family photojournalism
This mother and daughter duo is sure something. Their connection is gorgeous. They're animated and playful and thoughtful. And through changes of outfits, living room ballet, baking cookies, reading books, jumping on the bed, and everything in between, they radiate mindful presence and deep affection.
Enjoy this little glimpse of life at their house, mother and daughter.
Brothers are the best. And it was so fun to go see this pair again recently, about a year after our last session. It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Through all the insane and mundane (the too-rough wrestling, the meltdowns and snot-wiping), photos like this help us to slow down and see how sacred and precious family life really is.
Tessa and Claire have a special connection, characterized by hope and joy. Together with Claire's "big sister" golden retrievers, they've got a lot good going on. I joined them at home for a couple of hours one day to simply capture their ordinary life together, mother and daughter. From play time on the floor, to a little laundry, picnicking in the yard, getting the mail, taking a walk with the dogs, diaper changes, feeding time, and going down for nap, it was sweet to see how in sync these two are. We ended our time together with a few snapshots of some of what Tessa does when Claire is napping! I loved including this, and I think it was a first.
Here's to mothers and daughters, and the sacred ordinary.
This summer, Cherith and I did a session swap! What a gift to know another gifted family documentary photographer in the greater Grand Rapids area! I joked with Cherith that she is the town mouse and I am the city mouse, but though we live in different scenery, there's a great deal we have in common (including the fact that we are both birth photographers and had our babies at home with the same midwife). It felt familiar in some ways to go out to her home and photograph her with her little tribe. They live with intention and grace, quietly and simply, complete with homeschooling, chickens, and backyard bonfires. The boys have a tree fort and rope swing, and their littlest one loves eating the blackberries that grow on their property. I'll stop talking and let the photos speak for themselves.
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!
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. :)
