Your Legacy Deserves Better

"The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future." - Wendell Phillips

Hello July,

Here's to ending June on a great note!  

I recently met a young military officer progressing through his Basic Officer Training.  His father asked him for a military portrait for a fourth of July project he was working on that included images of all the Veterans in the family. The young man hadn't taken an official portrait yet, so Google led him to me.

After about a week of trying to match our busy schedules to include a three day field exercise, he was able to visit my Old Town Alexandria, VA studio the day before his flight home for the long weekend.

In my haste to accommodate the short fused request, I neglected to ask what service he was in. So imagine my surprise to see the U.S. Marine Corps uniform as he carried it proudly across the studio threshold.

This would be my first Marine Corps military portrait in the portfolio.

And what was even more exciting was the opportunity to meet someone at the very beginning of their military journey, as it's not that often we see the most junior of our services, unless we happen to be near their training facilities.

I remember being locked away in multiple military schools for about two years before I saw the rest of the Navy fleet.

The portrait session went great. Before he left, I imparted some advice to continue to document his legacy and take a picture in every rank. Whether you serve for four years or 34 years, to us it's "just a job" but to your family, friends and the community you are part of a legacy of those who serve. Celebrate the privilege to serve.

Just to drive home this point, I gifted him two artistic versions of his portrait.

Leave me a comment, which version do you prefer? Color or BW?