An older woman, named Marjorie sits in a patterned armchair, surrounded by blooming chrysanthemums in shades of orange, yellow, pink, and deep red. She wears wire-rimmed glasses, a light blue floral button-up shirt, small earrings, a necklace, rings, and a bracelet. Her lower legs are amputated above the knees, which are visible beneath the hem of her shirt as she sits comfortably in the chair.
She gently holds a red plastic cup with both hands while looking off to the right of the frame with a soft, reflective expression and a faint smile. Warm, directional lighting illuminates her face and the flowers, casting gentle shadows. The background fades from golden brown into dark shadow, giving the portrait a quiet, intimate feeling. The flowers frame her on both sides, contrasting with the subdued backdrop and drawing attention to her calm presence.
This portrait conveys warmth, dignity, and contemplation, emphasizing the subject’s quiet strength without centering her disability.
I Love You Dearly is a love ode to the strongest person I know: my grandmother, Marjorie.
Through immense hardship, including losing her husband of 50 years and becoming a double amputee shortly after, she has remained resilient while still carrying a contagious laugh, a warm smile, and a quiet strength that fills every room she enters.
Growing up in rural Southern Ontario, surrounded by the quiet pain my loved ones carried, shaped the way I observe people and emotion. Photography became a way for me to process experiences that felt difficult to express verbally. My work embraces the tension between beauty and grief, vulnerability and endurance.
For over a decade, I have documented my family, capturing addiction, loss, anger, and above all, love. My grandmother deserved the chance to feel truly seen, so I returned home to Norfolk County and spent a day photographing her in my Aunt Robin’s shop. The day before the session, I unexpectedly came across a flower sale and bought hundreds of dollars worth of flowers for only fifteen dollars. I surrounded her with them, and we spent the day together creating these images.
During our session, I asked her, “Do you feel beautiful?”
She replied, “Actually, I do.”
Explore the other stories–Alex Franklin is a portrait and documentary photographer who creates long-term personal projects and editorial work. She creates intimate, raw images that explore vulnerability, identity, and mental health. Growing up in rural Southern Ontario and then later spending a season photographing in NYC, the environmental contrast further shaped her perspective by documenting quiet moments blended with internal chaos.
Blending documentary storytelling with cinematic lighting techniques, her work focuses on human connection and the complexity of lived experience.
