the sweetest face ever. And yes, she is as sweet as she looks.
Joanne is a very beautiful 84 year old that is mom to my friend, Charles. I visited her at her home to take her portrait. She welcomed me like we had been friends for years.
Absolutely, the most important thing to me in getting a great portrait is making my subject feel comfortable. Well, guess what. After about 5 minutes of meeting Joanne, she’s the one that made me feel comfortable. She shared family stories with me and gave me a tour of her beautiful home. She showed me photos of her children and grandchildren, and I even got to see the cutest picture of Charles when he was little with his Dad. I felt, for a minute, like I was part of his family (I should show up for Christmas next year. Lol.)
She was telling me a funny story when I took the above photo. I love it when my clients open up and tell me about their families and friends and interests. It's gaining that trust that gives me the honor of capturing the realness in them.
Joanne claimed she wasn't "photogenic." I think I proved her wrong. Don't you? Sometimes we can't see the beauty in ourselves that others see. (I'm guilty of that myself.)
What I learned in a short time about Joanne.
Her husband designed golf courses and she, herself, was one of the best female golfers in New York State. There was a room in her home that was filled with her golf trophies. She was good enough to go professional but, family came and, well, you can guess the rest of the story. She was a professional drapery and blind maker and worked for Rochester Drapery. She has traveled to all 50 states. And she is an excellent cook.
This photo shoot took about and hour and a half (including equipment set up, the house tour and chit chat). It was fun, easy and I got to know a very nice lady.
Love for your home.
When my assistant and I set up my camera equipment in your home, we are always very careful and always be sure to ask about moving furniture and are conscious of where we set things.
In my studio, I have a collection of chairs, stools etc… for my photo shoots. We don’t have the same convenience when we go to residences to shoot. So, as soon as I walk in, I am looking around to see what might be available for an interesting portrait. Sometimes an old chair, sometimes a bar stool. Sometimes just a nice comfortable wingback.
Thank you, Charles.
There is a trust that people have when they allow me to photograph their loved ones. They are sure that I will see in them what they do and I will display that in a beautiful portrait. That's my dream in a nutshell—to create portraits that speak to people and bring good memories to them every time they look at them.
That said, thank you Charles for the opportunity to create portraits of your mom. I hope that you love them.
Please don't wait.
Do you have a special Dreamer in your life that you would love to have a beautiful portrait of for yourself or to give to someone? I am always happy to hear from people that want portraits of the dreamers in their lives. I'm flexible with time and am available to come set up wherever you are or you are welcome to come to my beautiful studio.
Please call/text or email me and we can talk further. P 315.221.9903 E mary@marycd.com
Thank you for reading my blog. See you soon.