Creating a Memorable Legacy: Tips from the Experts

Hilton Naples Florida Hotel

5111 Tamiami Trail N, 34103, Naples, FL, United States

Kristen Goodman

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For the Goodmans, capturing and preserving moments in time is a family affair, and a personal passion. Dennis Goodman has earned accolades for his exquisitely detailed and evocative nature photography. Kristen helps clients with photo, video, and document preservation and organization. Together, they weave stories, solidify legacies, and give back to the community that has done so much for them.It was about 17 years ago that Dennis turned his full attention to photography. Long a treasured pastime, professionally he had specialized in condominium and property management. As is often the case, life had other ideas. With a hopeful partnership gone awry and dreams of expansion scuttled, the Goodmans found themselves adrift, with two young daughters.The family found the fortitude to not only persevere, but to wholly reinvent their individual and collective purpose. Dennis began attending local art shows, and taking people into the regional ecosystem he knows and reveres for hands-on photography workshops. Kristen pivoted her scrapbooking business to a more formalized, personalized approach to helping clients digitize and systematize their decades of family photos. Today, “the picture people” are grateful to do what they love. Mindful of life’s many lessons, there are no regrets about what was or might have been. Only a forward-looking mindset that embraces community, place, and people.Their shared leap of faith has translated into thriving, mutually supportive businesses. Dennis’ pictures are routinely featured on regional magazine covers and grace many fine homes and properties in Southwest Florida. Kristen has worked with countless people to capture their stories for generations to come. At their studio, they can produce top-of-the-line photography, canvas, and giclée prints, as well as providing commercial-grade scanning and custom framing.The work is only a piece of the Goodmans’ reality, however. Relocating to Naples from Minnesota in 1985, Dennis was immediately drawn to the Everglades, finding endless inspiration in the wildlife and landscapes. Supporting local environmental groups is critical for the Goodmans. They have donated time, expertise, and photography to charities like Rookery Bay, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and Audubon of the Western Everglades, as well as the United Arts Council and Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. Doing what they do encompasses so much more than a photo book or canvas on a wall; it’s about ensuring these resources are shared and protected. It’s telling the stories of the birds and the waterways and our integral relationship with the world around us.More than a dozen years into this journey, they’ll tell you they’re just getting started. There’s so much more to see, stories to tell, pictures to take, and memories to create and preserve. Stopping by their gallery in the downtown Naples, you’ll first be struck by the color and life hanging on the walls. Then you’ll get to talking with Dennis and Kristen, and now Madisyn, and find there’s a whole world yet to discover.