Keepsakes and Prints

I think my love of photography began as a child.  I would pour over the Polaroids and snapshots in my parents' photo albums, and I would remember…

That my dad could fly as he sailed down the dunes at White Sands National Park.

That my uncle Chris was daring and thrilling as he climbed among the stalactites and stalagmites of Carlsbad Caverns.

That my uncle Eddie, always a benevolent soul, gave us the gift of Space Invaders and Megamania.

That my mother was lovely and shy and blessed with nice gams.

That my baby brother lived in Spider Man pajamas for months.

That I was tiny and happy.  That I was loved.

I’ll just take the CD.

Those have become the most dreaded words spoken by my photography clientele. Many clients who buy the CD have confessed that they never get prints from it or only print one or two images.  They buy it to view digitally. Yep, I love to post photos of our kids on Facebook.   Our 3 year old daughter loves to snatch Daddy’s iphone to look at the photo gallery.  And Lord help us, our tween is the queen of “selfies”.  And all of those photos?  They stay on the device which inevitably fails, and those photos may not be recovered. 

But a print can be slid into the pages of an album.  It can be tucked into your favorite book, a wonderful surprise when you read To Kill A Mockingbird for the fourteenth time.   It can be stuffed in an old shoebox of memories.  You can print on canvas or metal and create a legacy art wall in your home.  It is something tangible that you can pass on to your kids and grandkids.

When I look at my oldest daughter’s baby album, I don’t see the fat woman that I thought I was.  I see a strong woman who endured diabetes, high risks and cankles to push an amazing redheaded baby into this world.  On our anniversary and whenever life gets hard, we look at our wedding album, remember our vows and how much we love each other.

I’ve spent years studying the art of photography to give you beautiful photos of your family.  I edit on a computer calibrated to match a professional printing lab to give you superior quality prints.  I hope that you will choose prints so that you may remember…

That you were young.  You were happy.  You were loved.

Best,

Valerie
www.valeriehawkinsphotography.com
www.facebook.com/valeriehawkinsphotography