Albums aren’t just for weddings!

Several years ago, I did a retirement album for one of my commercial clients, Hawthorne Community Center, a local non-profit community center on the westside of Indianapolis. I did some event photography for them as well as promotional photography, to create content for social media and their website. Their executive director was retiring, and the board wanted to do something special after her 25+ years of service. I have a sample of that work on my Portrait page.

Last year, I had a friend approach me about a memory book for their family home. The matriarch of the family, now a widow, would be moving out of state. The family wanted to create a special photography project, to help her hold onto important memories from the family home. I don’t specialize in real estate photography, so I partnered with a colleague who did. Derek photographed the house and rooms with his wide angle lens and HDR techniques. I photographed the detail work and put together the final album design. Mrs. Ross was particularly fond of Josephine Baker – so I included some quotes that fit with the story we were trying to tell.

From start to finish, the project took about 6 months. We delivered it this week, just in time for Mrs. Ross 75th birthday. She had seen the early drafts, but not the final version. So, it was a surprise. Her niece sent me videos of the unwrapping, so I got to see the raw emotion and reaction first hand. This truly was a labor of love. I love telling stories, and capturing memories for a lifetime.

One of the images we used was from a pond on the grounds, with a series of creative edits to make it look like a painting. I love the colors and questions that are left open for you to interpret…

Most people probably think of photo albums for weddings. But, they make great gifts surrounding any life milestone, transition or celebration. If you have a project in mind, please let me know! I’d love to work with you.

CTC Ross Memory Book V3 Social (85 of 192)
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