family photojournalism :: the malefyts

the occasion for this in-home session is an upcoming goodbye. ashley contacted me about it shortly before they put their home of the last seven years on the market (it sold within a week!). this home, which they thought they'd never leave, which has been the one to which each of their 5 babies was brought home from the hospital (or the airport, in the case of olive's adoption), where there have been a million home-improvement projects (some unfinished), and the heights of growing children recorded on the hallway walls. this home... so special, and filled with a gazillion memories, which ashley knew were likely to grow dim in the spaces and details of it weren't recorded somehow. 

so, i joined the malefyts for the preparations and eating of breakfast-for-dinner, a final recording of heights on the wall, the reading of bedtime stories and the tucking in of the bigs, then the after-hours party the littles are still permitted to stay up for, and which included nursing and porch-sitting. 

and all the while, i was smiling in my heart. this session made me want a big family. ashley and karl make it look SO fun. at first, they kept apologizing to me for all the noise and chaos. but the point is, it's HAPPY noise, happy chaos. and so beautiful to me. and what i hope these images can remind ashley and karl of is this (it is also what i hope to remind all of my family photojournalism clients of): that what they have been given, and who they have been given, is a tremendous gift. 

as a side note: ashley and karl operate a hugely successful photography studio in the city, producing jaw-dropping gorgeous portraits of children and families. i mean, these are the sorts of portraits you blow up onto huge canvases and hang on your biggest walls. check them out here. 

find out more about family photojournalism sessions here.

family photojournalism :: the griffis'

I'm not really sure how I got so lucky as to become the photographer who gets to return, camera in hand, to photograph this family year after year. But that's the truth of it. And though I have loved it every time, and have delighted in seeing Jude and Isaac grow and change from session to session, this year's session is really particularly special. 

See, Jordan and Lindsy have said "yes" to their Father's invitation into the adventure of adoption, that expression of the Father's heart that almost no other human endeavor can match. Somewhere in China, a little girl is waiting for this family, and this family is fighting for her, through mountains of paperwork, through communication mis-haps, through agencies and governmental red tape, through financial sacrifices... they are intent on bringing her home. 

This time around, we decided to do a family photojournalism session of a typical weekend morning, so that they can use these images of their family at home -- playing, creating, cuddling, living -- in a photo book that will one day soon get sent across oceans and land in the hands of their daughter, so that she will be able to close her eyes and imagine herself inserted into these scenes, with all the affection and security that that includes. So that, until she can be brought home into their arms, she can feel their love in her imagination, and see the space they are creating for her. 

Does. Not. Get. Better. 

Jude and Isaac, I can't wait to see you as big brothers to your small sister. Jordan and Lindsy, thanks for doing what you're doing, and for inviting me in on the tiniest bit of your journey. I am so eager for you to hold your daughter in your arms. 

PS: If you are someone who believes in and supports adoption and also happens to like my photography, stay tuned! Because I'm scheming with Lindsy to do an adoption fund-raiser for their family in the spring, and it will include you being photographed in exchange for your donation to their adoption! Hooray!

PPS: If you or someone you know is adopting and needs images similar to this for your/their dossier, please get in touch! I'd love to arrange something at a discounted rate for adopting families.

family photojournalism :: the saigeons

michelle, eric, and sienna found me when baby maxwell was still en utero. we did a playful little maternity/family session at the nature center, and eagerly anticipated max's upcoming arrival and the in-home session we had planned to celebrate his coming. 

after a couple reschedules due to maxwell being "late," and other small schedule interruptions, we finally got to do it. maxwell is now 6 weeks old, but he's still new. he's chubby and yummy and hardly made a peep of protest the entire two hours i was with them.  

a few context details that might enrich your viewing experience:

• they do montessori style for sienna's bedroom. everything is at her level, including her bed, which is just a mattress on the floor covered with plush pillows. such an awesome space, and so empowering for this little two year-old. 
• they have a family dog name leila, who is getting on in years. she has to be carried up the stairs each night to go to bed with her family. her relationship with sienna is particularly sweet. 
• it was really fun to see some of the family photos i took of them a couple months prior on their walls and shelves and fridge. 

now, i'd like to invite you to come along with me into the saigeon's lovely east town home, where you can plainly see every detail is chosen with care, and that this family has built a rich life of love around themselves. 

so grateful we found one another, michelle and eric. i know we'll get to see one another again, and i'm already looking forward to it. :)

personal :: the sofa life

my little family travels 2-4 times a year to Wisconsin to visit tim's family, because most of them live there, in sun Prairie or milwaukee.

we just returned from one of our Wisconsin visits. on the return trip, we stayed a night with his brother dan and SIL jess, who live in milwaukee with our 4 nephews. one day i'm going to do a proper full-fledged family photojournalism session for them, but this time, i just took a few informal ones, just because. My own kids and husband are inserted into some of these images, too, because we were all enjoying a lazy monday morning together.

it was a fun challenge to take the bulk of the photos in one room, and mostly on one couch. when i think about how much of a family's daily life centers around a sofa, it makes sense, though. isn't this true of your own family? there are so many comings and goings on the sofa, and so much can happen there, from wrestling, to lounging, from reading, to cuddling, from diaper changes to computer work. there's so much life on a sofa.

btw, jess recently gave their living room a little make-over, by applying her crafty skills to the space. i  love her new collage wall, her mustard yellow rug, and the curtains she sewed. mmm. :)

so, enjoy this fragmented snippet of our monday morning with our sibling-friends and cousin-friends...

it's just fun to keep shooting like this -- with an emphasis on photojournalism and storytelling -- even just for personal projects.  if you'd like me to tell a story that's unfolding under your own roof, get in touch. 

family photojournalism :: bedtime for lou

this the promised follow-up post to the family photojournalism session i posted a couple of days ago. it's a story within a story. 

at the tail end of my evening with the gadziemski family, allie asked me to photograph her as she put her youngest to bed. louis is two years old, and their last baby. knowing it's your last makes you savor things like bedtime routines all the more. there's a magic around this time for them, and she wanted that documented. 

hold your babies close, mamas. stop to see and savor them. this is the good stuff. and it's fleeting. 

family photojournalism :: the gadziemskis

since resolving in my heart to photograph families almost exclusively in a raw, slice-of-life style, and changing my business to reflect that, i've had a bit of trouble finding people who "get" it. it's felt like, overall, photography-seeking people have expectations that include parks or studios, some posing, smiles at the camera, and coordinated clothing. the idea of someone coming into what seems like the unremarkable chaos of their home is not immediately attractive. 

but allie somehow "got" it immediately. her exuberance about the whole idea was actually super encouraging to me. it gave me hope that maybe people CAN begin to love this way of having their families photographed, and that maybe i wasn't crazy to build my business around it. i needed that.

so we set a date and got to work. which, practically speaking, means that allie and her family went about their sunday evening business while i followed them around with a camera. they did a fantastic job ignoring me and not acting too self-conscious. with a house full of 4 boys, this form of photography is probably a great fit, since the boys can just be boys!

there were nerf guns, and there was wrestling. there were tater tots and uno and blocks and running. and in the midst of all of this, deep shalom and joy, contradictory though that might at first appear to be. 

and at the end of the evening, i sat down at the table with allie and heard her story. it's a redemption story, a story of heart-level renewal, a story of surrender to Jesus. which gave context the thick layer of shalom. :)

here, once again, are more photos than you probably even need. :) at the end is a funny series documenting our attempt to get one sit-still-and-smile-at-the-camera shot. each one cracks me up, particularly when viewed one right after the other. 

stay tuned for a second blog post featuring this amazing family. we did a story-within-a-story, too. and i thought it deserved a second post. it's the kind of little story that will melt the heart of every mother. how's that for suspense? ;)

allie, would you leave a comment below about why you wanted to have your family photographed in this way? i know you'll say it well! Thanks!