personal :: the cottages

i grew up going to our family cottage, which was built in the 1930s by my great grandparents. we spent chunks of every summer there, playing with cousins, being parented communally by grandparents, aunts, and uncles. i remember waking up each morning to the sound of the water lapping at the sea wall, the tinging of the lines against the mast on the sailboat, and the smell of bacon, eggs, and bakery bread cooking downstairs. i remember being in a swimsuit all day, playing in the dirt, swimming until our skin was prune-like, rowing around in the small row boat with cousins, reading books on the couch you could just sink right into, exploring the cavernous "down below" (cellar), catching frogs and toads... the list could go on and on. i remember the aesthetic and feel of the place, with all its vintage furniture, dishes, and decor mingled with more modern contributions from the more recent generations. i can still smell the place. 

it was (and is) my happiest place. and every summer since we sold it, i grieve its loss afresh. 

so, when my amazing brother and SIL arranged for us to spend a few days in her family's 1930s cottages near to the lakeshore, there was no answer other than "yes! a thousand times yes!" this is my SIL's happy place. i imagine she feels similarly about it as i do about my own childhood cottage. and though it isn't my precious cottage, the similarities were plentiful, and it felt a bit like going back in time. i had always dreamed of taking my own husband and children to my family cottage, which won't be possible... but this might be the closest thing. 

my mom and her partner also joined us for the first two days, so this was great family time. we ate delicious meals brought together by our combined efforts and lots of farm-fresh produce and grilling, played at the beach for a chunk of time each day, read and chatted inside when there were storms, had adult conversation over chilled beverages after kids were in bed, did some fire works on the beach, released paper lanterns, visited a park/playground, and much more. 

i'm so grateful to be living closely and raising my family alongside justin and marguerite. and so grateful that hazel and gus get to grow up knowing and playing with claire and anja. and so grateful to have a mom who is so active in our lives, and her partner who jumps in on all the crazy. 

here's a small (okay, it's actually sorta big) sampling of images from the 4 days we spent in this tiny heaven. 

i have a few regrets about how i photo documented this trip. i sorta stopped two and a half days in. i didn't document in the indoors stuff, which there was plenty of because of the storms. i didn't document transitions or much of the beautiful food we prepared and ate. and i didn't take my camera down to the beach in the afternoons, because i was nervous about sand. 

at the same time,  i guess maybe having a semi-vacation from being "on" constantly as a photographer was probably needed. so, it is what it is. :)

birth photography :: surrounded

when animals give birth, most of them will find a quiet, dark place to be absolutely alone as they labor and deliver their young. 

but human women are different. from ages past, women in labor have always been surrounded. usually by other women, often women who are family, or who are a part of the mother's larger community. this "birth team" comes around her, offering their hands to soothe, support, and serve. the community of women (and some men) give themselves to the practical work of preparing space for the birth and for the baby. they prepare foods and drinks to replenish the laboring mama or to celebrate the birth of the new baby. they offer their strength for the mama to lean on, their strong arms to apply counter-pressure, their hands to massage strained muscles and soothe sweaty foreheads. and, perhaps most of all, they will simply be with the mama, sitting quietly, trusting of the process, offering their silent vote of confidence.

throughout time WHO we have with us when we labor and give birth has changed and expanded, and now includes a wide variety of helpers of the mother's choosing: husbands or partners, male or female OBs, medical students, doulas, midwives, friends, or their own mothers... but you will rarely meet a woman who has labored alone.  

recently, i volunteered to photograph the first ever birth that was taking place at Cedar Tree Birth and Wellness, with Simply Born's amazing team of midwives and midwifery students. though i had to leave before the baby was actually born (hardest thing to do EVER), i'm finding that the story of the images i captured that night is about loving support, the surrounding of a laboring mother by wise women and one good man (her husband). 

i'm not at liberty to release all the images, and i'll keep her face covered for now, but i want to share a few frames that embody the theme of "surrounded"....

to all you mamas-to-be: may you also be surrounded with such patient, attentive presence... on your labor/birthing day and beyond!

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. 

gather :: stephanie and dustin's rehearsal dinner

i'm not a wedding photographer any longer, but i do enjoy photographing the gathering of people around a table, where shared meals, heartfelt words, and laughter are trademark features. :)

stephanie -- a friend from when i was 15 years old -- asked me if i'd be interested in photographing her rehearsal dinner, i knew it was a good match. stephanie and dustin are the kindest of souls, and they've gathered such love around themselves because they dish it out with reckless abandon. also, they love and protect animals, which tells you something about them, i think. their wedding weekend was characterized by handmade everything, organic simplicity, and a little nod to quaker traditions. 

so, here's the story of the night before stephanie and dustin's wedding... 

milk time :: breastfeeding portraits (part II)

Back in march, i stepped out and offered a specialized form of mini-session portraits that i had never done before : portraits of mamas with their nurslings. knowing how special and how fleeting a breastfeeding relationship is, i figured maybe other mamas would want it documented the way that i do! so, i partnered with midwife Sara at Cedar Tree Birth and Wellness, and we hosted this lovely event for 14 pairs of mamas and babies. it was so special. 

so we did it again, of course! this time around, a couple things were different. like, the room we used last time, which previously had a couch in it, was now filled with a gorgeous, inviting bed, giving the mamas the opportunity to recline or side-lie while nursing, or to sit in a rocking chair in that same private room. meanwhile, in the main rooms, women lingered, nursing their babies and chatting about motherhood and birth. there was so much lingering this time! all these women, who had never met before, all hit it off. for me, that was really rewarding to see, as i had hopes that this photo event would also invite a sense of community and support. 

so, without further ado, here's an image from each nursing pair who came out this past weekend. beauty upon beauty. 

thank you so much to every one of these mamas for letting me photograph you and your babies. it was a real joy. 

personal :: attention diverted

we became refugee foster parents this year, in a short-term transitional program. it has been one wild and incredible adventure. each time, the kids who come to us seem to have been specially chosen for us, and they become more of a blessing than a chore, though the work will always be challenging. 

but we've been in the thick of a particularly difficult placement the past week and a half. it's a placement which draws to a close this weekend, if all goes as planned. and this has taken every ounce of energy i can muster, has brought me to the end of myself and reduced me to tears more times than i care to tally up.

meanwhile, i miss this space, miss dreaming about photography and documenting my own family life, as well as photographing others. i'm glad to know that i can give a bit more to those things again quite soon. i think we'll take the rest of the summer off from foster care.

tonight i'm off to South Haven to photograph a rehearsal dinner in a candid, photojournalistic way for a delightful bride. and on Sunday, it's the second Milk Time : A Unique Photo Event for Breastfeeding Mamas, which is nearly, but not quite, sold out. Particularly right now, when I'm running on empty in the foster parenting department, these opportunities to get out for a bit, seeing and celebrating the connections and love between others, camera in hand... well, that's serious self care. it's my therapy.

and, just because a post without a photo is hardly a post at all, here's a recent shot of my little family sharing a meal on the front porch, between our last two foster care placements. love them so.

so, what's going on in your corner of the world?

happy first day of summer!