Window Portrait

T.D. Burgess Sr.

   This portrait was taken at the end of my last semester.  I absolutely love how this turned out!  My grandfather is an amazing man!  96 years young and still as spunky as ever.  When I told him I wanted to take his picture, he was so excited! 

   A few days before the photo shoot, I told him I wanted him to wear a nice suit, and as you can see, he did!  I show up to the house, my grandmother answers the door and he's behind her, in his suit, just smiling away.  We go into the living room where I had in-visioned him sitting.  I got the chair where I wanted it and had him sit down.  I snapped a few photos and it wasn't working for me, so I had my grandmother find one of his cigars and had him hold it in his mouth.  This was it!  I took a few more shots and got it. 

   I told my grandfather I wanted to get it printed professionally and he wasn't allowed to see it until I got it back from the printers.  I ordered him a canvas and had it sent to my house.  What a long wait, I was so impatient..  This was my first professional quality print I've ordered.  So I was excited!  The day came that I finally got it,  I opened it up and it took my breath away.  It was one the most beautiful things I'd ever seen! 

   I asked my teachers if it was okay to present the portrait to my grandfather at the portfolio party we had for the spring semester of 2016 and they said it was fine.  So the day of the party, after my grandparents showed up and looked around at mine and my classmates work, I told him I had a surprise to show him.  I walked him around to the other side of the studio and presented my portrait of him.  He lit up and started smiling from ear to ear, I've never seen him so happy before.  He carried the portrait out like a baby and started showing people he didn't even know. "Look what my granddaughter did for me," he would say.  I'm so glad I got to make him happy! That's my job as a photographer.  I love it!