The little things are the big things | Northern Colorado Family Photographer

I started out well over a decade ago with a camera and the hopes to master my craft enough to take pretty photos of our own children. I was fascinated with the mundane. It was just so special to me. I don’t know if it had anything to do with my own childhood, or the artist’s heart that I was born with, but I couldn’t get enough. I started to slowly step outside my comfort zone and take photos of my children with their friends and as it often goes, my friends and family eventually began to reach out to me in hopes I might take images of their kids too here or there. To be honest, I wasn’t really interested at first. I was satisfied having this hobby to myself. I had no plans on taking on sessions for anyone, let alone people I didn’t know. Boy, was I in for a surprise….

Photographing for other families has proven to be such a profound gift to me. I had honestly started out hoping to supplement our income all those years a go as a struggling young family, but it blossomed into something so much more than I could have anticipated. I found that I could be just as passionate about the moments other families gave me, just as much as I was of my own. Being able to tell stories with a camera body and a lens is pretty exciting. I love the variety in each session and that no two families will ever have anything the same. Most of all, I love the connections and relationships and the way people genuinely let me in. It’s like I am a small part of their tribe, if even for a little bit of time. I don’t take that for granted. Being able to support our family is meaningful, yes. But money is no longer my main motivation. Honest and authenticity is.

I am in it for the people. For the stories. For the love.

And when I get families just like them, it pushes me to work harder and keep doing what I am doing so that their legacy shines through their images just a bit truer.

Mountains, Love, Light | Estes Park Family Photographer

One of the biggest compliments I have ever received as a family photographer is I was once told “I bring out the best in my families.” I thought on it. I even swelled up a bit with pride. I did. I own that. Then I realized something profound. That is honestly not true. While I wish I could graciously accept that compliment and pretend that I get all the credit for these moments, whether through posing or just being some kind of enigma, the fact of the matter is this;

My families bring out the best in me. They push me and they inspire me. They do this just by being them and bringing a measure of honesty and vulnerability with them. It takes a lot to show up and dismiss perfection for beauty. We are in the thick of our lives and our families daily. We don’t realize that our mundane is also our special.

There is guidance and I will gently nudge them into the good light. I will occasionally tweak something technical and communicate what makes for the best photos…yes, that’s my job. BUT, the way Dad glaces over with love in his eyes as his wife snuggles in closer. The way Mom whole heartedly throws back her head and belly laughs at a joke her three year old just shared. The way she protectively holds her belly… or her child. That’s all them. That can’t be recreated. That’s their magic.

When we do sacrifice our ideals for something… more, we crack opportunity of these kind of images wide open. These sessions are a partnership. You are worthy of moments like this in your albums. This CAN be your family.

And going back and revisiting all the families I had the chance to work with this past year makes me that excited for 2018.

I hope when booking opens up this Friday, I get to do this all over… again and again.