We are very happy to announce that earlier this month while William was in Nashville at the Professional Photographers of America's annual convention, he won a prestigious Grand Imaging Award. William's portrait, Past Midnight, was selected by an international panel as 1st in the general portraits category at the Grand Imaging Awards. Past Midnight, shown below, is of Morgan Lamont and her daughter Isabella. Morgan was so pleased with this news that she wrote an open letter reflecting on the experience of working with William so that our friends, fans, and clients could better understand the emotion that went into creating this award-winning portrait.
Read her letter below and let us know what you think of her moving words by leaving us a comment!
My daughter Isabella and I have been through a lot together. It was just the two of us for four years, and for this reason we have always been like two peas in a pod; inseparable. Izzie was in preschool when I met my now husband. Things were moving quickly, and it was a big change for us to have another person become such a big part of our lives.
When we decided to get married, I knew it was going to be a very exciting time for all of us and I wanted to memorialize the occasion with a special bridal portrait. Everyone knows that if you want a portrait like no other, William Branson is the artist to go to. I contacted him to set up a consultation and we met about two months before the wedding; just when things were getting really crazy with the planning process. When we met, we got to talking about the wedding and about my relationship with Izzie. Upon learning that Izzie would be wearing a flower girl dress to match my wedding gown, William began dreaming up a portrait of the two of us, together in our dresses, depicting our uniquely close mother/daughter bond. The more we discussed the portrait, the more excited I became about this unforgettable opportunity. I knew that we would always cherish our beautiful portrait representing this monumental event in our lives. Izzie and I had been through so much, and serious changes were upon us. I knew that to have a portrait capturing my daughter and I at this exact moment in time would be a dream come true.
The day the pictures were taken was a turning point in my relationship with my daughter. We commemorated the end of "just the two of us" and the start of a trio. When we saw the emotion that was brought to life in the final painting, we were speechless. There was not a dry eye in William's studio. I look at it now and I am still just as moved as I was on that day. I believe you can feel our love for each other just by looking at the portrait. You can feel the connection between us, and know without a doubt that our bond is unbreakable. There is something that cannot be put into words about the relationship between a mother and child, however, William was able to say it through his art in this portrait.
I cannot begin to express how honored we are to have this moment in time portrayed by such a talented artist. I know there is not anyone else out there capable of giving us a gift like this, and it will be treasured by my family and the art world for decades to come. We couldn’t be more pleased that William has now won such a prestigious award for his portrait of Isabella and me. Congratulations, William, and thank you for immortalizing this beautiful moment in our lives.
Morgan Lamont