Z Family

I love thinking back on the history I have with families, and this is one for which I have much fondness.  Having bonded over drying cloth diapers when we were neighbors several years ago, this family trusted me with photographing their family back when I was just starting (and honestly had a lot to learn!).  

I enjoyed finding a location that suited all of their interests and allowed us all to enjoy an outing on an otherwise really hot summer week.  

 

Red Thread Session: A homecoming

Several weeks ago, I had the honor of photographing a family as they brought their newest son home from China.  They had previously adopted from China and had taken that son along on their trip, but upon their arrival they were able to introduce him to their three daughters.  He was so excited to meet his other new siblings and begin this new chapter of life in their family.

I loved the grin that crossed his face as they paused to see the group of family and friends who gathered to welcome them to St. Louis.

 This was my favorite moment as he smiled and reached out to meet his sisters.

I am so thankful to be a volunteer with Red Thread Sessions.  As with many parts of being a photographer, It is such an honor to be a part of these special moments as families grow and change- through marriage, birth, and adoptions.

Lynn Family- On location in Tampa

While in Tampa visiting my brother's family, I got to photograph them in their new home of Tampa, Florida.  It might have been raining and unplanned, but I love it! My brother is the youth pastor at an urban church and as we walked out the doors into the drizzly day, but I saw this overhang with great coastal color, I had to brighten up the rainy afternoon ahead with some cheery portraits. 

This Season: T's first year

A special little guy just had his first birthday! Baby T is ready to cruise the streets and and enjoy this next chapter ahead: Adventures in Toddlerhood. I loved photographing this family for a This Season session. We spent a great morning together enjoying his special Radio Flyer tricycle, a breakfast picnic, and walk through their neighborhood park, which just so happens to be Forest Park. Can't beat that! 

What I love about a session like this is getting really personal with a family. They really let their guard down and engaged with each other, laughing, munching, and playing. I got up close and in their face, but they were perfectly in tune with spending time together, and I love the special, relaxed glimpses we get into their family life.

Red Thread Session

I had the pleasure of photographing a Red Thread Session last weekend, which honors adoptive families.  I was so excited to meet Baby N! N's mom had been one of my son's preschool teachers as we were preparing for our own adoption over the last few years, but little did I know she was doing the same.

We spent part of the morning together, dodging rain drops and enjoying a little outdoor oasis on the property of gracious friends.

It was so precious that each time N's dad gently stroked his cheek, he just lit up with these darling, toothless grins. 

Newborn E

I had the honor of photographing Baby E just a few days after she was two weeks old.  I love seeing the connection with newborns to their parents. She loved the cuddles and snuggles with both of her parents! It was so beautiful to see the expressions on their faces as they held her close and enjoyed her newness. 

This Season: Dinosaurs

I write often about seasons and our This Season package here and on social media. I think one of the reasons I love it so much is because I see these special glimpses of my every day life that are simply wonderful. Full of wonder.

I step back often and have to just take in the incredible life that God has given to my family. Certainly there are challenges and hard parts, but alongside that- and perhaps because of that, sitting in almost magical contrast are the sweet, miraculous, and warming moments that fill us up, let us savor the goodness.

The seasons change often all too quickly, and the little moments change. The light that drifts through the window is filtered through leaves that come with the freshness of spring. The interests of our children shift and wane and blossom. The milestones and rhythms of our families change as our children grow up.

Our middle son amazes me. Even in this year of change in our family, with three rowdy boys, two of which are preschool age, he takes a long chunk of almost every afternoon to enter into imaginative play and whispers to himself involved stories and complex characters. There are voices and independence and creativity. I tend to let him play alone, but one afternoon in midwinter, I asked if I could observe him with my camera. Unscripted. Unposed. No consulting mom on wardrobe.

Special details that make the difference. Slouchy socks, train shirt, necklace from the treasure box at school transformed into a form of dino transportation, and PopPop's hand-carved dinosaurs.

This is his season of imagination.

Unfazed by my camera, this is what I saw.

This Season: Engagement of Sami + Collin

Last fall, I photographed Sami and Collin during their season of engagement before their wedding.  I design this type of session to be a date. We highlight favorites that represent their story and their normal type of ways to celebrate and enjoy their relationship.

For Sami and Collin, this meant a sunrise picnic (Collin and I surprised Sami with photos from this part of their date; She didn't know I was there!), running, walking, and laughing as we took a long walk around Forest Park in the early morning hours as the fog rose off the Grand Basin.  We then switched gears and headed to one of their top coffee shops- Foundation Grounds- in Maplewood, near their new home, and took a walk and explored another favorite- a bookstore along Manchester in downtown Maplewood.

I am thrilled to present a show highlighting that day with a mix of real moments, striking portraits, and many details that surrounded their morning date. Grab your lemonade, sit back, and enjoy!

Baby A

It was my privilege to photograph Baby A, and see the way her mother and father were tenderly looking at their new daughter.  They were learning the ropes of parenthood with their first child and it was such love driving them to do it as well as they can.  One special moment was so powerful for me to see Baby A's mom as a mother for the first time.  Having known her for many years it was striking to see the transformation from daughter to mother. And there are a few frames in which I can see the look her mother gives to her as she looks lovingly at her own daughter.

Sami + Collin Wedding

I tell wedding couples that, among other benefits, the engagement session helps them know what to expect from me and to get excited for their wedding day.  In this case, Sami and Collin's engagement session last fall did the same for me. It let me know that I could expect something stunning, lovely, and expressive on their wedding day. I was certainly excited.

Beyond being excited for a certainly loving couple from my church to begin their marriage, I was professionally eager to have the opportunity to create beautiful artistic photographs that documented and celebrated their wedding day.

Their wedding had a simple, modern, industrial feel, highlighting shades of blue and rose. It was a joyful day with weather that was a delight as the tail end of winter toyed with the early days of spring. We commented at how their photographs from last fall were also at the cusp of a new season, and as a seasonally-focused photographer I love how their wedding marks the start of a new season for their lives together.

Reception venue: Sqwires Annex in Lafayette Square, St. Louis, MO.