It was cold, windy and rainy and no one looked their best

Dear Mr. Miller,

This is in reference to a photo on the Loveland Magazine web site.

I wanted to say thank you for taking a photo of my daughter and I during the funeral procession of Matt Maupin, not to mention all of the excellent photos you took of the events that weekend.  I am not thanking you for reasons of vanity or just because we are on the web site, but for immortalizing a moment and relationship between a mother and daughter.

I was unaware of the photo of Ashley and I until a friend of mine saw it and sent me a link to the magazine.  At first I thought "Of all days to have a picture taken and published." Ashley went to school with Matt and Micah Maupin and even though I knew it was going to be hard for us, I was not fully prepared for the day, I don't think anyone was.

As you will remember, it was cold, windy and rainy and no one looked their best.  I showed the photo to my husband and he quickly corrected me that it was not a day to be remembered for appearances.  My husband went on to express how perfectly you not only captured the atmosphere of the day, but how you also captured, perfectly, the characteristics of a Mother/Daughter relationship.  Jerry said he saw an expression on my face that he had seen before as the family had gone through adversity.  He referred to me as the family "Rock" and even after 21 years, I did not know he felt that way.

So, thank you for the photo and tightening of our family bonds.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Sincerely,

Robin Steinmetz

Comments

[David Miller]

Wow Robin, what a nice letter to get from you.

I hesitated to put the photo out for the public to see, and debated internally quite a bit. I was not sure how you would react to seeing it and not sure if I was invading your privacy too much that day.

I do think it captured out of all the photos I took that day, the nature of the cold, rainy, grief stricken day - and I also thought it, above all others, would show the Maupins that they were not alone that day.

Vanity? I think this is one of the most beautiful photos (of a mother) I have ever taken because to me I see a mother clutching a daughter, wishing she could take away a daughter's pain, or protect her from it - but knowing she is powerless to do either. And in the end, just being there for her, holding her and allowing her to cry was the right thing to do. I might be way off base on my interpretation, but I of course see the photo through my own life's experiences as others will also.

Anyway, I have you to thank for letting me take your photo - as it was very, very healing for me. I did not know if I could photograph the homecoming, for the heart ache I have myself. Seeing the two of you let me know a few things about life that day that made it all bearable - and probably gave me the courage and strength to go to Matt's funeral the next day.

Thanks again for writing me and letting me know something about the photo I took.

Best regards,

David Miller