If you had asked me, I never would have guess that one of my images would grace the cover of an architectural / commercial renovation magazine. I am primarily a wedding and portrait photographer. I tell the stories of my clients, my friends, and the world around me. The answer of how a portrait photographer ended up on the cover of an architectural magazine is, interestingly enough, all about community.
It is no secret that we consider the Saxapahaw community to be our second home and I frequently share about goings on there…. A community dinner at The Eddy Pub, a Documentary Film Screening at the Haw River Ballroom or a morning of Petanque playing at The Inn at Bingham School. The ever sweet and lovely Heather LaGarde contacted me about photographing opening night at Haw River Ballroom and these images caught the eye of the folks at the Ballroom’s architecture firm, Clearscapes.
All of this lead to this lead to one of my favorite Saxapahaw images on the cover Retrofit Magazine’s Mar/April 2013 issue. It is part of the feature article, “All For One and One For All: A Unique Team at Saxapahaw Rivermill Unites to Reestablish a Community”
Fred Belledin, AIA, principal of Clearscapes, says the ownership team was extraordinary in its vision and commitment to development of the upper mill. He explains: “We’re used to clients who want to build a bar, event center or hotel, but this group said they wanted to build a village. They had their own desires for their individual spaces, but they put the broader success of the group before their individual needs. Most of the owners hadn’t done anything like this before, so we dealt with various skillsets and life experiences that came together around this common idea of making a community— a place that mattered.”
The article talks about how Creating Community was a guiding principle of the Saxapahaw Rivermill renovation project. It is fitting then, that the image Retrofit Magazine chose for the Mar/April 2013 cover was taken at Lizzy Ross’ CD Release Party. Liz is well known and well loved within Saxapahaw and has since moved into one of the town’s historic Rivermill Cottages.
I continue to be amazed and blessed by how this little town continues to make connections. Love you all and and see you soon. ~ Sarah