A month before Christmas, I received a photography inquiry regarding a family documentary shoot. The family wanted natural, organic, moments documented of their loved ones--a generational family Christmas story. The grandparents, children, and grandchildren were spending Christmas together and would be in the same town for a very short period just before and after Christmas. As I read over the inquiry, my heart pitter pattered with excitement. These are the type of sessions that peak my creativity; these are the sessions I started my budding business for. There was no question I would make this work one way or another--even if it meant working on my birthday, so I did just that, joyfully humming “Happy Birthday” to me, as I pulled into their winding gravel driveway.

It’s no secret that my favorite thing to do is to capture the beauty of ordinary moments--the moments otherwise missed or overlooked. What if we had someone to document our families day in and day out? What would yours look like? I’m a firm believer that we don’t have to create a backdrop to paint the beauty of our families. The beauty is here; the beauty is now. It’s the grandfather beaming over his namesake. It’s the uncle spending quality time with his nieces and nephews before he’s deployed. It's the grandparents baking with their grandchildren, having a dance partying the kitchen while the cookies bake. It’s the faces of a family gathered around the fire-pit and talking, sharing memories and life. There is so much beauty in our everyday lives. As a photographer, there is no greater blessing than showing my clients just how beautiful their families truly are--exactly as they are.