Knoxville photographer wants to preserve your family heirlooms – with a snapshot

The little brass mouse holds an old-fashioned pen, nearly as big as he is. The golden metal glows warmly. Small imperfections, like pitting on the inside of his enormous ears, can be clearly seen. He’s only a photograph -- not the real thing -- but anyone who’s familiar with this type of figurine can instantly feel the weight of him. 

“We have about 20 of those little animals,” says Shawn Poynter of Central Collective, the multi-use event space he runs with his wife, Dale Mackey. “We call them our ‘Brass Menagerie.’” Poynter, a successful editorial and portrait photographer, has many cherished tchotchkes. And lately he’s been thinking a lot about others like him.

“I’m like a minimalist in a maximalist’s body. I want to be clean and clear. But you go in my room and it’s like, ‘what are you doing? Get it together! Grow up!’” Poynter laughs at the absurdity of his situation, but he’s keenly aware that it’s not unique. That realization has led him to his latest project. 

“We were going through all of our stuff,” he says. “I’m like a pack rat anyway. If somebody gives me something it’s hard for me to get rid of it, ever. So I end up schlepping it from place to place, house to house. Dale isn’t like that; she’ll get rid of almost anything. I admire that. I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘oh, I wish I had that thing back,’ you know? Once I get rid of it, it’s fine, but the act of getting rid of it makes me … sweaty.”

Poynter says that a few months ago, just for kicks, he started taking high-quality, high-resolution photos of his childhood toys, his grandfather’s fishing lures, some family jewelry and other sentimental items. And he found what he calls “the emotional freedom to get rid of the actual item.” He thought others in the same boat might like to explore that possibility themselves. “Heirloom Archive” – at this point, a working title – was born.

The photos are simple and elegant. “The item should stand alone -- I’m not going to stage stuff. There’s no special technique -- just years of doing this. Trying to get the shading and contouring right," he said. "Texture, detail, shape. You want to contour the shape so it almost looks 3-D.” 

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Having digital files of the photos allows people the ability to retain a beloved object and display it, if desired, in a variety of ways “without it being in the way, without it causing friction.” Not interested in a framed photo on the wall? How about covering the whole wall with a print? “You can do anything with the photos. You can wrap your car in them if you want to!” 

But mainly, says Poynter, he’d like to create beautiful photo albums for people to keep, share with others and enjoy -- providing instant nostalgia and comfort, right on your coffee table.

He welcomes individual clients, and is eager for people involved in the estate-sale world and other types of home-organization projects to know about “Heirloom Archive.”

“The overall idea is giving you permission to get rid of stuff you don’t want to keep, but for which you still have the feelings of attachment. Keeping it in your brain. And in your heart. And it’s available to visit.

“I know a lot of folks like me who are just too sappy to let things go – too nostalgic to just willy-nilly throw things out. This is a good way to have it both ways.”

Look for updates, and get in touch with him, at poynterphotoco.com. 

The Maker City is the greater Knoxville-area community of makers, artists, creatives, and small-scale manufacturers and supporting entities. Led by the Mayor’s Maker Council, we facilitate collaborative partnerships, programming, and opportunities in an effort to create a sustainable creative community. For more info, visit us at http://themakercity.org/.