Marrying into a big family means I also get to have lots of nieces and nephews and sibling-friends. My husband's brother, Dan and his wife Jess, along with their boys are so dear to my heart, such easy friends. So after Ezra was born, Tim let me travel alone to Milwaukee to spend a couple of days with them, being helpful as much as I could be while Jess continued her postpartum rest period, basking in their company, and of course cuddling my newest nephew, Ezra! Newborn cuddles on one's own very pregnant belly are a special kind of awesome.
Ezra is boy #5. He and his family live in a beautiful old farm house on a wee bit of land surrounded by trees changing colors with the autumn winds. Dan works from his home office during the days and Jess fits sewing for her blog into her life as much as she can manage in between homeschooling and managing the household. The boys -- every single one of them-- are OBSESSED with Star Wars, and also love art, reading, and playing outside.
Though Jess never wants me to "work" while I'm visiting them, I insisted in bringing along my cameras, which I picked up and used periodically across the 24 hours I spent in their home. The result is a collection of photos that's like a stretched-out and incredibly candid Life With A Newborn session. I know other documentary photographers who routinely offer these 24-hour in-home sessions, and though I know they shoot more continuously during such a session than I did during this very informal one, it was a fun taste of what's possible when you really move in with a family and become a natural part of the landscape instead of a stranger-guest who pops in for a couple of hours.
I'm pretty in love with the results, just as I'm in love with this family.
