This was my first attempt at what I’m calling a “Legacy Package.” I wanted to provide the family with something special for the man the family looked up to in life. This brought on a little added pressure in my opinion because I wanted to exceed expectations. Read on to learn how I approached this special project and how it came together.
What is important to know about Dallas Bump is that he and his shop are one. They just seem to fit and belong together. He is the fourth generation to craft chairs and I dare you to find any that are built better. To capture his story, I shot photos of the shop itself (inside and out), the surroundings, and of course, Mr. Bump. I also spent time doing a video interview with him. By the time I was finished, I had spent a total of about 5 hours shooting and interviewing this man’s remarkable story.
What I found to be an interesting challenge and wonderful experience was finding an overall theme and then weaving a story throughout the book. I almost felt like I was weaving together the wood strips like in the photo below. The story had to be true, represent who Dallas is, and stand up to the family’s expectations. I wanted details, but not too many. Just enough to capture the essence of who Dallas Bump is and how important the chair shop and his heritage is to him. “Heritage” quickly became the word that resonated for his story.
These next two shots are a couple of my favorites. They really seem to capture both Dallas and Leon well.
Another of my favorites… Dallas was meticulously hand turning chair rails, dust and wood particles flying through the air. I was in awe as I watched him methodically turn out one after another with perfection.
Want to know more? Then I suggest buying the book! 😉 I made three different versions available to purchase through Blurb. See below and be sure you don’t miss the video at the end.
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Here is a video I prepared for the family with the photo and video content I gathered. This was a freebie.