A Gift from Styled Pink Photography
Growing up with my mother, many things were certain. Each spring, she hosted an egg hunt for our extended family. In August, we’d stay up late, set up blankets in the backyard, and watch the sky for meteor showers. And every November, she’d dress me and my three siblings up in some ridiculously uncomfortable holiday outfit, drive us to the nearest JC Penney, and pose us for our annual holiday photo.
Today, my mom has all the holiday photos arranged in chronological order in an album. You can flip through the pages and reminisce about Jersey bangs, itchy matching sweaters and life before braces. But a few other things shine through in those photos – love and family. Our family photo became a part of our family’s culture – a milestone and a celebration of each year.
This past November, instead of grinning in a photo with my sisters and brother, I was grinning from ear to ear because of an offer from photographer Diana Senatore of Styled Pink Photography. Diana reached out to Twin Oaks because she wanted to give 10 families in need the same thing my family had growing up – a family photo to capture the holiday season.
Our staff were thrilled with the generous offer and selected 10 deserving families who would not otherwise be able to afford holiday photos. We decorated the Charles Yates Center for Children and Families in Lumberton for the photo shoot and a case manager donated his time to play Santa in the photos!
Image Courtesy of Styled Pink Photography
Image Courtesy of Styled Pink Photography
We all met on a Saturday in early December for the 10 mini-photo shoots. I took this a quick shot of photographer Diana(left) and her assistant Marge(right) before all the action started.
Image Courtesy of Styled Pink Photography
As soon as the families arrived, it was non-stop photos for hours for the ladies of Styled Pink Photography. There were photos inside with Santa and the weather cooperated enough for the families to cozy up together outside among the pine trees. We can’t show you photos of the families because of confidentiality reasons. It doesn’t matter though – just imagine the look of wonder a child has when they see Santa captured in a frame forever.
Styled Pink Photography created a package for each family which included printed 8 x 10 and 4 x 6 photos, as well as a cd containing all the digital files. However, Styled Pink Photography gave more to these families then just printed photos. Years from now, these families will be able to open a photo album and flip through the photos from the day. They may laugh at their hairstyle or their itchy sweater, but they’ll also see love and family in those photos, and that is truly a wonderful holiday gift.
-Rachael
