Rochester NY Family Photos for Life: The 2020 Session
Several months ago, I held a contest for 'Family Photos for Life' on my Facebook page. I got to know three amazing families and hear their stories. This fall, I had the pleasure of photographing the winning family to capture their personalities and love for one another. I can't wait to see them again next year. This is what Kate shared when asked why family photographs mean to much to her family: (Keep scrolling to see their images!)
"My husband and I have lived with significant losses in our lives. When my husband Dave was 8, his mother died in a car accident. All the photos we have of her are hard copies, of course, but are so important to him. We love having the chance to show his mom to our children, so they can see their Nana Theresa in some way.
In 2007, when I was 25, my identical twin sister died suddenly in a car accident while she was on vacation. Another driver fell asleep and hit her head on. She and I were best friends- just incredibly close, nearly codependent at times. Ellen's death was, at that time, the worst trauma I had experienced, and totally reshaped my life. I found so much comfort in my photos of her, and love the life they represent, from our very first hospital photo taken together in the same bassinet, to photos taken on the bus when she came to visit me in NYC as adults. She was my only sibling, so my sons don't have aunts or uncles on my side to meet, but they 'know' Aunt Ellen from my photos and stories.
And then, in February 2014, Dave and I arrived at the hospital for a scheduled c section to welcome our second son. While waiting to go to the OR, they realized they couldn't find his heartbeat anymore. After an emergent c-section, where I was completely unconscious, I woke in recovery and learned that our son Avi had died after 31 minutes of trying to save him. We were devastated, to put it VERY mildly. We spent the next 36 hours in the hospital holding and dressing our baby, photographing him, and letting his then 3 year old brother hold him and sing to him. If we thought photos of Theresa or Ellen meant a lot to us, we had no idea how truly treasured the photos of our son would be. We can still see his face everyday, remember what a beautiful baby he was, and let his younger brothers see the little boy that came and went before them.
Because of our history, we know what a privilege it is to make memories with the people you love and watch your children grow. We never want to take it for granted, or forget the moments we share with them. Family photos would give us an amazing way to capture some of those moments in time, to always have. Our favorite images are ALWAYS the ones where our kids aren't posed, and their goofy personalities and love for each other are shining through. And I'm hopeful that someday my boys will be sharing those family photos with their kids in the future."
