"The Old Tree"

“The Old Tree”

So this is my sentimental sappy post today. I will start this out by saying this.. I am not a writer, I think this quote pretty much sums up me perfectly.
“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera” ~Lewis Hine.
There are people who write and it’s an art form, pure poetry… I am not one of them…lol, my poetry comes from my photography.
But bear with me and hopefully some emotion will come from my words…

Yesterday I woke up and as I looked out our back kitchen window I noticed “the tree” is lying on the ground. I am thinking I know we had a lot of wind the past few days and it’s old … but really? Did it really blow down? This was that tree I loved to look at out my office window, actually the one I mentioned the other day on facebook about how the light was hitting its beautiful fall colored leaves. The one that was always welcoming from our back kitchen window, filtering in the morning sunlight. I must admit, it made me sad. The very first thing that came to my mind is the photo I have displayed in my house of my kids when they were younger walking into a morning fog as the sun filtered around that tree. Of course, then all the memories come back, there are so many. I hear childhood and laughter when I think of it. It was the “hide and seek tree” with all the neighborhood kids, it was part of childhood for so many. Yes, the tree was old, it had seen better days but oh the memories it could tell. I know… I swear it’s like a version of “The Giving Tree” in my head right now. So, if you are still with me, you are probably thinking… why do I go on and on about a tree? By now I am sure you get it, it’s not really about the “tree”, it’s the memories the tree was apart of. And when things like this take place, they are subtle reminders to me of how thankful I am to do what I love… the art of preserving memories for people. It’s times like these when I am especially thankful for my own photographs. Yes, those memories are all in my mind, but how incredibly thankful I am to have them in print. How thankful I am to have that photo of my children in my home as a piece of art. How thankful I am that all those times that I can see those visions back in my head, I have them in a photograph so that future generations will know about those same beautiful memories.
It is said that "Photography is a way of feeling, touching, of loving. What is caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything” or I might add, long after they are gone…
Partial Quote by Aaron Siskind

This is also a reminder of not only preserving my memories but yours. While I do say it often, I truly am thankful to all the families who let my photography touch their lives each year and preserve their memories. No matter if it's a newborn, child, senior, family, wedding, whatever... I am thankful that you entrust me enough with those memories. I hold it a great honor to be apart of your life. Much love, Hayley

While the photo is old and from when I was first beginning my photography journey, with any technical flaws it may have... it is still one of my faves. I think every artist has those photographs that mean more to them than the "technicalities". This is certainly mine. And since I used the tree as a reference, I thought I'd go back and find this photo. As you can see, even the old watermark...lol. This photo still is displayed in my home as a favorite and I was even honored enough to have this photo published in a children's book several years ago. As you can see even here, it's not really about the tree... but the tree is part of the memory :)