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Have you ever felt like a force
(God, the universe, the great spaghetti monster in the sky)
was nudging you towards something?
For the past few months, I’ve been noticing these nudges. They come while I’m listening to a podcast, reading a post on Instagram, and countless other tiny instances. Most recently, I received more of a shove than a nudge at The Family Narrative. So big that it left me a blubbering mess during the first presentation of the week, and a few others after that. I felt like this force was whacking me upside my head.
The message was clear, just do it already!
The first presentation was by photographer Rachel LaCour Niesen, who created the Save Family Photos movement. She collects old photographs and the stories to accompany them from people across the country and, I believe, possibly around the world. Check out what she’s created here and here. If you have scans of old family photos with a story to go with it, I highly suggest submitting them to her.
In her presentation, Rachel shared an image of her grandmother’s photo wall. She spoke about how she would linger by this photo wall and have her grandmother tell her stories about the photos she collected there. I sat listening, absorbing, enjoying her personal story. Then, it hit me. My Nana had a very similar photo wall. A jigsaw of frames lining her entry hallway with photos of all her kids and grandkids across the years. I loved looking through those photos every time I visited. I practically had them memorized, but still, they drew me in. I would kill to have a recording of my Nana telling me about her memories from each one.
This was the beginning of the tears.
Then, Rachel played a Google commercial from the Super Bowl. It’s a sweet commercial of an old man trying to make sure he doesn’t forget his wife. Having lost a grandma to Alzheimer’s, this one hit me especially hard. That was it, my mascara never stood a chance.
If you would like a good cry, watch the video here.
Getting to the point
All this having been said, what I have been drawn to for a long time is documenting grandparents. I feel like the threat of losing our oldest generation to this virus really drove the importance of this home for me. Having lost all four of my grandparents before I was old enough to truly appreciate them, I feel like it is imperative that I create opportunities for others to document their stories before they are lost.
I have so many ideas of what this could become, but for now, I want to start small.
Let’s incorporate your parents and grandparents into a session with your family.
Do you have some old family photos they could tell a story or two about? Great! Let’s include those.
Want a video of your grandma’s voice as she tells you her story? I’m learning the video end of my camera specifically for this purpose.
Someday your children and their children will want the record of these stories just as you cherish the stories passed down from your ancestors.
Ok, I made it through writing this with only two tissue breaks. Hopefully, my story has impacted you in the same way and sparked a few ideas to have your own stories documented.
Book a session now for summer/fall (or whenever they release us)
- A 2-hour session that includes both posed and candid images
- Video included for a limited time
- Prints and files available in your choice of post-session package.
- We’ll pick a date once everyone has the official all-clear from the virus.
$350 session fee
Also!
I am donating two sessions in 2020 for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. If you have a loved one in the early stages of the disease and you would like to document their stories before they disappear, please get in touch at hello@rachelsimpsonphotography.com or the link below.
