What we carry forward Stories to tell and moments worth remembering.
Fall 2026
Golda Bernice Webb
There are places that become special because of what they look like. And then there are places that become special because someone you love once stood there. For me, Midway, Kentucky, is both. Just a short drive from Lexington, Midway feels wonderfully unhurried—historic streets, railroad tracks, charming shops and beautiful horse country all around. But my connection to Midway goes much deeper. My mother was born in 1925 and was one of twelve children. When her father was killed in a farm accident, her mother simply couldn't care for all of the children on her own. So my mother and one of her sisters were sent to Midway to attend what was then the Kentucky Female Orphan School. She was probably only 12 to 14 years old. The school was founded in 1847 to provide education and opportunity for girls who had lost parental support. I often wonder what those years were like for her…but…there is the part of her story that makes me smile. My mother considered herself the wild troublemaker of the school. One of her favorite stories was when she climbed the water tower that I can still see when we visit there. There are so many other details of her life that I wish I had asked about. Some stories we know. Some are remembered. And some disappear with the people who lived them. That's why places can become touchstones. They can connect us to people and seasons of life that have passed. Today, Midway is one of our favorite places for a fall afternoon drive. We're making new memories in places that already hold old ones. That's the beautiful thing about a touchstone.
I can stand where she stood. I can look at the water tower she climbed. But I can't see the twelve-year-old girl. That’s when photographs become a touchstone to help us visualize what once was… Bev
TIME DOESN’T ASK PERMISSION… IT SIMPLY KEEPS MOVING.
Creating The Touchstones of Now We rarely recognize the signi cance of the present until it has become the past. Photographs become your touchstones—physical reminders of people and seasons that mattered. Your family right now…Not someday...Not when everyone is older…Not when life slows down…Right now.
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This fall, this year, give yourself the gift of remembering this season exactly as it is.
Touchstones are Trending now…and we LOVE IT! One of the most meaningful things we’ve witnessed this spring and summer is the return of families who were once our clients as children. Now they’re bringing their own children to create the same kind of portrait experience their mothers once created for them—a beautiful continuation of a family tradition, passed from one generation to the next. A TOUCHSTONE. They remember what it felt like to be photographed here and now they want to create that same kind of memory for their children. There is no greater honor! There’s something beautifully full-circle about returning to a place where your own story was once captured, and beginning a new chapter there with the family you’ve created.
Add either Montgomery or the pikeville people
A special kind of Touchstone…the words behind the portrait. Some touchstones are photographs. Others are words we save for a day when they will mean more than we can imagine. When we deliver your child’s portrait, framed and ready, we take a few minutes to share something that is very close to our hearts…a plan (and a way) for you to write a letter to your child who is in that portrait—not the grown-up they will become, but your child today. You may ask, “What should I write?” or say “I am not good at writing.” We have you covered…here are a few ideas to get you started. •What do you see in their personalities today that you can point out? •What makes you proud? •What do you hope life will bring them? •What do you want them to always know about themselves, their family, and how deeply they are loved? We will provide a beautiful card for you to write those thoughts by hand. It is then placed behind the framed portrait, unseen and waiting. Perhaps years from now, on their wedding day, the portrait will be set on the gift table—and with it, the words you wrote when your child was still young. A gift no one else could give, because no one else was there to know and love that child exactly as you did. Write to the child they are today—not the adult they will become. Some gifts are meant to be opened. Others are meant to be treasured for a lifetime.
Your home, a treasured and sacred space, inviting all who enter to celebrate your life and family.
"Memories fade, but photographs help them stay."
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Before we all had iPhones to “snap a pic” whenever we wanted, we created fun afternoons out with our girls when they were young using the One Step Polaroid camera, Time Zero Film and a golf tee. What were we doing? We were creating Polaroid Manipulations. Simply put, Time Zero lm had a soft surface could be moved around with a golf tee, making swirls in the emulsion, to make tiny art pieces. Each daughter was given 3 pieces of lm (it was expensive) to capture a photo to “manipulate” and it was a fun and creative way to spend the afternoon. Now, the lm is no longer made, sigh! But I have written some ideas that mimic the idea below. What a great way to remember the season and get your kiddos out for an afternoon, making memories along the way. Before the season is over, photograph these ve things: 1.Your children when they aren't posing. 2. Everyone gathered around the table. 3.The way the light hits the trees. 4. A favorite fall tradition. 5. One photograph of everyone together.
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And when you're looking through those photographs years from now, you'll realize the one you treasure most may not be the perfect one. It may simply be the one that proves you were all there, together, in this season of your life.
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The Fall Photo Challenge
One of our favorite Polaroid Manipulations taken near Charleston. “Hat and Roses”
For T’was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. T’was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. -Judy Garland
You may notice I always include quotes in our newsletter. I am a “quote-a-holic!” I admit it! For over a decade, this has been one of my favorite quotes…it deeply touches my heart. Enjoy…Bev
Fashion changes. Colors change. Styles come and go. Last year's “must-have” becomes this year's “remember when?” But a portrait isn't meant to be fashionable for just a season. It is meant to become part of your family's history. Years from now, you won't care whether the sweater was on trend or whether the photograph looked like everyone else's on Instagram. You'll care that your daughter was 8. Your son still had that crooked grin. Your family was all together. That's the difference between a photograph made for today and a portrait made to become a touchstone. We aren't chasing trends—we’re creating future memories for your family.
Trends Change. Memories Don't.
www.waldensphotography.com hellowaldens@gmail.com 859.221.2889 (Text or leave us a message)