Reconnecting

Lindsay and I met in middle school, while both of us were still trying to figure out who we were. Even back then she was always genuine and so kind.

We’ve connected a few times throughout the years and traded a photo session when our girls were just little babies. The pictures she made for my family are still a treasure.

Throughout the years we’ve lived in different states, but she has been the best cheerleader and is always so supportive and encouraging. For this session I was able to fly to Arizona to film and photograph her beautiful family. It is always a bit surreal and such a huge honor to be trusted by a friend, especially when she is such a talented photographer herself.

It felt like a dream to see her beautiful family and meet her girls, who are growing up to be just as sweet and thoughtful as their mom. Reconnecting with old friends is one of the biggest blessings that has come from my photography/ filmmaking journey.

I hope their game of red rover makes you smile as much as I did! Those little voices and giggles never get old.

Here's The Thing

So, here’s the thing.

Your house doesn’t have to be perfect.

You don’t have to be perfect.

You don’t need perfect kids, or ideas.

What you do need? Exactly what you already have.

Sessions with me are all about spending quality time with your family. and capturing the connection and beauty that is already there.

Core Memories

The chilly wind blew leaves around me as I walked up to the house in the dark, before the day began.

My wonderful friend told me how important mornings with her girls were to her. She wanted this special time documented for all of them to remember. I arrived before any of them woke up so I could capture those first, precious sleepy moments.

As each little girl woke up she ran straight to the kitchen for morning snuggles from her mama. 

Little hands poured milk, mixed biscuit dough and licked spoons (and the counter) right beside their mom while Enya played in the background.

Later wild giggles filled the room as little sisters did flips on mom while big sister dutifully plunked out her songs on the piano.

Mom kissed owies, cuddled, read endless books, comforted crying kids, broke up arguments and cleaned up messes all morning long. 

Not glamorous, not styled. Just real, messy, beautiful life.

Eventually the exhausting daily grind of raising kids becomes the "good ol' days" as they outgrow your lap and trade scooters for cars.

The awfully ordinary moments end up being our kids' core memories and the ones we ache to remember.

(Press play below to see the film!)

If ordinary isn't worth documenting, what is? 

Messy Hair and Mismatched Clothes

"Eventually you'll discover your photography style and find yourself buying clothes for your kids that fit that aesthetic." 

Someone mentioned this in a photography forum when I started learning  photography.

It became a "rule" I felt I had to follow. If I wanted to be a good photographer, my kids had to be perfectly styled whenever my camera was out. I hated it.

Perfectly styled pictures do bring some people joy. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just not me.

Give me the mud, mismatched clothes and messy hair.

The pajamas, messy faces and bandage covered knees (or entire bodies). 

Because my life rarely (ok never) looks perfectly styled. It usually looks a lot like this. 

And this is what I want to remember. 

This is beauty to me.

5 on 5 is back! Head on over to my friend Amy's blog (a Portland, OR Family Photographer) to see the story she tells in five images. 

Anxiety | 5 on 5

Incredibly inadequate. 

That's how I felt for the first half of October. 

October is one of my favorite months. It is full of so many fun, festive traditions and I look forward to the special family time, perfect weather and beautiful colors. 

But this month I couldn't shake my anxiety. I felt like it was swallowing me whole and I couldn't escape. 

Being a creative entrepreneur is full of very high highs and low lows. Being a mom is HARD and requires every ounce of my emotional energy. Trying to handle both of those roles at the same time (along with others) feels like too much sometimes. 

So on this beautiful October day, I did what I always do when I'm feeling overwhelmed. I packed up my kids right after school (didn't even make my oldest change out of her nightgown from pajama day at school), packed a hammock and picnic and headed to the mountains.

We took our time. Watching them stop to explore is so good for me. One of my favorite parts of motherhood is seeing the world through my children's curious eyes. It helps me slow down and enjoy the marvels of nature. 

They pretended that they lived in the Little House in the Big Woods and were harvesting maple syrup from the trees. 

We stayed in this spot for over an hour. We all studied and soaked in the beauty in our own way. Them through play, me through my camera. 

After a few hours we set up the hammock. Laying in a hammock reading books to my kids feels pretty close to heaven for me. Until they start swaying it and I get super dizzy. Then we're done. 

I even remembered to set up my camera on the stroller and get in the frame with my girls. I'm so glad it worked! 

We all felt SO much better after that little excursion. 

I've been doing a few more things since that have helped me control my anxiety. Self care is the key for me. I'll throw them out there in case they can help anyone else. 

1. Waking up early to read scriptures, pray, exercise and meditate. That seems like a lot, but I usually fit it into an hour. Yoga and meditation have been so helpful for me lately. I really miss it on the mornings I sleep in and I feel a huge difference in how well I can handle my kids and life in general. 

2. Positive affirmations. I listened to the Every Branch podcast by Brooke Snow (which I love), and she recommended recording yourself saying positive affirmations, then listening to it regularly.  So one morning I googled "positive affirmations for moms", along with others, and came up with a list that I liked. Listening to those has been HUGE for me. Hearing them in my own voice over and over has helped me catch my negative thought patterns throughout the day and replace them with positive ones. 

3. Good books and podcasts. I LOVE the Alison Show podcast and have been reading a lot of the books they recommend. My favorite lately has been the Alchemist. It's a quick read (or listen) and is packed full of goodness. Not related to anxiety, but so good! 

4. Less social media, and NO social media scrolling at night. I can feel my anxiety building whenever I scroll mindlessly through social media, so I'm trying to regulate the amount of time I use it and am planning a break soon.

5. Being social! Connecting with people IN PERSON is huge for me. It takes time and effort, but I've been trying to prioritize it lately and it is so worth it. 

If you have any other tips for controlling anxiety, I'd love to hear them! 

Now hop on over to my friend Amy's blog (a Portland, Oregon Family Documentary Photographer) to see her beautiful work this month. 

Beauty in Imperfection

The smell of fresh herbs and veggies just pulled from the earth, the sound of giggles and squeals from a toddler full of life and an old house with squeaky floors and endearing character. A kitchen full of dirty dishes from food made with love, a teenager with both attitude and tenderness and a husband and wife who share a passion for food and love for their family.

This session filled my soul. 

Cheesy? Wouldn't be the first time. :) This evening just filled me with so many feelings that are hard to express. But here's my best shot.

Imperfections, struggles and quirks give our stories color, texture, character and heart. 

If we all lived in brand new, spotless homes with white everything and green plants, if we were all the same size and everything came easy to us, where would the richness be?

Richness comes in variety. Beauty and strength are born from struggle.

Even though I preach that life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful, sometimes I still get frustrated that my life doesn't look like the ideal, what I think it is "supposed" to look like. 

But diving into someone else's life for an evening and seeing all the beauty in their imperfections was a breath of fresh air. I went away with more compassion and love for all of the many imperfections that give my life color and character. 

Is there anything more beautiful than an ordinary evening spent in your own backyard with the people you love? I don't think so.

If you want more out of your family photos than standing in a pretty field with matching outfits, bribing kids to smile with candy, then I'm your gal.  

Let's capture the heart and soul of your family. Imperfections and all. Let's make frame worthy photos of the moments you want to remember. I can't wait to hear from you!   

Mini Sessions

30 minutes

10 frame worthy photos

1-2 minute family film, perfect for sharing on social media (and re-watching a million times)

$300 +tax

Lemonade Stand | 5 on 5

If you haven't read the book I am Malala, you need to. Read the Dressmaker of Khair Khana while you're at it.  

When Madi told me how excited she was to start Kindergarten we talked about how girls in other countries aren't allowed to go to school. 

She was more angry than I expected. I told her we could do something to help.

A few weeks ago we had a lemonade stand to raise money for the Malala Fund.  I was so grateful when neighbors, friends and family showed up to support us.  

We may not have raised a ton of money, but we learned a lot. 

The girls learned about entrepreneurship, counting money, and communication skills. 

They learned that they can take a stand. They can do something to help right the wrongs they see in the world. 

Even a small effort is better than nothing. 

I learned (or remembered) the importance of community. 

Social media is a great tool, but nothing can replace in person connections. 

I was grateful for a chance to visit with friends, neighbors and family. 

I heard wonderful news and terrible news, gave lots of hugs, and felt so grateful for the people in my life. 

Through the good and the bad, we all need each other. 

Thank you so much to everyone who came to support us! We'll be doing it again next week, so send me a message if you want the address. 

Now head on over to my friend Melissa's blog (St. Charles, MO Documentary Family Photographer) to check out her story this month. 

Her Hands

At every session I think 

"What little details will these kids be glad I captured 30 years from now?" 

I mean I think about the parents too, of course. Because what parent doesn't want every detail of their children captured? The huge smiles down to the chubby hands and quirky personality traits. Capturing kids is the easy part. 

But I also think about what the kids will want to remember about their parents. Probably because that's something I can relate to right now.

What I wouldn't give to watch a day from my childhood from an outside perspective. Like peering in through a window. Being a fly on the wall. Ebeneezer Scrooge style. But less creepy. 

Memories are so fleeting.

So in this film, I captured their mother's hands. Because those hands have selflessly rocked, fed, clothed, comforted and cared for this family from the very beginning. 

It's something they might not even think about until they look back years from now and think "wow, Mom's hands look so different now." 

I hope it'll spark a little more gratitude for everything those loving hands have done for them throughout the years. 

This is the third year in a row I have photographed my wonderful cousin's family, and I love watching them grow and change. This year, making both a film AND photos for them was even more fun. 

I can't help but think of our childhood days together, running around hunting for leprechauns and playing "house". It is a beautiful thing to see her now as a real, grown up wife and mother. You're doing an amazing job, Angie. 

If this kind of session speaks to you, let's brainstorm what your own could look like! I have one more opening for Summer, and two more for Fall. 

Fishing with Grandpa | 5 on 5

My brother always says "if you want to remember something, take a picture of it. " 

Well, duh. 

But when I think about it, my clearest childhood memories are the ones my family has talked about over and over throughout the years because we have pictures of them. 

I already see this happening with my kids. They talk about "memories" from when they were babies that are really from the pictures in our photo books. Moments I know they were too young to remember, but that we've talked about because we have pictures of them. 

In a way, I'm writing the story of their childhood for them. The moments I record are the ones we are going to talk about in the coming years, and the ones they are going to remember best.

 And this is definitely one I want them to remember. 

For the last few summers my Dad has taken my girls to a local trout farm to teach them how to fish. This year Madi looked forward to it all winter long. 

My Dad even bought them princess fishing poles this year, which added to the excitement. 

I love how beautiful and serene this little trout farm is.

Chloe was so excited at first, and even caught the first fish. Then a fly landed on her and the rest was history. She just wanted to be held after that. She has a sudden fear of bugs that came out of nowhere.

She asked me "mommy, what if all of the fish flop onto land to fight the humans??" 

I guess bugs aren't the only things she's scared of lately. 

Madi, on the other hand, had the time of her life. She loved touching the fish before Grandpa released them back into the water. She learned how to cast by herself and didn't ever want to stop.

At one point all of the fish were crowded in one spot and Madi blurted out "I'll bet they're all waiting in line for a fish restaurant!" She couldn't stop laughing after that. I love her laugh.

Grandpa is pretty sure he has a new long term fishing buddy.

This picture basically sums up the last 3/4 of the trip. Madi and Grandpa contentedly fishing away while Chloe watches them, whining about how bored and scared she is. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm so, so grateful my girls have such wonderful Grandparents who are involved in their lives. 

I know this memory will be a treasure someday. 

Next up on the blog circle is Nicole Austen, an Orlando, Florida family photographer. Go check out her beautiful work!

And a bonus picture, just because sometimes I like proof that I was there too!