Hey everyone!  I’m super excited to introduce a new genre to my studio.  It’s called Legacy Portraits, and I’m seeking models to help get this genre started – see below to contact me or nominate someone for a session!  I’ll get to exactly what they are in a minute, but first I want to talk about why I decided to offer them. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve created images to capture special moments – all kinds of moments.  Sometimes I captured exotic landscapes in our travels to faraway places.  Sometimes I captured stunning historic architecture, or wildlife, or lively urban streets, or that random guy playing the saxophone in Central Park . . . just to capture that exact moment in time.  But I never really thought about my “why” – what compels me to capture time?

My “Why?”

Then one day I realized, once a moment has passed, it’s gone forever.  Let me explain a bit more with a short story:

In April 1905, my 2nd great-grandparents sold nearly everything they owned and bought 6 tickets for passage on a ship from Sweden to Boston for themselves and their 4 children. (My great-grandmother was 10 years old.)  Before they left, they packed one trunk full of clothing and other small items, and spent most of their remaining money to hire a photographer to take their family portrait before they departed their home country forever. They arrived in the United States after a month at sea with $50 to their name. They found work and housing and began building their lives again in western New York along the shores of Lake Erie. Within a few years, they once again hired a photographer to capture their family portrait in their new country (and with a new family member, as another child had been born.)  Portraits clearly meant something significant to these people.  They wanted to capture moments and celebrate milestones.  They wanted heirloom portraits to remember this time in their lives and exist in that moment forever. My family still possesses these portraits 120 years later.

The other part of the story of my “why” is a bit more somber. Between the beginning of 2021 and the middle of 2022, I lost eight close friends and family members – all to different causes or circumstances.  Eight funerals, eight memorials, eight obituaries, and eight final portraits of loved-ones from my world.  My father, two uncles, three cousins, an aunt, and a close friend – and none of them had a proper portrait for their funeral service.  All of their final portraits were social media selfies that had to be altered or edited in order to make them worthy of a memorial portrait, and in many cases, I was the one being asked to do the editing.  I had failed them.  I should have been more adamant about making their portraits.

So, what does this mean to me and my portrait studio?  Well, I believe the only truly non-renewable resource is time, and everyone deserves to exist in photographs for their loved ones forever.  My mission is to provide all-inclusive, heart-felt service and distinctly unique portrait experiences that celebrate the milestones in my clients’ lives – ensuring every client is featured in portraits that last a lifetime and beyond. 

Introducing Two Kinds of Legacy Portraits

So what are Legacy Portraits by Krista Nutter Photography?  My Legacy Portraits are divided up into two main styles or categories: Enduring Love Sessions, and A Life Well-Lived Sessions.

Enduring Love Legacy Portraits

The Enduring Love Legacy Portraits are for those couples who want to celebrate their long-lasting love with timeless portraits that capture them authentically and beautifully.  These portraits are for couples that might be celebrating a milestone anniversary like 30^th, 40^th, or 50^th+ anniversaries.  This portrait session may also be for couples celebrating a new phase or significant event – such as moving to a new country or state, retiring and setting off traveling the world together, or finally buying that boat or sportscar they’ve always wanted to enjoy together.  Portraits from this type of session show the couple in their element – walking on the beach, picnicking in the park, at home reading in their study, or playing with their grandchildren.  Where do you want to celebrate your enduing love?  Or maybe you’d like to gift this session to your parents?  This is a completely custom session so the possibilities are endless.

The Life Well-Lived Legacy Portraits

The Life Well-Lived Portraits are for clients celebrating a lifetime achievement-type of event such as retirement, receiving special honors or awards, achieving a long term goal, overcoming an illness, or reaching a milestone birthday such as 60^th, 70^th, 80^th, or 90^th+.  These sessions typically feature a portrait photoshoot, but can also be upgraded to include a documentary-style video interview of the person as well.  This session is truly one that captures the subject in true legacy style and becomes an enduring family heirloom.

Are you interested in creating this type of lasting tribute to someone in your family?  I’m searching for models now to help launch this genre, so call me or fill out my contact form for more information or to book your session!

Photos by Hector Reyes, Marisa Howenstine & Danie Franco on Unsplash

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