PARKERSBURG - Photographs litter the farm fields in and around Parkersburg, New Hartford, Dunkerton and Hazleton.

The mud-splattered mementos may be gone, but thanks to the help of two area businesses, not all of these photographic memories will be lost.

Porter's Camera in Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids is offering 50 free photo reprints to victims of the May 25 tornadoes. All additional photos will be given at a discounted rate, said Tom Mahan, the Cedar Falls store manager. The stores are also donating a percentage of their profits from this week to the relief effort.

Mahan said the reprints can be made from negatives, damaged pictures or CDs and memory cards retrieved from the rubble.

"This really hits home with us," Mahan said. "We are constantly talking to people about preserving their photos, but when something like this happens, there is not much they can do."

The reprint offer is good through July 31.

Beth Marshall, owner of Element Portraits & Designs, is offering clients a free disc with copies of edited photos from any one session she photographed in the last three years. Clients will have to come to her new location at 618 Main St., Cedar Falls.

"Photographs are so important to me, and I can't imagine losing all those memories of a child growing up or their senior portraits," she said.

Marshall and Heather Holt, owner of Holt Portrait Design in Fairbank, are also stepping up to help these families build new memories. Marshall is offering a free session and free 8-by-10 with the purchase of another 8-by-10.

Holt's studio is offering four senior portrait scholarships for families affected by the tornado. Those interested can nominate themselves or someone else for the package by writing a 250- word essay explaining why that person deserves the free session. Each scholarship includes a deluxe senior portrait session and portrait package which includes an 11-by-14 photograph, gift portraits and wallets.

Submissions can be mailed to 110 E. Main St., Fairbank. IA, 50629. More information is also available on her Web site at www.holtportraitdesign.com.

"Senior portrait time for us is the most exciting time of the year," Heather Hold said. "We all remember how excited we got about them. Hopefully, this is just one less thing these students will have to worry about. They already have so much on their minds and their plates."

Contact Emily Christensen

at (319) 291-1570

or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

Shelly Heise digs in a field for coins, jewelry and other family items in New Hartford.