Summary

For Styles, one of his favorite creations is the family card. He shares the story of a family that came to his studio with at least three generations in tow: twenty-seven people. Styles looks at the grandfather and sees him as “a living symbol of Life” (15). The family has come to the studio for a family portrait because the grandfather has always wanted one. Styles arranges the family and realizes that not one of them is smiling so he urges them to say, “Cheese.” The children are the first to follow his request and smile into his lens. The uncles and aunts follow suit, and finally the grandfather. People on the street who look through the window notice and also respond; even the mourners from the funeral parlor next door wipe away their tears as they join in with the family and say, “Cheese.”

A week...