some things can never be replaced

by Brian Dressler Photography, Inc.

Volume 1 / Issue 2

tornadoes slam the midwest when survivors were asked what they hoped to find intact in the rubble of their belongings, or what they hoped to save in the chaos of evacuation, the most common response: family photos

giving thanks for enduring memories Leveled buildings. Uprooted trees. Rubble. Debris. Destruction. Loss. These are the images that pervade recent reports of those devastating tornadoes, which ripped through the Midwest just last week.   As a photographer, I understand the power that images have to tell a story—to capture a moment that often cannot be put into words. Included among the front-page photos of overturned cars and shattered roofs are those of residents searching desperately for belongings, even the smallest possessions that may have remained intact during the tumult.   Of those whose lives and homes were torn apart in a matter of seconds, when asked what they searched for under broken tree limbs and shattered glass, “family photos,” was overwhelmingly the most common response.   Houses can be rebuilt. Insurance can replace vehicles, appliances, and the comforts of home. However, photos, if damaged beyond recognition by torrents of rain, wind, and smoke damage can never be replicated.

While we here in South Carolina, do not fear the destruction of tornadoes, other devastating circumstances can just as swiftly ravage our most precious photographs, and along with them our stories, our memories, and our histories. House fires, floods, or other natural disasters, for which we are often unprepared have the potential to leave us without these most precious relics of our lives.   This is why photo restoration at Brian Dressler Photography is one of the most personally rewarding services that we offer our customers. Not only can we digitally enhance and retouch aged, damaged, or torn photographs and documents, but also when we restore these irreplaceable images, we create digital files that can be used to replicate your photos in the event that they are destroyed. When I studied the faces of the tornado victims in Illinois whose lives were forever changed, I couldn’t help but hope that they had already preserved their heirloom photographs.   I imagined what emotional turmoil that they had to be enduring while they sought to meet their most basic needs of survival, which, I’m sure was accompanied by sheer gratitude for simply being alive. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if during the quiet moments, when families began to recall the keepsakes such as baby pictures or wedding photos, heaped in the remains of the place once called home, there resonated just as deeply another sense of loss.   As the holidays approach and we find ourselves overwhelmed by the chaos of the season, we can lose sight of the people in our lives who mean more than any material objects. While we’re checking off our shopping lists, we sometimes forget to take stock of the memories of holidays past that fill our photo albums or hang over the mantle.   However, it’s during this season when gathered around the tree with friends and family that we’ll pore over those albums, or reminisce about the family holiday vacations, noting how the kids have changed. We’ll pull out the pictures of when Grandma and Grandpa used to dress up like Santa and Mrs. Claus, or pictures of the lights that Dad would string all over the first house he and Mom had. We laugh and enjoy the memories, and we hope that they last a lifetime.   Instead of running all over town on Black Friday, or perusing website after website on Cyber Monday, why not give a gift that truly captures those people for whom we are most grateful—our family. When you have your photos restored or retouched at Brian Dressler Photography, we can make duplicate copies in any number of sizes, whether to fit into a stocking or to display over the fireplace.   While we send our prayers to the families in the Midwest who may be spending the holidays far from home, we will hold onto each other a little tighter and treasure the memories that we can hold on to for even longer.