“If you admire somebody, you should go ahead and tell them. People never get the flowers while they can still smell them.” ― Kanye West

Day 1: My Parents

I think it’s only fitting that my parents grab the number 1 spot!  While this series is in no particular order, the people that gave me life kinda deserves the first recognition! I have been blessed to have both of my parents in my life as I grew up and they are still together.  They show me that relationships and true love can survive thick and thin.  When I was a senior in high school, they left my choice of college up to me, but my dad was a walking commercial for North Carolina A&T State University.  The night that I told him I decided to attend A&T, I could have sworn he moonwalked across the kitchen floor!  After I finished college and throughout my professional career, my parents have always supported my decisions by telling me to “spread my wings” and that “you’re smart, you’ll make the right decision”.

When I designed websites, my parents were sending me clients, when I pursued acting in Los Angeles, they were at my first film screening.  When I decided to buy my first home, they were there after I moved in to “check out the place”.  On a trip home during a break from school I decided to purchase my first DSLR, so my dad rode with me to Ritz Camera to help me understand the different brands and models.  When I graduated with my MBA, my parents, along with my brother and his family, were at my graduation cheering me on!

My dad is also a photographer and my childhood memories were of him leaving home on Saturdays to take wedding photos.  When he came home and processed the film in his darkroom, I remember that I’d better not open the door or I would ruin his hard work.  After he’d finish and the photos were developed, he would show me his work.  I didn’t start taking photos because of him but he was my first photography teacher when I was a child and the day that I bought my first Nikon he skipped a nice afternoon at the golf course, to help me understand exposure, composition and ISO.

My mom has always been a hard worker and has been successful in her career.  When I go home, to North Carolina, to visit my parents, I know that a trip to the Waffle House and the mall is on my mom’s agenda.  She likes to catch up by asking me 101 questions about all of my friends that she remembers and she sometimes throws in the name of an ex-boyfriend or two! A few years ago, she fought a tough battle with lung cancer and won.  It was during that process that I realized what’s really important. Not knowing what each day held was an extremely low point in my life and I shut down from many of my friends. In the past, when I came home for visits I was always ripping and running and my parents usually saw me long enough to say hey, bye and watch Bentley (my dog) for me.  They never complained but that experience forced me to slow down and really cherish who I have in my life. This experience happened while I was in grad school and THIS is the reason why I started taking photos. I know that we have a finite amount of time in this world and once we are gone, our photos are what people will have to remember us by so I developed a strong desire to start documenting as much as I could with my camera.

My parents have left a “Watermark on my Soul” and for that I say thank you!

Watermarks on my Soul Series:

• Watermarks on my Soul : The Why