To You, From Me in this nostalgic season

A portrait of debutante Taylor of the Greensboro Symphony Guild during their debutante season. | Winston-Salem portrait studio Jasper & Fern

About this time of year I’m amidst a rush of holiday gift sessions, charity galas and events and debutante sessions right before the big debutante ball. It’s always a flurried season, however, it’s also the opportunity to allow extra joy filter into my life. It would be easy to become stressed, frustrated even - thought don’t get me wrong, this happens too. Moreover, I see this time as an opportunity to grow, for my team to lean on each other, to serve customers with extra joy and maybe even relieve a little bit of their stress. My favorite part of this time of year though? Taking stock of the year for everything it has been.

Yes, I’m a sucker for nostalgia. I daydream and reminisce. And last night I had quite the unique opportunity to do so. You see, there was a woman in the studio who, uncharacteristically, I’d never met in person until her session. She’d found me on Google and wanted photographs for her significant other for Christmas. As we’re in rush season, the sooner we got her in for her session the better and our limited availability didn’t allow for us to meet in person beforehand. So, there she was, sitting with Kirby getting her hair and makeup done in our glam room while Bre and I finished setting up lights and testing them. She began to discuss her nerves about her session. Then, what she said next brought back a flurry of memories.

She began to describe the women she saw on our website in detail; “The woman in the video with the glasses and blond curly hair who had a warm smile” - I knew that was Jill immediately as her smile lights up the room. This woman who now sat in our chair found encouragement that she could be herself and be beautiful like Jill. Then there was “the woman with the dark, long hair and bright eyes who wore a long sleeved black dress with sparkles on it” - I knew this was Chandni - who, when seeing her photographs gave this woman a sense that she could be casual and elegant. Her list went on! She described what each of these women on our site did for her - just by seeing their photographs! And it was such a special gift to listen to how these portraits encouraged this woman, all the while knowing the stories of each and every woman she described. It was beautiful and I was thankful for the opportunity to walk through our year through someone else’s perspective.

And so I want to thank each woman who has shared her story with me, who has let down her walls in front of our cameras, and for every woman who will do the same. You are amazing and you are making waves in the world just by being you.

With love,

Alyson

Alyson, head photographer and owner at Jasper & Fern, a Winston-Salem based photography studio that specializes in portraits - from headshots and personal branding to beauty sessions, debutante portraits and dance portraits