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FAMILY HISTORY: THE ANCESTORS
As a young child, I was fascinated by the stories my grandmother would share about her family. Often times, many were long deceased before my existence but her colorful stories intrigued me. I began to ask her specific questions about the characters in her stories as my curiosity was peaked. After awhile I started to wonder what they looked like and what was their everyday life like. My grandmother was and still is a superb story teller. She painted a visual the best she could with her words and for a time that was good enough for me.
One day while visiting my grandmother during the summer, I began my usual search for “treasure” in her house. Typically my finds were old costume jewelry, decades old clothing, big fancy hats, fur coats and shawls, and other things of that nature. On this particular day, I stumbled upon a few old photos that had faces I did not quite recognize.
Naturally, I asked my grandmother who were these people in the sepia photos. She first scolded me for digging around in her things as she was napping, but then her lips curled up into a smile as she looked fondly at the photos I brought to her. I triggered yet another story time as she explained who the people were and finally I now had a visual of some of the characters in her stories.
Over the years more photos have been found and shared, more visuals to add to the stories. To this very day, one of my favorite things to do is look at old photos and in more recent years I have become fascinated with learning about my lineage. Through the use of Ancestry.com, I have been able to see Census Records, Draft Cards, tomb stones, newspaper articles, and photos I’ve never seen before.
The journey of self discovery for me started with getting a better understanding of where I came from, and that has sent me down a rabbit hole. My goal is to go back in time as far as I can.
My love for family and photos have led me to becoming a Photographer. I want to not only document my own family but also help you document yours. Image, one day when we are gone from this place our descendants will hopefully be curious enough to ask questions about us and be able to see our photos. Capturing moments to be treasured has given me purpose and a way to add to the continual documentation of people.
— Nia McCarthy
REVIEWS
“I am delighted with the photos Nia took of my family and I for my birthday celebration. I loved the relaxed and natural style of her photography. Given we were celebrating at my home, it was exactly what I was looking for. She was friendly, helpful, and professional from start to finish. I highly recommend her!”
-N. Flemister
“I truly love and appreciate your photography skills. You demonstrate your skills of being able to capture precious moments, freezing time. Nia you have an eye for photography, may the Lord bless your beautiful soul!”
-T. Davis
“Nia McCarthy is steps above the rest, her photos are clear and captivating. She did my husband and I’s engagement photos, and we loved the photos so much. My niece had Nia take her daughter’s graduation photos. Each photo captured her beauty and excitement for her upcoming journey. Not only is she a great photographer, but also has the patience to overcome any unforeseen obstacles that might come up in a moment’s notice. I will continue to use her at all times. I trust her with my special memories.”
-D. Smith
