Farewell…

These past weeks have been challenging. There is a lot to do when planning for a funeral in the middle of life and all of its regular demands. How do you honor someone who lived 100 years? That was our challenge as a family as we prepared a slide show, wrote a life sketch, ordered a funeral spray and headstone.  We figured out the program…. who would do what and write a eulogy.  

For some the funeral was just down the road, others drove an hour, a few hours,  or many hours. A couple even flew into town. That’s what we do for someone we all loved so much. I thought more than once how proud I was that all of her Grandsons and Great-Grandchildren gathered to honor her. 

Beautiful words were spoken. Flowers were sent and even a few trees were planted. Lovely cards arrived and meals were prepared as we all grieved together. The beauty of this past weekend was that we were together. Who knows when that will happen again? Yes, it’s stressf_ul to interrupt life and make an unplanned trip. But time and time again I was overcome with a feeling of thankfulness as I watched cousins interact, uncles laugh together, and just that beautiful feeling of being together. 

All too soon we each had to get back to our lives. Grammy is laid to rest and life goes on. We did a beautiful job of remembering her and we will continue to do so. Her name will be mentioned for years to come as we share fun stories about our memories with her. 

Shelly Fry Photography -Wedding Bells at Lewis River Golf Club

As a professional photographer I make huge efforts to be a really excellent communicator. If I’m your wedding photographer we will have had several conversations before your wedding day. We will have details planned out and a timeline in place that works for everyone. I will know exactly what you want, who’s who, have locations picked out …..and on the wedding day there won’t be any unanswered questions.

Except this time…

I still don’t know the last names of the Bride and Groom from last Friday’s wedding!!!  Just before Grammy died I received a phone call. The person calling sounded somewhat distressed as she asked me if I was available to shoot a wedding the afternoon of August 7th up in Woodland, WA. She told me that their photographer had just cancelled and they needed to find one!

Having no idea that I would be traveling to Walla Walla that weekend we talked over some specifics (small wedding, limited coverage) and I agreed to it. The person who contacted me was a sister-in-law to either the bride or groom (I still don’t know) and asked me to send the invoice to her.

How did that happen?

A few days later Grammy passed away and life was overtaken with the details that had to be attended to right then. As a result I didn’t follow up. Suddenly it was August 7th!!! All I knew was where I was to be and at what time. However there were still a lot of holes in my knowledge base! For example, I still didn’t even know the groom’s name and I had no idea what they looked like!

I have since learned their names are Luis and Guadalupe (still don’t know the last name!). The first time I saw the bride I had my camera up and I was photographing her walking in!! A very unusual experience for me! It was a sweet wedding and the bride was stunning! Unfortunately, I never really had a chance to talk with the bride other than asking her to pose in various ways. I did some dress fluffing and complimenting but that was the extent of it!

The bottom line is that I did my job and there are many beautiful pictures of their special day.

I believe the bride and groom live in the Seattle area so I’m not sure if I will ever really meet them. But hopefully they will always cherish the pictures from their special day.

If your looking for a wedding venue in Woodland check their website out http://www.lewisrivergolf.com/ 

Shelly Fry Photography with Owen – Class of 2022

The day we got home from Walla Walla I had a Senior scheduled for that evening. The weather was perfect and it felt really good to get back to work. One of the questions I like to ask my clients is “how did you find me?”. Owen’s mom Jennifer told me that they have walked past my studio in BG for years. 

I have said for awhile now that my rent is my marketing budget! I’m so thankful to have my studio on Main street!

Owen will be a Senior at Hockinson HS this Fall. He is the Captain of the swim team and he will be participating in the Head Start program at Clark College. Owen chose downtown Vancouver as his location. So we met in Midtown and shot in some of my favorite spots before moving down to the new waterfront area. 

Our sessions was relaxed as we chatted and explored the area. I really enjoyed meeting both of them!

Shelly Fry Photography with Carson – Professional Head Shots

Other than marketing, my studio is most used for Professional Head Shots. Carson reached out to me this week and we set up and appointment for him at the Studio. Head Shot sessions are 20 min. I have a variety of backdrops to use as well as a park just steps away from the studio for some natural light shots for variety. 

Stay cool out there friends! 

Shelly