The Robisons used to live right behind us. They don’t now, and we miss them dearly. And not just because Julie used to pass delicous food to us over the fence. (The dolmathes were my favorite and she made them from the grape leaves that grew on the fence between our yards). We miss them because they were fabulous neighbors.
So I was happy when they called and wanted some family pictures. Taken January 1, this is my first portrait session of 2009.
I photographed Blair and Julie Buswell and their fabulous family today, and that was great, great. Blair is a well-known sculptor and I always love photographing other artists. I loved being in their home, seeing Blair’s work, listening to the kids play music, hearing Julie talk to them with so much respect and admiration. I drove away happy, thinking, man, what luck. This is what I do for a living.
Quick story: I photographed some friends of mine and they told some of their friends about it. Then those people told their neighbors. Next thing you know, the neighbors (The Buswell’s) call up and say they’d like some family pictures. Turns out, he’s the boss of my wife’s book-club partner’s husband. Can you even believe it. Small world. Also, I’m so happy when people want to tell their friends about my work. It’s so meaningful to me, so thanks. Referrals make the world go around. And love. But mostly referrals.
They call him Frank. I call him Tom. Here’s what happened. The night before these pictures were taken, I met Frank for the first time at our party. Stace introduced me and told me her husband’s name. The next morning I went to their home and prided myself on remembering his name, even though I had only meet him once, the night before, among many others that came to the studio to say hello. I kept calling him Tom and at one point, realized that I was the only one calling him that. Stace kept calling him Frank. Turns out, she was right, I was wrong. His name is Frank. Oh. Hi Frank.
Ok, so the joke’s on me. But they were gracious and we had a great time making these pictures. They even danced. I love that.
In addition to the images below, I have also posted a slideshow that shows a few more of their family pictures.
“Put your head between your legs.” Those were the first words spoken between Marilyn and Chris. He came to work in the lab were she was in charge. Their task was to dissect rats. That, on its own, wasn’t so tricky, except Chris had rats for pets when he was a kid. Luckily, Marilyn was there to offer not only good advice, but also comfort when Chris started to feel a little faint. A real love story.
Here’s a one minute slideshow of more Valentine family pictures.
It won’t be long before these guys are moving to Germany. So they came to town to say goodbye to family and friends. While they were in Provo, I think they did something very smart. They made an appointment to get family pictures taken. (I love smart people). Claire found me on Stephanie’s blog. (I love Stephanie’s blog).
Here’s a slideshow of more of their family pictures. (I love taking family pictures).
We only have ten available portrait sessions left for the month of November. Interested in getting something for Christmas? Time is running out. Call me.
Working as a photographer herself, Tracy had come to this place in Provo before to take pictures. She loved the colors. She shot film, then had it cross processed.
So when it came time for family pictures, she remembered this place.
I followed her and Shep over. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but when I saw that building, I thought, well if that’s not where we’re going, we should certainly stop anyway. Turns out, that’s what Tracy had in mind. I love it when we’re on the same page.
Jaryl is buying some of my photographs that he’s seen over the years and I went to Salt Lake to show a couple different print sizes. We want to make sure we get this just right. While I was there, I was able to make some portraits of their family–something for their Christmas cards this year. A few of my favorites are included below, and there’s also a one-minute slideshow showing more of their family portraits.
