Bill Letter / Lucy’s Grandfather

When the young woman we call our “granddaughter” turned 13, I thought it might be a good idea to have a professional photographer take pictures of her.

On the one hand, I wanted to preserve the reality of her wonderful 13-year-old self – not just for my wife and I and but also for posterity (perhaps something she could show her 13-year-old daughter someday?). I was also aware of just how painful and insecure the world of an American teenage girl can be these days.

I thought that seeing some solid, concrete evidence of just how beautiful, animated and attractive she was would certainly boost her confidence and improve her self-image.

I had heard of Katie Settel and seen some of her work – which was truly impressive – so I hired her to photograph Lucy. It was a match made in heaven. The two of them “bonded” immediately and the photographs of Lucy taken that day were truly amazing. AMAZING!

This proved to be such a tremendously successful experiment that I resolved to have Katie take pictures every year, chronicling Lucy’s growth from a young girl into a young woman. And so, from 13 to 19, Katie Settel has annually delivered a breath-taking collection of photos of our gorgeous Lucy.

This past year was the most challenging. Lucy turned 19 in May, but she was in California attending UC Santa Cruz with no possibility of getting back to Connecticut that year. My commitment to the project had grown with each year’s portfolio of fabulous photos so the only way to complete the teen-years cycle was to fly Katie to California for the shoot. We did this and the results were a huge return on our investment. Pictures of Lucy in her ‘natural’ environment of Santa Cruz and along the California coast were simply heart-stopping. Our girl has most definitely grown up!

THANK YOU for this ‘gift of our girl’ Katie.

It is a collection and a treasure beyond measure.

Letter from Lucy

Lucy, 19, College Shoot, Santa Cruz, Calfornia

Lucy’s Letter / Lucy’s Experience 13-19

I’ve known Katie Settel for 8 years now, and she has seen me at my most intimate and vulnerable moments.

Being a teenager means enduring the pain of insecurity and self-consciousness, which is only heightened in front of a camera. Katie can capture these moments and turn it into something beautiful, something innocent, a souvenir of a formative part of every person’s life.

To be able to look back and reflect on that time of my life is a treasure, and to be able to say ‘hey! That was me when I was your age!’ To my children and grandchildren is an incredible thing.

I must say, though, that I couldn’t have done this with anyone but Katie. She makes me feel confident in front of a camera, she makes me feel comfortable while shooting, and she makes me feel loved when we talk on the phone in between our annual photoshoot.

Thank you Katie, you gave me an incredible gift and I love you dearly.