My Grandfather

My grandfather, or Papaw, as I call him is one of the best men that ever was, definitely, to me. This summer Jake and I and the kids took 3 weeks and went on a roadtrip to Ohio and Kentucky to visit my family. It had been about 5 years since I had been back home and it felt amazing to be there with the kids. While we were there I asked my Papaw to make me a newborn prop, mostly just so I could hang out with him in his worksop and watch him work, like I used to do as a kid. I remember watching him, as a child, in awe of how he could turn peices of wood into something completely new. Fast forward to me now, 32 years old, little had changed except, I knew now, how precious these moments are. As I sat in his workshop watching him work (which by the way, was the deconstructed home he built, with his own hands for me and my mom and brothers when I was a child) I felt so incredibly grateful to have this man in my life. Jake suggested I take pictures of him working, what a genius that guy is! When I got my camera out, it almost felt too personal to photograph, like this should be just for us. But I knew Jake was right, I dont get to be back home as much as I would like, this was something I should do. And this image I have of my Papaw is, personally, one of my favorite images I have ever captured. I *knew* it had to be black and white. It is a complete treasure to have that time to hold on to forever, even when my memory fades, the image will be there waiting for me.

The prop, of course turned out adorable, so bonus! I used it for the first time at a recent session, and I couldn't help but smile the whole time. :)