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Last spring, a tweet was sent my way mentioning that I should submit a photo to a particular website; a photographic project of sorts. Taylor, the tweet initiator, is the son of one of my former employers and I thought to myself “oh, what is Taylor up to now?”. Of course it was said in a kind way because Taylor’s mind is processing and creating 24/7, and that is something I can relate to, 150% !

Before I go further, I should probably give a little background on Dear Photograph.

The idea behind Dear Photograph is simple: hold up a photo from the past in front of the place where it was originally shot, then take a picture of the picture, adding a dedication about what the photograph means to you. The results, however, are astounding. By turns nostalgic, charming, and poignant, Dear Photograph is a stunning visual compilation that evokes childhood memories, laments difficult losses, and above all, celebrates the universal nature of love. (source: HarperCollins)

I had every intention of submitting an image right away, but weeks and months kept flying by. You know, life kind of got in the way. Imagine that? Fast forward a few months and summer weekends at the cottage and I had my Dear Photograph image.

Dear Photograph
It doesn’t matter how old you’ll get – you’ll always be my little helper.
Holly (Mom)

I thought it would be fun to have my Dear Photograph submission make it to the website because it’s a shot of my son (hello! cute!) but also because Dear Photograph helps to reiterate how important photos and memories are to your life. My passion! The image above never made it to the website (they gets TONS!), but that’s because it ended up being chosen for the book. Nice!

The other night I sat on the couch with my kids and I said let’s look at a new book I bought. They love to look at photos so it didn’t take much convincing to have them sit next to me… the struggle was more who got to hold the book! When we flipped to page 16, my son said “Hey, that’s the cottage. That’s ME!”. Yes, yes it is.

My children know that their mom is following her dream of photography and that no matter what anyone says, I will make it. They also know I’ll be behind each of them as they choose their path in life. You know, it’s easier to have that type of conversation with my son because he’s older, but it doesn’t stop me from planting the seeds of determination in my daughter’s mind, too, that she and her brother can be anything in life and that no one should ever make them doubt their dreams and passions.

A little bonus part of this story is that an image I took of Taylor during his family photo session in September of last year, became part of the final list of images in line for the “Author Image”.  I’d be lying if I said that my pic of Taylor being chosen didn’t make me grin. It truly is because of all your support (family, friends, clients) that my work and love of photography and creating memories, continues to grow. Thank you!

Walk down a worldwide memory lane by visiting Dear Photograph.
Congrats Taylor and thanks to everyone who shared their personal memories and images.