Charles Parish was working in the family business at Draughon’s Business College. He walked half a block to see John F. Kennedy riding along Broadway the day before he was assassinated in Dallas and snapped the above photo.

The photo sparked high demand among students from the school. He printed 150 copies and realized the business potential of the photography industry.

Check out the article in the San Antonio Express News.

Charles Parish and his uncle, George Parish, established Parish Photography in San Antonio.

They later built onto the business by establishing Alamo Photo Labs and Broadway Party Pics.

Today, Parish Photography is going strong with a primary focus on events; weddings, fundraisers, celebrations, and conventions.

Charles took this photo of the construction of the Tower of Americas. The O’Neil Ford tower was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World’s Fair in San Antonio.

It was the tallest observation tower in the United States from 1968 until 1996 and is an iconic building in the San Antonio skyline.

Charles became the president of the Professional Photographers of San Antonio.

He was a founding member in 1968 along with Ed Alexander and John Teddrowe.

An employee Lindsay Rockwood, now Dr. Lindsay Irvin, began drawing cartoons for Charles as a joke. He fell in love and began using them as ads in the Express News.

She later illustrated Charles’ book of wedding stories. You can purchase one here!  It makes a great wedding gift.

Inspired by his own family businesses (Draughon’s Business College, Parish Photography, and Alamo Photo Labs), Charles decided to photograph other generational businesses.

He journeyed around San Antonio photographing as many family owned businesses as he could to celebrate their history.

Frost Bank loved the concept and sponsored a photo exhibit in their downtown bank. Charles eventually had other banks in other cities do the same.

Charles photographed families in 12 cities from Galveston to Del Rio throughout the 1980’s.

In 2015, JB helped him revive the concept, photographing many of the families from the 80’s but with a new generation. The exhibit featured over 80 family owned business in the Frost Bank lobby.

Charles decided to take his granddaughter, Annabelle, to visit every county courthouse in the state of Texas – all 254 of them!

The plan was to complete the project in a year but it ended up going till 2001.

Charles photographed every County Courthouse and had a photography show at Central Market.

Along with many photographs, Charles kept notes of miles travelled, county facts, and dates of each courthouse visit for Annabelle to always remember their adventures together.

Charles attended and photographed George W. Bush’s inauguration in Washington DC.

Among many other photographers he realized it was time to leave film behind and move on to digital. He was one of the first photographers in San Antonio to take the leap.

He met and photographed several other presidents in his career. Below he is shown with President Jimmy Carter and then President Gerald Ford and Bob Hope.

Jenna-Beth met Charles at the Alamo Heights Chamber of Commerce in 2009. They realized they were both Trinity Alums and exchanged business cards.

Shortly after, Charles invited her to join the Alamo Heights Rotary Club and told her he was looking for a successor.

Many lunches and a year later, JB joined the Parish Team. She mentored under Charles until 2012 when they decided she was ready to take over the reins. Charles stayed on as a photographer and consultant.

Check out the press:

San Antonio Business Journal: Photo studio views future through new lens

San Antonio Express News: Small-business owner sees exit plan develop perfectly

San Antonio Woman: Jenna-Beth Lyde

North Central News: Old meets new at Parish studios

JB and Charles did some soul searching to determine the values of the company and how they could best bring the branding to current day.

As one of the most established photography businesses in San Antonio they decided “Parish” was synonymous with photography and left it off the new logo.

The triangle represents a truss, a strong architectural structure. And the “Est. 1964” shows longevity. Together they represent the strong foundation Parish was built on in 1964.

The three points of the triangle represent the Holy Trinity in honor of Charles’ first logo with the Ichthys. He wears a gold ring with the Ichthys to this day.

Today, JB and her team carry on the Parish legacy. They are full of smiles, enthusiasm, and manners – just the way Mr.Parish taught them. He always said everyone is important and everyone has a story. Take interest, be friendly, and simply care and it will come through your photographs.