LUXE PORTRAITS – Aileen, Elaine, & Norma

I am so honored to share a guest post from Aileen who recently did a Luxe Portrait for her mother, sister, and herself:

“People seek Mitzi’s photography services for a lot of reasons. Honestly, it was nowhere near my radar screen until I saw her blog post about photographing her mother. Hmmmm.  I chatted with her about the details, considered all the rational reasons not to book an appointment, and ultimately wound up in her studio with my mom and sister. Here are our reasons for booking that appointment.

1. It was an act of rage.  Say what? Yes…per the advice of the poet Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” You see, on December 29^th, Mom learned she had an aggressive cancer and had 3-6 months to live. Now, she’s a godly woman, and she accepted this news with calm faith that God has all her days numbered. True. But still not easy. Her face, achingly precious to so many of us, will soon be gone from our sight. We wanted to capture it, gloriously, to keep her near always.
2. We wanted Mom to feel beautiful. When she looks in the mirror, she doesn’t see what we see. She frequently bemoans her wrinkles and unruly curls, stating with surprised disgust, “I look like an old woman!” And when you’re sick, you feel anything but beautiful. I will never forget the look on her face when she saw her own reflection after Mitzi and Liz had finished their hair and make-up magic. Priceless! She looked like a million bucks. And when she slipped into the black lace “flapper” dress we had bought for her, the transformation was complete! The rows of long black fringe on the skirt just begged to be shaken, and she laughed at the very thought of ditching her walker to dance the Charleston like she had in her younger days. The photo of that laugh is my all-time favorite!
3. We wanted to capture our special mother/daughter bond. We come from a long line of sturdy women. Apparently, the grit gene is dominant in our DNA. While we are very different, we also share more common traits than we might admit. This photo captures those similarities and differences, but most of all it captures our utter delight in each other. We share an unbreakable bond that not even death can sever.
4. We wanted to bless our family. Scattered across several states, our loved ones only get to see Mom a couple times a year. And it kills them. We wanted them to feel her presence every day. Now she smiles at them from a frame on the dresser, an ever-present reminder of her love and grace. And her laugh.

As it turns out, Mom’s timeline appears longer than the first estimate. Whether we enjoy her company for 3 months or 3 years, we will never regret engaging Mitzi to capture her sweet face. This is how we chose to rage against the dying of the light. And someday, when her last numbered day ends, I’m confident there will be a black lace flapper dress waiting for her just inside of glory. Oh, the Charleston she will dance some day!”

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Tags

#2017, #front page, #portfolio