Ron

At school, there is a bulletin board, on which is posted job opportunities, models who are willing to pose, and information about various photo ops for us as students. As I walked by a few weeks ago, I saw a posting wherein a retired fire chief wanted his picture to be taken. All the post said was that he was willing to come to school and wanted a portrait of himself in uniform. I took the post down and called Ron that evening. Who I spoke to on the other end was this very sweet man who wanted a picture of himself. We set a date and time, and I told him to contact me when he arrived at Hallmark.

Ron and his wife Fran came to the studio and he looked so dapper in his suit. Once he was seated, he put on his hat as well. His wife Fran beamed with joy at the photos that she saw on the screen. While talking to Ron, he mentioned that he wears his suit for holidays throughout the year that celebrate veterans, and sometimes participates in parades and other such ceremonies commemorating the valiant efforts of those who have fought for our country. Ron is a WWII vet, and carries the burden - as many others do - of the tales of war.

Just a few bays over, one of our instructors - David - was working on photographs for his upcoming gallery featuring vets. I told Ron to hold on, went over to David, and told him I had someone he should meet. Long story short, David and Ron met, and David asked Ron if he could photograph him for the possibility of being another vet represented in his gallery.

It was neat to be able to connect them; I am excited to see David's final picture of Ron. I was pleased with the photos I got of him, too, and delivered him some prints the next morning. He was so appreciative of the photos and Fran teared up at the sight of them. They even invited me to come over, once the weather gets nicer, for a BBQ. They are hopefully going to come to the Student Open House on Sunday, April 10th. It's the first time we are able to - in a formal manner - invite friends and family to come and see what we're working on.

So here are the two pictures of Ron I like best. Isn't he such a handsome, proud-looking man??