Portrait of a new family

Having just returned from a week long trip to WPPI in Vegas I’m fresh from the desert, full of inspiration. I was initially scheduled to photograph this little guy’s birth but he decided to arrive just as I was boarding the plane. Heartbroken, I realized it just wasn’t in God’s plan and I told Mama I’d be over just as soon as I got home.

While at WPPI I took a class by Amber Holritz that really opened my eyes to the way I photograph families. I always strive to capture real life while it occurs showcasing the bond between parents and children but I want to take it a step further. I want to spend even more time with the families I photograph getting to know how they spend their time together. I want to document how they *love* each other. My goal in this is what Amber explained to us. She said the portraits she had of herself growing up told her what she “looked like”. Instead, she wanted to see what her “life looked like” and “how she was loved”. I instantly related to her thoughts thinking of how I don’t have many images of my mom and I together since most often she was the one taking the photograph.

I photographed baby R’s newborn images and then I hung around to showcase the new dynamic this family has having added one more child to love.

These images are my favorite. Everyone in Mom and Dad’s room getting “cozy” as big sister K would call it. She’s dressed in her PJ’s with accompanying ballerina skirt and accessorizing the third child with a feather boa. This is *their* family. This is how they spend their Saturday afternoon together. It isn’t scripted . . . it’s real and I hope these pictures will stir up memories for these kids someday when they’re grown. I hope they can feel the laughter and love and silliness going on here. I hope they see the looks on Mom and Dads faces and know how much they’re cherished.

Thank you for inviting me in to document and be a part of it.