My Own

Sometimes I feel guilty.

I feel guilty because I have amazing camera equipment, 8 years of experience behind a camera, tons of knowledge on how to process images to make them look their best, the ability to find and use great light and awesome backgrounds to make incredible photos….and despite all that I don’t pick up my camera nearly often enough to document my own children.

It’s something that I am trying to work on. I guess it’s just hard to grab my camera when something happens. I usually want to enjoy and live in that moment instead of worrying about the lighting, which lens to use, what angle to shoot from. Sometimes I want to just watch. Just marvel at my children and how they are growing.

Still, my memory is not perfect. The moments I live in are good ones, but they fade and I forget. So I am trying. Trying to worry less about the hassle of getting my camera, less about the details of shooting a perfect picture, and less about editing the photos later. I’m trying to be a better photojournalist in the story of our life.

Today, I took pictures of my sweet Penny. She doesn’t do much these days but eat, sleep, and smile. But oh, how I adore her squashy rolls and her chunky cheeks! It may not seem like much, but this is what I want to remember from this stage in her life. Because when I look at these photos I want to remember how I used to hold her close and nuzzle her almost-bald head. I want to remember how adorable her chubby thighs were. I want to remember how my heart felt when her face broke into a huge grin.

It’s the simple things that make a beautiful photo, because it’s not the photo itself that is special, but how it makes you feel and what it makes you remember that is important.

Splish Splash

One of my favorite things is when clients come to me with fun ideas for their photo shoots. It could be a great prop, a cool concept, or a particular interesting location for their shoot. No matter what, I am up for anything and love photo shoots that are an adventure. Adventures lead to incredible photos that are often outside the box. What could be better than capturing photos that are uniquely special to you and your family?

This Mommy came to me with a great idea for a photo shoot with her 8 month old son. She told me about how much she loved giving him a bath in the evenings, how his eyes would get bright and he loved to splash and giggle. She asked if we could start his shoot in the tub.

I loved the idea immediately.

So at the start of this shoot we played in the tub, and it was so much fun I want to do it again…and again..and again.

True to Mommy’s word, this little boy’s eyes grew so bright and happy the moment he sat down in the water. It was so much fun to capture a moment that is so dear to this Mom and her son. A memory she will tell him about when he is grown. And now she has the pictures to show him when she tells him about those days. LOVE!

Just like that

A day goes by.

Then two… Then three.

Before you know it it’s been months. That’s how fast life happens. Every second flying by, running through your fingers like trickling water as you desperately try to hold onto it. Capture it. Keep it.

Time molds us, teaches us, ages us.

And then, with one photo, time stops. With one gorgeous photo you can capture that moment, that breath, that feeling. Photos are more than a click of the camera or a picture on the wall. They are moments in our lives that we never want to forget. They are the illustrations to our storybook. The art of life.

I’ve been a busy artist. Here are some of my favorites from the summer!

Owen

Peyton

Bennett

Marcello

Emery