1st birthday :: miller

Can I just say what a JOY it is to have the honor of being invited to attend and photograph the 1st birthday party of a baby whose birth I also witnessed? What a privilege it is to be invited back, over and over again, into a family’s life like this.

Miller’s parents threw him a sweet first birthday party with a Where The Wild Things Are theme. There were amazing decorations, scrumptious cake, fun friends…. and lots of crying! Hah! For whatever reason, Miller was a bit terrorized by CAKE. But even that reaction is amazing and unforgettable.

Happy Birthday, Miller! And congratulations, Bailey and George, on successfully completing your first year of parenthood!

1st birthday :: felicity

All of life is full of stories, of moments both planned and spontaneous, scripted and raw, momentous and miniature. I encourage you to take a moment to take inventory of where there are stories in your life. Make yourself a list:

• your family’s typical morning routine

• your child’s baseball game

• a hike in the woods on a saturday

• homeschooling around the table

• the weekly trip to the farmer’s market to pick up your CSA

• your child’s birthday party…

And then ask yourself if any of these stories are begging your heart to be documented and turned into keepsake images, reminders to you for years to come of the gifts of this one wild and precious life.

For this family, they’re counted their daughters’ first birthday parties on their list of stories worth telling, and I’ve been honored to document both. I come to the party and make photographs of the amazing details this creative mama painstakingly planned and executed, the guests (who are the people dearest to them in this season of their life), and a few family portraits on the front or back end of the party.

Have a look…

Make your list of the stories unfolding in your life, then choose one or two that are begging to be told. Then give me a call, ok? I’ll be there.

family photojournalism :: the srebinski family

Whenever I get to photograph a family for the second (or third or fourth) time, my heart rejoices! It's seriously such a joy to watch families grow and change over time, adding kids, moving to new homes, taking on new ventures (or pets)... life moves on so quickly and with such astonishing beauty and pausing to freeze a small section of it in photographs is such a great gift to give to yourself. 

Erin and Keith have moved AND added a child (who just turned 1!) to their family since last time I photographed them. They're feeling more settled these days, more rooted in a home that they really love, and more complete as a family of four. They're a fun bunch and I think these images clearly display their energy and connection as a family, from playing in their yard to tickling and popsicle dances in the kitchen. So much goodness. 

family photojournalism :: the davidsons

Toddlers are the best. Seriously. They are the quirkiest, most emotionally uncensored and curious beings. And Loretta and John and a pretty darn cool one. :) Dear Eddie: so busy with dancing, building, exploring locks and machinery wherever he notices it, learning to use the potty before he starts daycare next week, sipping coconut water out of an espresso cup (it's just the right size), sweeping the porch with his tiny broom and then fixing "stuff" with his plastic tools, marveling at an insect on the sliding door, walking a bit too quickly so that he falls and scrapes a knee... and pausing only occasionally for a cuddle, a brief nursing break, or some playful roughhousing with daddy. This kid kept me on my toes the entire two hours I was shooting their family photojournalism session. How fortunate he is to have two doting parents thoughtfully raising him with patience and creativity and spirit. 

Thanks for the honor of a morning spent with you guys. 

I'm booking for late September through November sessions right now. There's still room for you. 

And if you missed it last week, I invite you to read a little sharing of my heart about some changes for this little business of mine. 

smile :: the wolfman family (again)

in the time since i last photographed this family, we've had the opportunity to grow in relationship in a multifaceted way. mark has become our family chiropractor, janelle helps us think through administrative aspects of tim's work with the stockbridge boiler room, and through these connections -- and our shared desire to see kingdom come through our respective work -- affection has blossomed into friendship. these people are very dear. 

it was the loveliest way to spend a September morning chasing them and their adorable kiddos around barefoot on the beach in holland, watching them cuddle and play and love on one another with such sincerity. 

blessed to know them. and if you need a fantastic chiropractor and wellness educator, go see Dr. Mark and his team at Rivertown Family Chiropractic. 

smile :: the v-b family

harrison's mommy and daddy met at aquinas when they were undergrad psychology students. they brought him back there to do this photo session of him at 9 months old. i wager he's their proudest accomplishment and greatest joy.

this family also opted to make me their photographer, which means i have 5 years of fun ahead of me, watching them grow.