Family portrait photography is the heart of my work because more than anything, I love photographing who you are when you are with the people you love. This family portrait photography session took place at the studio in the clocktower courtyard in downtown Chelsea, Michigan.
One of the things I love most about this particular photograph is how playful and loving the mom is with her kids. I love her smile, and the gentle way she is looking at her daughter.
Parenting isn't easy- the running, the chasing, the ongoing responsibility of helping your children become polite, kind, caring human beings...
Our 5 year old has taken to jumping up on to the kitchen table pole-vaulting style, sprinting across the table, and wildly flinging himself off the other side. Fortunately, he is cat-like and he lands on his feet. But still. Parenting is not for the faint of heart.
When you are a parent, family portrait photography sessions don't feel easy either. It seems like your kids are always running away from the camera, looking the wrong direction, and seemingly do whatever they can to make the session more difficult. I mean, it's kind of true. But really, I understand. Not only have I been there, I am still there. (Have a minute? Ask me about last year's session.)
But here's the thing...
It's not what I see, and when you look at your photographs, it's not what I want you to see either.
I see children that are young, free spirits. I see kids wanting to play and bask in the attention of their tired parents. I see kids whose eyes light up when mom and dad look at them and really see who they are, and I see the eyes of the parents light up the same when their kids laugh and play. I see your family. Together.
It brings me so much joy to create images like this one, because these kinds of images reveal how loved these children are and how loved the parents are in return.
Two years from now, 5 years from now, even 20 years from now, may you look back on your time together and remember the moments that matter most.