Living Legacy Portraits: The Faces Behind the Stories That Built Us

Why now is the time to photograph the people who raised us

When you think about what you’re most thankful for this holiday season, what comes to mind first?

For most of us, the answer is simple:

• My family.

• My parents.

• Grandma and Grandpa.

Now let me ask you something even more personal:

If you close your eyes and think about someone you’ve lost—a parent, a grandparent, someone who helped raise you—
What photo of them comes to mind first?

Is it framed on the wall? On a shelf? Tucked into an old album or a box you’ve kept for years?

Almost every family I talk to tells me the same thing:

“That portrait is priceless now. It’s all we have left of them the way we remember.”

We cherish those portraits. We move them from house to house. We protect them from fires and floods. We show them to our kids and say, “This is your grandma when she was your age.”

And yet, for the people who mean the most to us—our parents and grandparents—we often keep putting off the very thing we’ll treasure most later:

a truly beautiful, intentional portrait.

That’s exactly why I created Living Legacy Portraits at my studio in Downtown Henderson on Water St.

Why portraits of parents and grandparents matter more with time

We’re living in a world where most photos last about 24 hours on a screen and then disappear into the scroll.

But the portraits that matter most—the ones of Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa—work very differently.

• They become the images we display at celebrations of life and anniversaries.

• They help our kids remember loved ones they knew only for a short time—or never got to meet at all.

• They quietly remind us where we came from when we walk past them in the hallway or living room.

When you think about the people who built your family, it’s rarely about what they owned. It’s about:

• The way Dad’s eyes crinkled when he laughed.

• The way Mom held a grandchild’s hand.

• The way Grandma’s face softened when she told a story you’d heard a hundred times.

A well-crafted portrait doesn’t just record a face. It preserves a presence.

And the truth is, the value of those portraits only grows as the years go by.

Why we keep putting it off (and why that’s dangerous)

If you’ve ever thought, “We really need to photograph Mom and Dad sometime,” you’re not alone.

Here are some of the most common reasons families delay scheduling a session:

• “We’re too busy right now—maybe next year.”

• “Mom doesn’t like being in front of the camera.”

• “We’re waiting for everyone to lose a little weight.”

• “Dad won’t smile for photos.”

• “I don’t know where we’d even hang a portrait.”

But here’s the hard truth:
Time doesn’t ask our permission.

One day, “sometime” becomes “I wish we’d done it sooner.”

When we finally lose a parent or grandparent, we would give anything to go back and have one more chance to photograph them—properly, beautifully, intentionally. Not a rushed phone snapshot in bad lighting, but a portrait that feels like them.

Living Legacy Portraits exists to make sure you don’t have to look back with that regret.

What do you give parents who “have everything”?

As our parents and grandparents get older, buying gifts gets harder.

They don’t really need more stuff. They may not want another gadget, knick-knack, or sweater. And many of them will say, “Don’t get me anything, I have everything I need.”

But ask them what they truly care about, and the answer is almost always:

• Their family.

• Their children.

• Their grandchildren.

So what do you give them?

You give them something that means more as time goes on, not less.

A Living Legacy Portraits gift certificate is more than a present—it’s a statement:

“You matter. Your story matters. And we want to remember you this way.”

It’s a gift your parents or grandparents will appreciate now…
and a gift you, your children, and your grandchildren will be grateful for in the years ahead.

Introducing: Living Legacy Portraits

The Faces Behind the Stories That Built Us. The Portraits That Preserve Them.

Living Legacy Portraits is a special portrait experience I designed at my Water Street studio in Old Henderson, NV, focused on the people who built your family:

• Parents who worked quietly behind the scenes.

• Grandparents whose stories you grew up listening to.

• Older generations, your kids, and grandkids will someday ask about.

This is not a rushed “say cheese” snapshot. It’s a calm, guided, intentional session designed to capture:

• Their personality

• Their warmth

• The connection they have with their family

In a way that will still feel timeless ten, twenty, or thirty years from now.

What the Living Legacy Portraits Experience includes

For local families in Henderson, Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Southern Nevada, the Living Legacy Portraits Experience is $395. That covers:

1. A guided in-studio portrait session

A relaxed 30–40 minute session at my Water Street studio, focused on your parent(s) or grandparent(s).

As time allows, we can also include:

• A portrait of them alone

• A portrait with their spouse or partner

• A few portraits with children or grandchildren

You don’t have to worry about posing or “what to do with your hands.” I guide expression, posing, and lighting so they look like themselves—at their best.

2. One 14" Signature Living Legacy wall portrait

If you booked this as a typical studio session, the session fee and a 14" print would come to around $550 on their own.

The Living Legacy Portraits Experience bundles it together for $395 and includes:

• A 14" Signature Living Legacy wall portrait, ready to frame and display

• Artwork printed through a professional lab I’ve trusted for years

• Careful retouching that keeps them looking real, not over-processed or trendy

This is the kind of piece that doesn’t get tucked away—it lives in your home, where family can see it every day.

3. A matching social media file

We live in a digital world, and of course, you’ll want to share their portrait with family and friends.

You’ll receive a web-ready digital file of your chosen image, perfect for:

• Sharing on social media

• Texting or emailing out-of-town family

• Using in digital slideshows for anniversaries or celebrations

4. A personal viewing appointment (right away)

One thing my clients love is that you don’t have to wait weeks to see the portraits.

Whenever possible, we’ll schedule your viewing appointment right after the session, while you’re still at the studio. If that doesn’t work with your schedule, we’ll meet within a day or two, not weeks later.

You’ll see the portraits on a large screen, the way they might look on your wall, and:

• Choose your Signature 14" Living Legacy portrait

• Decide whether you’d like any upgrades or additional artwork

Many families choose to add:

• A larger main wall portrait

• Gift prints for siblings or grandchildren

• A Legacy album with multiple images

• A Painterly Upgrade for an art-style canvas look

There is no obligation to purchase anything beyond what’s included. The most important thing is that you’ve taken the step to get them in front of the camera.

How the Living Legacy Portraits process works

Here’s a simple overview of how it all comes together:

Step 1: Reach out

You can call, email, or message me and say you’re interested in Living Legacy Portraits.

We’ll talk briefly about:

• Who you’d like to feature (parents, grandparents, or both)

• How many people might be in the portrait

• Whether you’d like to use this as a holiday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Grandparents Day gift

Step 2: Reserve your date

To hold your session time on the calendar, we collect a $150 booking retainer, which is applied toward your $395 Living Legacy Portraits Experience.

We’ll choose a session time that makes sense for your loved ones—often earlier in the day when energy is higher, and they feel their best.

Step 3: Plan clothing & details

I’ll guide you through what to wear and what to avoid so the portraits feel timeless:

• Solid, medium-to-dark tones

• Avoid neon, loud patterns, and big logos

• Aim for clothing you’d wear to a nice dinner or celebration

If you’d like, you can send me snapshots of wardrobe options before the session, and I’ll make suggestions.

We’ll also talk about where you might like to hang the portrait—over a sofa, in a hallway, above a fireplace—so we can plan the right orientation and style.

Step 4: Session day

You’ll come to my studio on Water Street in Old Henderson. We’ll take time to:

• Help them get comfortable

• Position them in flattering, relaxed poses

• Capture both classic and more candid-feeling expressions

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s authenticity. I want you to look at the portrait and say, “That’s exactly them.”

Step 5: View and choose your portraits

Right after the session—or within a day or two—you’ll return for your viewing and ordering appointment.

We’ll look at the images together, full size, so you can see:

• The expression in their eyes

• How each portrait might look as a wall piece

• Which image best captures their personality

You’ll choose your included 14" portrait, and if you’d like to add anything else, I’ll walk you through sizes, pricing, and options with no pressure.

Step 6: Artwork creation & pickup

Once you’ve made your selections, I send the artwork to my professional labs.

Most orders are ready in about 4–6 weeks, depending on what you choose. I’ll get in touch when everything is ready, and you’ll pick it up at the studio.

Then the best part: bringing it home and seeing it on your wall for the first time.

Why now is the right time

If there’s one thing I’ve heard again and again from families after they’ve lost a loved one, it’s this:

“I wish we had done portraits like this sooner.”

The holidays, the New Year, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents Day—these are natural moments to stop and ask:

• Who am I most thankful for this year?

• Have I truly honored their story in a way that will last?

If your heart keeps circling back to Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa, this is your nudge.

Not to panic.
Not to be sad.
But to do something loving and intentional while you still can.

Ready to create your Living Legacy Portrait?

If you’re in Henderson, Las Vegas, Boulder City, or the surrounding Southern Nevada area and there’s someone whose face and story you know you need to preserve, I’d be honored to help.

You can:

• Call the studio at 702-564-7166

• Email me at Mikel@MikelsPhotography.com

• Or send a quick message and mention “Living Legacy Portraits.”

We’ll talk through what makes the most sense for your family, and find a time to create a portrait you’ll never regret having… and would deeply regret missing.

Because at the end of the day, when we ask what we’re most thankful for, the answer is almost always the same:

Our family. Our parents. Our grandparents.

Living Legacy Portraits is simply a way to honor that—and to make sure their faces and stories are preserved for generations to come.