Why I believe your photos should feel like you
Because your story was never meant to look like everyone else's.
You've probably seen those perfectly posed photographs.
Everyone is looking at the camera. Every piece of hair is exactly where it belongs. The kids are smiling. Nobody's dress is wrinkled. Everything looks perfect.
And don't get me wrong - I love a beautiful portrait.
We'll absolutely get the photograph where everyone looks at the camera.
But that's usually not the photography that ends up being my favorite.
My favorites are the ones that feel like you.
I Don't Want to Photograph Perfection
I want to photograph your toddlers scrunched-up nose when they laugh.
The way your child reaches up to be held.
The look your partner gives you right before you both start laughing.
The wind blowing your hair everywhere.
Your kids running when I definitely didn't tell them to run.
The forehead kisses.
The bear hugs.
The quiet moments.
The complete chaos.
Because that's your life.
And I think it's beautiful exactly as it is.
You Don't Need to Know How to Pose
One of the biggest things I hear before a session is some version of:
"We're awkward in front of the camera."
Good news - you don't have to know what you're doing.
That's my job.
I'll help guide you when you need it. I'll tell you where to stand, give you little prompts, fix something when it needs fixing, and make sure we get those beautiful portraits you'll want to frame.
But I don't want to control every second of your session.
Sometimes I'll ask you to walk together.
Sometimes I'll tell you to look at each other instead of me.
Sometimes I'll encourage you to play with your kids, cuddle your baby, whisper something to your partner, or simply spend a minute together.
And sometimes I'll just stop talking and photography what's already happening.
Because that's often where the magic is.
Your Kids Don't Have to "Behave"
Parents. this one is especially for you.
Please don't spend your entire session worrying because your child doesn't want to sit perfectly still and smile at me.
They're a kid.
Let them be one.
If they want to run, we can photograph them running.
If they need a cuddle with Mom, that's a photograph.
If Dad has to throw them in the air to get a smile, that's a photograph too.
Some of the sweetest family photographs happen when we stop trying to make children perform for the camera and simply let them love their people.
Your family doesn't have to look perfect to be worth remembering.
Your love Story Should Look Like YOUR Love Story
The same goes for couples.
Not every couple is super serious and romantic.
Maybe you're constantly laughing.
Maybe you're playful and sarcastic.
Maybe you're quieter and affectionate.
Maybe you're adventurous.
Maybe your favorite thing in the world is sitting together doing absolutely nothing.
I don't want to take someone else's Pinterest session and recreate it with your faces.
I want to take inspiration from you.
Your relationship.
Your personalities.
Your connection.
Because when you look through your gallery, I don't want you to think:
"Those are pretty pictures."
I want you to think:
"That's us."
The Little Things Become the Big Things
Someday, the things that feel ordinary right now won't be ordinary anymore.
Your baby's fingers won't be tiny.
Your toddler won't always fir perfectly on your hip.
Your teenager will graduate.
Your fiance will become your husband or wife.
Your family will grow and change.
And one day, a photograph of something that seemed completely insignificant at the time may become one of your most treasured possessions.
That's why I pay attention to the little things.
The hands.
The expressions.
The details.
The movement.
The people standing quietly on the sidelines.
The moments happening between the moments you thought were there to photograph.
More Than Something Pretty for Your Wall
Of course I want you to have photographs that are beautiful.
I want you to print them.
Frame them.
Put them in albums.
Share them with your family.
But more than anything, I want them to mean something.
Years from now, I want you to look at your photographs and remember how your child's hand felt inside yours.
I want you to remember how hard you laughed.
How nervous and excited you were before your wedding.
How your partner looked at you.
How little your babies once were.
How this season felt.
Because your photographs shouldn't feel like a performance.
They shouldn't feel like someone else's family, relationship, motherhood, or love story.
They should feel like home.
They should feel like memories.
They should feel like you.
And that's exactly what I hope to create every time I pick up my camera.
