This is Levi another brother from the same family that the previous portraits belong to. They are from the Martin family. I had the most wonderful time with their family today. I’ve been photographing the Amish and Mennonite people in the Susquehanna Valley for a number of years now. I decided to finally organize my huge number of photos into a catalog of sorts. I picked out about 800 photos from the thousands of images and had them printed at 4x6 and put into a large photo album. A catalog of sorts for myself mostly. I am in the process of printing the “best” ones at 13”x19.” I always wondered what the families would say or think about the photos seeing them printed. I had some real trepidation knowing how sensitive the issue of photographs is especially with the Amish. I took the album to the Martin family on my visit today. The whole family gathered around me at a picnic table and looked at the album together. There were nine children and mom and dad. I really wasn’t sure how this would go. They loved them. It really was incredible as they recognized family members and acquaintances throughout the book. There were photos of the Martin children going back about six or seven years. They really liked the photos and the children were especially excited about seeing them themselves and friends. Many of the children don’t speak English so I could only guess what they were saying. But mom and dad seemed pleased. I also have put together another album of small photos of landscapes of the area, and again they seemed to really love looking at them. Those photos cover many years and all seasons. I have given them a few photos in the past, but I now look forward to giving them a small family history to keep. Since this experiment went so well I hope to bring the albums to other families I’ve gotten to know. I’m excited about spending some time looking at pictures with other friends in the area.