Parenthood

Do you ever find yourself in a quiet moment, snuggling with your kiddos and think: "This. Is. The. Good. Life." This session is geared toward capturing all the emotions, connections, and beauty in your every day life. There is so much beauty in the seemingly ordinary, and it deserves to be documented and celebrated. Twenty years from now, your kids are going to want to see what it was really like in their youth. Wouldn't it be nice to have something tangible to show them, to help take them back to that time when they were little? What if, in twenty years, you had this amazing gift to give them as they wrestle their own way through newfound parenthood?

The end-goal for these sessions is not to have matching sweaters, with perfect little smiles, and everyone staring at the camera all at the same time. Honestly, that's the exact opposite of what we are going for. The goal is to produce an archive of images that authentically document your family, here and now. It's YOUR turn to step into the frame. When your kids grow up and they look back at these pictures, trust me, they are going to want to see you present there too. They won't want to see the 'perfect' sanitized version of their youth, they are going to want to see the REAL version of their childhood. Embrace the chaos and the imperfect, because all that really matters is the LOVE you have between each other.

Pretty much anything comfortable. This isn't a portrait session. We don't need to coordinate wardrobes, we don't need to get dolled up, and we certainly don't need to pretend to be something we are not. Remember, embrace the imperfect, and love the here and now!

For the most part, there will be minimal guidance from me. Before the session and perhaps a little bit during, we can sort of plan activities to do together. But honestly, I'm there to observe and document. The more quickly the family warms up to me, the better, because then I can blend in and start capturing the details. Think of me as the extra aunt that is just hanging out. Nothing out of the ordinary. I'll interact with everyone, as I don't think I could completely contain myself around little kiddos, but I'm there to record your life and all those beautifully ordinary details.

Depending on duration, it can be anytime. If it's a half day, we will strategize and pick the best part of the day for me to be present. Meals and naps are totally okay, after all, that's when some of my favorite interactions happen. After you book, we can discuss the details during our pre-consultation discussions (which can take place via phone or email). Don't worry, we will have plenty of time together to document all the great and amazingly beautiful things in your every day life.

No, because your whole house and environment are props. Feel free to plan activities to do, but also don't feel pressured to plan it down to the last second. For example, if you plan on baking cookies, but your kiddo has a complete melt down because she doesn't want to participate, it's okay to roll with it and do what ever she wants (within reason obviously).

Also, don't be afraid to parent. Remember, I'm just the fun aunt that's coming over to hang out. I understand that sometimes you'll need to apply some behavior adjustments, that's totally normal. No kid can be absolutely perfect 100% of the time, so you have to step in and be the parent.

This session won't necessarily be 'perfect.' We can plan and coordinate all we want, but ultimately, that may not be how it works out, and that is totally okay!