Hutchison

I joined the Wagner/Hutchison family on their farm to celebrate the life and love that started this family with Judy & Gary’s marriage 45 years ago.  This portrait session was Rachel’s gift to her parents to celebrate this milestone anniversary.   So how fitting that the farm where their memories have been made is where we would capture the beauty their life is creating.  We were able to pull a little family history into the shoot as well.  This tractor was restored by Gary and has been in the family since his parents bought it new in 1947.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last several years, it’s how important tractors are to the men that own them.    It’s clear how much Gary has invested in restoring this piece of his childhood memory and how  much fun the kids had posing on it.

Rachel and Dave are both involved in the visual arts fields and their home is lined with paintings Dave has created.   We had a great time talking shop with one another long into the night after their View and Choose.  From our discussion it sounds like Dave’s students are getting quite an education in the technical end of capturing light and beauty.  It was also clear how important documenting their family through photographs has always been to this family.  They joked about Rachel carrying Lisa out of the scene when their father was photographing them as children so she would be the star dancer…priceless!  Memory not to be forgotten because it’s been preserved in a photograph.

Preserving the sweet dynamic and laughter between the family members was a joy.  No one got stressed out when it began to rain on us a bit, everyone just rolled with it.  However, what stood out to me was how each of the children also reached out to want to be included in portraits with their dad in something that was significant to them at random times throughout the shoot.  Max wanted to share his love of books, Garrett wanted his dad’s help with his bow and to be carried by his dad, and Julia wanted to pick flowers and dance with her dad…pretty special thing to behold over our time together.  And then I noticed that grandad brought his bride of 45 years a jacket while she was helping me with a reflector at the end of the night and yet there had been no request for a jacket.   He just quietly walked up and did this….that’s how you find joy in marriage after 45 years! 

May all this tender affection continue on through all your generations and the sweet memories you make with one another flood your home with laughter!