During our family's escape we were fortunate to have our albums, few clothes, and a few precious items to America when we fled to America. Among one of these items is what inspired my design - my father's old Minolta 7a Hi-Matic. As a child I was so enamored with the feel of the leather case and stainless steel body. Although I never had a chance to take pictures from it, it certainly piqued my curiosity for photography. Instead, I was fascinated by all things the Kodak Disc Camera (this certainly dates me) - I digress.

Looking for ideas to represent my photography, I wanted to convey the classic and timeless images, photographs that would be passed from generation to generation.  A while back my mom gave me my father's camera to keep safe. It was tucked away in a drawer with my other camera gear, blending in with all the other leather cases. And one morning when I was searching for one of my lens, the name plate on the camera caught my eyes.

And then the spark of inspiration lit - my dad's camera! What a wonderful rediscovery. I pulled the camera out from the back of the drawer and excitedly looked for other items for props. From there I took the vintage camera out on the balcony, in the golden late afternoon light, I positioned it in every angle like it was the Hope Diamond. And with my macro lens, it just seemed to reveal the camera's beautiful rich details even down to the 60's embossed white-letter brown label with my dad's name on it.

While handling and photographing it, I wondered where did he take this camera? Did he take it with him on his travels a South Vietnamese Navy captain or was it just a family camera? What family memories were captured by it? With the fascination of vintage cameras like this, I am so fortunate to be the family keeper of the camera. 

And I am so proud that this heirloom gets to be a symbol of my photography business - timeless and classic photography.  What family heirlooms have sparked or inspired your inner curiosities or musings? What are your stories of your family keepsakes, I would love to hear from you!