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Dusk at the Dunes

By Andrew Niesen





Andrew and I are in Indiana with the the Holritzes and the Swans, enjoying great conversation, walks on the dunes and cookouts! Since we don't have kids of our own, we've been living vicariously through our friends! And after the kids fell asleep, Andrew, Amber and I tried some moonlit photography on the beach.



-Rachel

Oh, say can you see...

By Andrew Niesen




"What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility...a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." ADLAI STEVENSON

Happy Fourth of July!

-Rachel

A Woman named Joe

By Andrew Niesen



My Grandmother passed away yesterday morning at the age of 88.

While it is natural to feel sad about losing my grandmother, I can't help but feel joy for the long life that she lived. She was a pioneer — she earned her masters' degree in social work in the 1940s, in an era when most women didn't even attend college. She raised two sons who were both born on November 30 — one in 1948 and one in 1949. She had a career as a social worker, advocating for the disadvantaged, and was an active member of her church for nearly her whole life — up until just a few months ago.

In 2003, I began a video project documenting oral histories of our grandparents. I started with my father's parents, and didn't get much farther. A month ago, I had nearly forgotten about the project; today, I'm really glad I did it, and I feel lucky that I started with this grandmother.

I shot about 5 hours of interviews with them, and edited together this short segment to introduce my grandmother.

As wedding photographers we tell stories with pictures that build the foundation for our clients' family legacy. Although this is a different medium than I am used to working with, the effect is the same — a record of my grandmother that I can save for the rest of my life and show to my kids and grandkids.
-Andrew

Blue Greenland

By Andrew Niesen



Delta Flight 11 got a rare treat; today's winds took its flight path unusually far north, clipping the far southern coast of Greenland. The PA from the captain woke me from a nap to see this view out the window. In a groggy maneuver, I grabbed the ThinkTank from the overhead bin and shot a few frames out the window before the vista was obscured by clouds.

The flight attendant tells me this is an extreme rarity; he couldn't remember the last time he saw Greenland on a clear day. That, combined with the realization that images shot through three panes of plexiglass are actually pretty sharp, indeed made it a memorable crossing of the Atlantic.
-Andrew

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