family photojournalism :: the rainey family

When Monica and Rex reached out to set up their two-hour photojournalism session, they told me the impetus for seeking photographic documentation was their son, Arthur, who just recently turned 1.  "We just passed the infamous year marker as parents," she shared, "It's been a bit of a year...Just celebrating that we're all here, together, and being grateful for the time that we have." 

She explained that "Our house may be tiny and definitely has some cosmetic projects we've been dragging our feet on, but it's home".

I can't tell you how much I love that sentiment. If we wait until we are in our dream homes and our dream homes look exactly the way we want them to look, we'll wait forever. Life is here, now, is it not?

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening with these three, doing all the simply things that make up a life well-lived, from a picnic dinner on the living room floor, to diaper changes, and feedings, a walk to the park, watching squirrels out the window, and playing on the floor. 

Good night, Arthur. Sweet dreams!

I'm offering a DSLR workshop for moms right now, too! It's designed to get you out of automatic mode on that "nice camera" you bought and which is sitting around gathering dust. It's aim is to equip and inspire you to become a loving family documentarian who makes really nice pictures of her people. Read more here, and then register!

family photojournalism :: adam + lily

I often photograph just mamas with their little ones, like at Milk Time sessions and such. But this was my first time doing a daddy-daughter session. And it was such a treat to do so. 

Adam and Lily have a really sweet connection, and you'll see it as they dance on the bed, play doctor, and walk through the fields behind their apartment. <3

Happy Wednesday!

family photojournalism :: the declerqc family

Just a few months before my son Walter was to be born at home with a midwife, I had a burning need to witness an empowered, midwife-attended home birth just one more time. I begged Beth to let me photograph hers so that I could have that need met. She complied, and I'll always be grateful for the positive pictures and feelings that experience gave me as I prepared for my own. 

At her birth, I remember seeing all these homesteading books around, and drafts of vegetable gardens, signs for canning and handcrafts and homeschool everywhere. Beth and Tommy were dreaming dreams of a life outside the city where they currently lived, a life with chickens and woodworking and wide open spaces. In the nearly 2 years since then, they have made radical steps to move closer to that goal. First, they sold their house and Tommy quit his job and they moved into an RV for several months. Then they stayed with Beth's parents until they could find the perfect property to begin their homesteading adventures. 

This family photojournalism session, then, is the proof positive of the fulfillment of dreams. It takes place at their beautiful homestead on their lovely piece of land. There are chickens and a wood shop and a huge vegetable garden. The kids are being homeschooled. They're expecting baby #4. And the effect on Beth and Tommy is clear contentment. It felt really great to celebrate this with them. And I know you'll enjoy getting a little peek at this beautiful life they're crafting.

Beth and Tommy both do amazing things with wood, by the way, and they've launched their own business called Declerqc Woodwork. You can find them on Facebook and on Etsy, or follow them on Instagram at @thewoodenfarmhouse. At the moment, they're making my family a farmhouse table that seats 10! But they do smaller things too. Check them out. 

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. 

family photojournalism :: the lentines

When enough years have been lived in a house, nearly every space has some memory or ritual attached to it. And once you make plans to leave that home, and to move into a new one, they all come into view more clearly, don't they? Like, maybe you don't often think about the unique joy it is to play soccer in your narrow hallway, to nurse the baby on the living room floor, or to have an ice cream cone on the back deck. You don't think about it because it's so darn normal. Until it isn't going to be normal at all anymore, and then it starts to feel as special as it's actually always been. 

Christine and Alex, along with their three kids, are in exactly that spot. And so it came to pass that just a few weeks before their scheduled closing on their new home, Christine reached out and said something like, "It's finally time. Can we get something scheduled before we move?" Gratefully, we were able to make that happen. 

Making these pictures was fun for me, as I put on the lenses of seeing every detail as significant and fleeting, even more so than usual. Every little bit is precious. To me, these photos drip with sentiment, and it's not even my house or my family! Christine says, "I'm so in love with them! Thank you!" 

Also, as a side note and shameless plug, I just need to take a moment to point out the fact that Christine works for an organization that my family feels strongly about and supports: Kids Food Basket. This non-profit puts sack suppers in the hands of thousands of Grand Rapids area children who wouldn't otherwise get an evening meal. And they do this in and through multiple schools (including my own neighborhood school where over 95% of students are on free and reduced lunch program) every day of the school year. You can sign up to give monthly donations with relatively small amount of cash (like $20-$40) and know that that money is providing lots of needed meals because they have so streamlined their food accumulation and distribution process that they can make a little money do a lot of good work. Please check them out!

family photojournalism :: the kuchan family

Darren and Amy were one of the first familes whose first AND second births I got to photograph. They’re smart and classy, kind and affectionate parents. They’re even nice to be with while they’re in [unmedicated] labor, which is saying something! ;)

This year they moved to a new home in Grand Haven, and I got to come spend a couple hours with them there one Sunday morning, just doing the things they do. From tea parties on the floor, to folding laundry, playing on the back deck, walking around the neighborhood, watching favorite family videos on their phones, playing the piano, doing yoga poses, and of course lots of cuddles and kisses all around.

This session gives me the warm fuzzies. Come along and see a slice of life with them and their kiddos, age almost-2 and 7 months.