How will the next generation remember you?
With cell phone cameras we're less likely to preserve images in a permanent way.
A professional photographer has a vision to keep memories alive of people we've lost.
"My passion is people and their stories and not photography," Gary Woods said.
He's made a living as a photographer for 28 years.
Gary Woods captures emotional moments for engagements and weddings and graduations and more.
He has a new commitment: "To be able to tell a story about why I was here and what I am leaving behind someday."
He wants to capture the essence of a person as he or she draws close to the end of life, Something to leave the next generation. He calls it Legacy Portraits.
"Your legacy might be your work, your family, just something about you that when other people think about you that's what they think of," he said.
He has a couple of examples at his studio in Seymour.
One shows a grandfather with three little girls. His grandchildren are his legacy.
Another image preserves the personal legacy of a public person.
"She's a local legend. Her name is Lorraine. Had flaming red hair. She lived to 95," he said.
Her portrait is purposely black and white because he said her legacy is not her flaming red hair.
"Her friends know her as she loved to throw parties and she played the piano at everyone and she was really good at it and she loved her music," he said.
Gary Woods plans to make more memories through his art.
"Within my time constraints and finance constraints I want to do one or two of these a month. Free. It won't cost anybody anything. It's all on me. And the only selection process is going to be from the heart," he said.
He's posted an application online for people to share their stories. He'll pick a couple each month.
"The only catch is I can't do but one or two a month. They're time consuming and they're expensive. Photography has been good to me and it is my way of giving back," he said.
He is giving back to preserve legacies.