I was out for a bike ride this afternoon along one of my regular routes, and although I have gone by this field with the giant heart and Adirondack chairs many times over the years, and admired the handiwork and dedication of the owner, this is the first time I have seen the chairs occupied. The gentleman, on the right, had apparently just finished mowing (his tractor is out of the frame on the far right) and was taking a well deserved nap next to his wife. I learned that they have been married for nearly 47 years and that he created this heart about 10 years ago for her and has maintained it ever since.
I'm not sure which I like better. The beautiful image or the heartwarming back story.
I'm somewhat of a romantic myself so this image is pretty damn cool in my book.
Heck, I proposed to my wife on a horse drawn sleigh on a 10 deg winter day.
Great eye and capture Jon!
+1 @ Jeff's sharing suggestion. Would make a wonderful 48th anniversary gift especially from a complete stranger.
Of course they might want you to do a re-shoot when they see the old man is sleeping.
lighthound wrote:
I'm not sure which I like better. The beautiful image or the heartwarming back story.
I'm somewhat of a romantic myself so this image is pretty damn cool in my book.
Heck, I proposed to my wife on a horse drawn sleigh on a 10 deg winter day.
Great eye and capture Jon!
+1 @ Jeff's sharing suggestion. Would make a wonderful 48th anniversary gift especially from a complete stranger.
Of course they might want you to do a re-shoot when they see the old man is sleeping.
Dave
Thank you Dave. It is quite a story and there's more to it...
This couple used to go "parking" on this hill in their dating days about 50 years ago and one night after a police cruiser came along and shined a spot light on them, and told them over a speaker to come down from the hill, the husband vowed to buy the property if it ever came up for sale. About 11 years ago it did, and he bought the 16 acres and built their house on top of the hill and created this heart in the 4.5 acre field you see above and also turned the field into permanent conservation land.
And I'm very impressed with the story of your proposal!
BeeBalm wrote:
Jon, this is the most sweetest story ever
It gives me goose bumps
I just love your whole thread from top to bottom
That's so perfect, you will bring them a print. I hope you let us all know in this thread on what they say and how they LOVED it
Have a great day,
BB
Thanks BB! It is quite a story. A friend emailed the link below if you want to read the "whole" story which I have only paraphrased. It's a very good read if you have some time. The sad part is, the husband has Parkinson's, and it's mentioned in the article that this disease causes him to fall asleep easily. In thinking this over more, I'm a little on the fence with the print because of him being asleep. I'd love to re-shoot it (as Dave suggests) if they don't want this image of him...so I'm not quite sure how to proceed. I could simply bring a print by and offer to re-shoot if they'd prefer. On the other hand, maybe they have plenty of pictures like this already. Suggestions are welcomed!
jbush wrote:
Thanks BB! It is quite a story. A friend emailed the link below if you want to read the "whole" story which I have only paraphrased. It's a very good read if you have some time. The sad part is, the husband has Parkinson's, and it's mentioned in the article that this disease causes him to fall asleep easily. In thinking this over more, I'm a little on the fence with the print because of him being asleep. I'd love to re-shoot it (as Dave suggests) if they don't want this image of him...so I'm not quite sure how to proceed. I could simply bring a print by and offer to re-shoot if they'd prefer. On the other hand, maybe they have plenty of pictures like this already. Suggestions are welcomed!
jbush wrote:
Thanks BB! It is quite a story. A friend emailed the link below if you want to read the "whole" story which I have only paraphrased. It's a very good read if you have some time. The sad part is, the husband has Parkinson's, and it's mentioned in the article that this disease causes him to fall asleep easily. In thinking this over more, I'm a little on the fence with the print because of him being asleep. I'd love to re-shoot it (as Dave suggests) if they don't want this image of him...so I'm not quite sure how to proceed. I could simply bring a print by and offer to re-shoot if they'd prefer. On the other hand, maybe they have plenty of pictures like this already. Suggestions are welcomed!
Thank you so much for sharing the story link Jon.
You know, I bet him taking a short snooze will even make your lovely capture even that more special to them and especially the wife since that is what she probably sees looking at her beloved Hubby when they are relaxing together after mowing. Your picture will show the way it really is and the unconditional love they share no matter the circumstance!
It's such a special loving photo
Thanks for the happy smiles and you got my vote!
BB
beavens wrote:
Man, the shot alone would be great and really gets solidified with the story!
Jon, have you considered rotating the head slightly in post?
Quick n dirty below.
Cheers,
Jeff
Hey Jeff...I appreciate your thoughts and efforts on this. I had considered it briefly, but there is something about handing them an altered image that seems to run counter to the message in this picture. As you can summarize from the article, their relationship is a very close and enduring one, and I suspect it is built on a lot of trust and honesty. So giving them a Photoshopped image just wouldn't seem right under these circumstances. You have helped me though, and I am grateful for that. I will bring them a print, as is, and ask if they would prefer to re-shoot it, leaving them to decide.
BeeBalm wrote:
Thank you so much for sharing the story link Jon.
You know, I bet him taking a short snooze will even make your lovely capture even that more special to them and especially the wife since that is what she probably sees looking at her beloved Hubby when they are relaxing together after mowing. Your picture will show the way it really is and the unconditional love they share no matter the circumstance!
It's such a special loving photo
Thanks for the happy smiles and you got my vote!
BB
Thanks BB, very well stated and now I have goosebumps! That is a wonderful thought and pretty much speaks to the reason I was on the fence. I have wavered between them thinking "oh, that's just Doug taking a nap" to "we'd prefer not to see him looking so frail" (which clearly he is not given the activity level he has). I would hope, as you state, that the former is true and that they would like it just the way it is.
I have been working for the last while and haven't look to see what others have posted .... opened yours and went Wow! nice ... really a special mood for them and all of us
I have been working for the last while and haven't look to see what others have posted .... opened yours and went Wow! nice ... really a special mood for them and all of us
Hey Jeff...I appreciate your thoughts and efforts on this. I had considered it briefly, but there is something about handing them an altered image that seems to run counter to the message in this picture. As you can summarize from the article, their relationship is a very close and enduring one, and I suspect it is built on a lot of trust and honesty. So giving them a Photoshopped image just wouldn't seem right under these circumstances. You have helped me though, and I am grateful for that. I will bring them a print, as is, and ask if they would prefer to re-shoot it, leaving them to decide.
Just keeps getting even sweeter Jon. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with this image.
Might I suggest you simply present this image "as is" to them as I agree with BB. This is a very "real life moment" which is about as bittersweet as it gets.
Then, without saying anything about the nap time maybe you could just tell them that you feel you could do an even better job and would like to re-shoot it if they would let you. That way there is no mention of the slumber and if they secretly don't like the slumber aspect they will have an easy out to get an image to their liking.
I suspect they will love the photo just the way it is and will decline from taking more of your generous time to do a reshoot.
I'm of the mindset that sometimes a white lie is okay, but I definitely respect your choice here.
Jeff
Thanks very much Jeff. In most cases, if I altered an image, I would explain it to whomever I'm giving it to. I feel this special moment deserves authenticity and if they don't like it, and want to re-shoot it, I'd be more than happy to oblige.
lighthound wrote:
Just keeps getting even sweeter Jon. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with this image.
Might I suggest you simply present this image "as is" to them as I agree with BB. This is a very "real life moment" which is about as bittersweet as it gets.
Then, without saying anything about the nap time maybe you could just tell them that you feel you could do an even better job and would like to re-shoot it if they would let you. That way there is no mention of the slumber and if they secretly don't like the slumber aspect they will have an easy out to get an image to their liking.
I suspect they will love the photo just the way it is and will decline from taking more of your generous time to do a reshoot.
Hi Dave...and thanks very much for your thoughts on this image. I agree that I should present it "as is" and offer to re-shoot if they would prefer. I also agree that they will like it just the way it is.
