Otto + Frieda // The Golden Years // Navarre, Ohio
GRACE JONES
I was contacted by Frieda & Otto's daughter-in-law about taking photos of Otto & Frieda. Over the phone she had briefly told me about how they had met and how long they have been married. I loved the story and couldn't wait to take their photos. The day came when their photos were scheduled to take place, it was rainy and windy. We decided to pick another day the next week. It turned out to be the most beautiful day I had ever seen in November!
A few hours before I was set to go to Otto & Frieda's house I get a call from Patsy (daughter-in-law). She said that they were looking forward to their session but Otto was trying to disappear so he didn't have to get his photo taken. Once I got to their beautiful dairy farm, Frieda and six farm dogs greeted me as I drove down the long gravel lane. I walked in their house and there came Otto down the stairs, he said he had been trying to disappear all afternoon but Frieda kept a tight leash on him. By this point I knew these photos were going to be so much fun. Frieda wanted to show me their wedding album and some of their photos of when they were first married. (I took photos of some, they are mixed in below).
We started out taking photos around their house and then one of their grandsons took us all around the farm in his truck. Our photo spots included; the top of the hill behind the house that over looks the whole farm, a giant tree with decades worth of initials carved into it's surface, and a back pasture with beautiful fall trees. I had such a lovely evening photographing + getting to know Frieda & Otto - below is just part of their story of how the met.
Frieda and Otto are both originally from Switzerland. They met on a boat coming over from France. Otto was headed to Canada, Frieda was going to nanny in NYC. Their paths crossed on the journey across the Atlantic, Frieda said she remembered Otto's huge smile and how it captivated her. Once arriving in NYC they went their separate ways. Ten months later Frieda would find herself up in Canada, and there they met again. Two months later they were married, starting their life together in a little town in Canada. After living in Canada for a few years, in a house with no plumbing, they sold their things and moved to rural Ohio, where they would settle down and start a dairy farm that is still running to this day, 50 years later. They've spent an amazing 56 years together. To this day Otto still can't understand why Frieda picked him, he still thinks he is the luckiest guy in the world.
At the end of the day, they said that they have done all that they've ever wanted to do in life, and so much more. And as I was leaving, Otto said that he hasn't smiled so much in ages and he's had enough kissing for the next 10 years.
Taking photos of couples who have been married for 30+ years & who are in the golden years of their lives is becoming one of my favorite things to photograph. I love hearing their stories and capturing who they are and who they have become over time. What a great gift idea to give a Golden Years photo session to your parents or grandparents who have everything they need.
