Tag: 2014

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Blog Family Portrait Sessions Rambling Weddings

Photographer Needed

When people find out that our oldest, Jessica, is getting married, invariably one of the questions they ask is, “Who’s going to be the photographer?” Her father will be walking her down the aisle, after all. But, before we ever get to that point, Greg’s been able to do for her what he’s done for so many other brides over the past twenty five years. Because, what many brides want nowadays is the whole experience caught on camera, not just the wedding.

Jessica is fortunate to have a wonderful fiancee who recognizes the importance of capturing life’s moments on camera, big and little. So, they have pictures of the moment he proposed atop a mountain in Utah. Since then, we’ve taken many more of their story together. Some for the “Save the Date” cards, some more of their engagement, and a few in between. There will undoubtedly be many taken on the actual wedding day. Most of these Greg will take, but we’re not sure who’ll be taking pictures during the actual ceremony. The album we layout for a newly married couple is very appropriately called a “Storybook.” Here’s a small montage of Jessica and Grant’s story so far. patterson_9822_nocrop 700_9740 700_8927a photo1 photo5photo1

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Blog Children Family Portrait Sessions Rambling

So, What Have We Lost?

While perusing new book titles on Amazon I saw one that caught my attention. What could a book titled “The End of Absence” be about? I wondered. The first thing I thought of was that the opposite of absent is present, right? So, was this another self-improvement book about how to stay present? I didn’t need to read another one of those, but I had to know what was “ending” exactly. I wasn’t intrigued enough to pay to read the book, but I did read a few reviews. Here’s the gist of what I got from a few of them.

fun in the portrait garden
fun in the portrait garden

The author describes the society that we’re in now as one being void of any new or creative thoughts. Because of the internet, we’ve allowed Google to do our thinking for us. We drag ourselves out of bed each morning to see what’s new on Facebook and end the day by checking our email one last time. And, in between, we’ve posted any number of pictures and videos, some our own, some we share.
Do we remember as youngsters daydreaming while looking out the window? Or, how about imagining that a cloud looks like an elephant? Does today’s generation have time for getting lost in their thoughts?
But, before getting too lost in this sentimental journey, I recall how I reminisced with an old friend I’d just reconnected with on Facebook. And, that recipe I got from a blogger in Canada was really good. I’ve gained so much through digital technology, it’s hard to imagine life without it anymore.
In fact, I can’t pinpoint exactly what we’ve lost, except our childhood. For those of us who are middle-aged, we tend to feel nostalgic about the simple joys of rolling in the grass or splashing in rain puddles. We wonder why our kids want to spend more time on the computer than they do outside. The next generation will feel the same way when they remember the first digital diary they created from a family vacation or come across the first selfie they ever took.
I’m going to pass on this book; it won’t tell me much I don’t already know about the growing number of hours we spend on the internet. I’ll try to spend that time instead by staying close to the people I love. And, if that’s through Facebook or Skype, so be it.

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Blog Children Graduating Seniors Rambling

School Picture Day

Bicentennial year
5th grade

Traditionally, school pictures were synonymous for “the worst picture I ever took…ever!”  I don’t know if we cringed more at the creepy guy in the leisure suit behind the camera or when we received our school pictures a few weeks later. But, times have changed and so has picture day.  So said a recent high school senior, “That’s the best school picture I ever took. Oh wait, except for my 9th grade picture…but, you took that one, too.” We like school pictures, if only to

Bicentennial year
5th grade
Seniors '15
High School graduate

dispel any misgivings someone might have about having theirs taken. So, in the spirit of having a better attitude about picture day and school in general, let’s see how many school pictures we can post between now and the day school starts!

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Blog

A tribute

Memories of those whose help we couldn't do without.
Memories of those whose help we couldn't do without.
Memories of those whose help we couldn't do without.
Memories of those whose help we couldn’t do without.

Looking at these pictures from ten years ago, reminds us of how thankful we are for the help we had relocating to our present location. It was a big undertaking and we, more than anyone else, doubted that we could. But, we couldn’t have even considered it had we not had a lot of support. First of all, the place we moved into was a much bigger and older place that needed a lot of attention. In fact, the previous tenant was a fraternity, and judging by the collection of broken glass and such left behind, they must have had a good time! I can’t remember the number of hours we spent painting, sanding, tiling, hammering, spackeling, sewing, weeding, tilling, planting and cleaning (not to mention the actual moving), but there was enough to go around. To mom and dad, we thank you for being available to do anything and everything. And, thinking about how you had to drive in all those weekends makes me even more grateful. You were and are our biggest support. To Juree for being our biggest cheerleader, social planner, office manager, punching bag (on the worst of days), and most of all, friend. And Billy, for being our muscle when we moved and terrific handyman! To Jessica, Daniel and Nathan for just being great and supportive through the whole thing. And Robin, too, for lending us some elbow grease. To Scott Wagner, our master tileman.  To Shawn for building us our beautiful children’s playhouse. To Barbera for giving up a weekend or two to come and paint and, then, paint some more! To all of you and the others too who helped us celebrate at our opening and be happy along with us, we love you all very much and are thinking of you fondly this month.  Greg & Cindy

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Blog Graduating Seniors

A senior’s final semester:

Nacogdoches Senior Class of 2014 at G. Patterson Studio portrait garden
Nacogdoches Senior Class of 2014 at G. Patterson Studio portrait garden

After Christmas, one of two things generally happens to a senior.  They either get busy or they get lazy (senior-itis).  The first group tends to be on a mad hunt for scholarships and extra-curricular activities as they submit college applications.  The other tends to sit back and coast and let the chips fall where they may.  But no matter which category they fall into, everyone will agree that these final five months go by as a blur.  So, to our graduating class of ’14 and your parents I say this, “Don’t blink. You might miss it.”

But hey, that’s what senior portraits are for… to help you remember all that you’ve accomplished and all that you represent right now in this moment in time… to remind family and friends of the whacky, zany, silly, funny, serious, studious, and hard-working sides of your personality.   In the last week and a half, we have personally seen and scheduled many 2014 seniors for their senior portrait sessions.  We’ve been talking graduation invitations, outfits, locations, and poses to make sure that this moment is perfectly catered to the individual.  It’s obvious that students and parents alike are getting excited in their anticipation of graduation… and so are we!  If you have been sitting around waiting for the right time to schedule, NOW is that time!  Call the studio to discuss your ideal senior session and what products you’re most interested in.  Hope to hear from you soon.