family photojournalism

family photojournalism :: the deboni family

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They inspire me to no end, this family. They are wild + free, engaged and invested in things that matter in our city, they adventure together, and they are crafting a life of intentionality, sowing into dreams. 

I got a little emotional looking back at the last session I did for them, back in 2015 because oh my goodness, how much these little people can grow over the course of two small years. It reminds me why being photographed over and over again across time makes such a meaningful story of a family's life together. 

Come along with this amazing little crew as they go for a walk around their neighborhood, enjoy strawberry shortcake on the deck, play in the garden and yard, examine bugs, and read together. 

I'm scheduling for October now. Reach out!

vacation photojournalism :: the P family visits MI

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My home state is the vacation destination for many Chicago-land families we seek out the small lakeshore towns Michigan has to offer as a get-away from city life. This summer, Laura reached out to me about doing a family photojournalism session for her and her family during their MI trip. We met up in Holland for ice cream, picked blueberries along Us-31, then drove north a little ways to visit a farmer's market, taco truck, beach. 

Laura is such a great mom of boys. She loves them deep and communicates her cherishing of them and their childhoods by her quality of presence and using her cameras to record the happy life they're living in video and on film. As an inspiring hobby photographer, Laura rekindled my own old love of 35 mm SLR cameras! And watching her with her husband and boys reminded me to love out loud and to be present with my entire self. 

Truly an inspiring morning of exploration and play with these guys. And LOTS of photos to prove it. :)

vacation photojournalism :: kidder's cache

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The truth is that I almost always turn down extended family sessions. Posing large groups of people is not something I'm great at. It gives me stress and it doesn't inspire me. But when Sarah reached out and asked would I please come to spend a day with her extended family at their multi-generation cottage built by her grandparents in the 40s and also photograph their daughter's first birthday celebration there while I was at it, I couldn't say no. She didn't want anyone to pose, she just wanted to freeze all those dear faces and that special place in time. And she wanted to mark the passing of her first year of motherhood. 

You see, it's sort of personal for me. My extended family owned a cottage very much like this one on a lake also very much like their lake. And all my happiest childhood memories happened there. When we sold it in my 20s, I wept. Every summer I grieve afresh for that place; I miss it almost physically. Going to Sarah's family's cottage was a little cathartic. I walked around seeing them all with the same affection I feel for my tribe, feeling the same sentiment for their cottage and lake that I felt for my own. And I tried to put all of that into the photographs. 

That's what makes photographs good, I've come to believe: when the photographer is able to see and feel what's in front of her. Because somehow that emotion and that ability to relate all gets crammed into the frame along with the strong compositional lines, perfectly chosen moments, and technical settings applied. Without the photographer's feeling and seeing, the images fall flat. 

But that's probably enough personal reflection on artist experience. I now put all of that aside and offer you a tiny selection of the hundreds of images captured during my day at Kidder's Cache, and the celebration of a beloved daughter (and granddaughter and niece and cousin) on her first birthday.

family photojournalism :: the douglass family

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Grilled pizza eaten on the patio, pool time (complete with water slide and being tossed into the air), popsicles and scooters, story time and Uno. This is the simple magic of childhood summers. And now the Douglasses have a sliver of that all frozen in time for their three daughters. 

Come along and see this playful family...

Now booking family photojournalism sessions for October and beyond.

 

family photojournalism :: the steenstra family

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They're six months old now, these darling babies whose entrance into the world was so rare and remarkable. And at six months old, they're exploring the capabilities and boundaries of their small bodies, developing very distinct personalities, tagging along to their mom's office with her every day, playing with their friendly chickens, trying out solid foods, and hanging out in the workshop barn with their dad. 

Here's a glimpse of a day in the life of Madelyn and Dirk, and their parents Jessica and Charlie.