That’s right- it’s time for Thomas & Thomas Photography to officially get our blog on. We have debated for the last 4 years about what type of blog we would like to have: what colors, blogs posts, advertising, etc. and have finally come to the conclusion that it’s all fluff on top of who we truly are.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Sarah and I have been best friends since 1985- just one year before the original Thomas & Thomas Photography opened.
Skip through lots of arguing, borrowing and never returning clothes, vacations where we both got grounded and boys. It’s senior year of college and it had been a time with little contact between Sarah and I, something I’m sure lots of life long friends go through. I’m pulling into my former significant other’s house (who was not so significant shortly thereafter) when I picked up Sarah’s call. “I have cancer,” she said. When a loved one tells you news this awful, it’s up to you to be strong and positive. I must have sat in my car for the next 15 minutes sobbing uncontrollably. I will spare the details of Sarah’s long and dangerous treatment, of how she almost died, of how terrified we all were and I’ll move on to her new outlook on life. She started doing what she wanted to do everyday like it was her last- a motto everyone should live by. Fashion was not it, so she picked up a camera and started to get acquainted. Meanwhile, I finished my degree in art (a real money maker I was told) and started working for an industrial recruiting company. After a few years, I got a sense that this was not the career that would be the most fulfilling for me personally. Sarah had been working in photography for several years by then and was becoming successful enough to need more space. However, she was not charging enough for her time, a mistake most amateur photographers make. She ran into Mr. Thomas, who casually mentioned that he might be selling Thomas & Thomas in the near future. He and Mrs. Thomas were ready to travel and enjoy retirement. When Sarah approached me with this scenario, I should have been more terrified. I was overjoyed to take this huge risk to do something that I loved, rather than something that paid the bills.
After about a year of negotiations and every cent we had, Thomas & Thomas was ours! We kept the original staff and studied under Bob and Monica for a while until we understood the flow of the business. During the first Christmas break, our families and some very helpful friends helped us do 2 weeks of renovations, a gift we can never repay. The Groffs and Laings came together like the Amish raising a barn. Thomas & Thomas had new owners and a new look.
WHY WE LOVE WHAT WE DO
It’s been four years since we took over and we are more booked every year. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, there was a news story that brought me to tears. The storm had completely destroyed one man’s house in New York, while leaving his neighbors houses standing. The entire block came together to help him sort through the rubble. They were looking for photographs. Of all of the possessions that he had lost, what he cared for most deeply were his irreplaceable photographs. This is why we do what we do. We capture memories. We bring loved ones together and we preserve the spirit of a person for years and years to follow. Being Moms and having lost loved ones, we can truly appreciate the importance of capturing the fleeting moments in life. We share in the joy of our clients and are thankful every day that we do what we love.
