Milestones-- Some are obvious, while others seem to lurk along in the background, then suddenly appearing out of nowhere. It's those that often jolt us into wondering where time went. Sometimes they are loud and joyful, other times, they’re small and tender. But they all deserve to be remembered, though not just for the sake of having yet another photo to store on your personal cloud, but because photography has this incredible superpower-- it helps us see what is precious before it slips away.
For me, I have the benefit of capturing life's precious moments for my clients and for my family. I have photos of my kids playing in the sprinklers when they were young, when nothing mattered more than the feel of being drenched with water on a hot day. I have photos from each kid graduating from 6th grade, learning to waterski, celebrating birthdays, losing teeth, and pretty much everything else that a parent might want to document. I have photos of my kids just because I had a camera nearby and I thought it would be fun to snap a picture of them at that particular moment. Often, I run across those photos. I enjoy every minute of it. I've learned that sometimes the unplanned candid photos are the most meaningful.
For my clients, I become the person they trust to document an important time in the lives of their children and for them as a family. What an incredible privilege! The images that I create on that particular day are the photos that the family will enjoy for years. In many cases, those images are passed down to the next generation. Consider albums you may have seen that your Grandma created when she was young or the album that your mom put together with the help of her sister, showing all kinds of goofy photos of the two of them together. And you know, even if the photos you take are never meant for anyone but you, the most important reason to have them might just be the joy you feel when looking at them.
The milestones my clients particularly enjoy having me photograph, are those that are considered traditional-- first birthdays, 16th birthdays, senior portraits, engagements, weddings of course. These are life's anchor points—moments we’ve been conditioned to document because they signify important events in life. When someone looks back, those become the chapters that mark time but it’s the details that make the story personal—like the way someone grins through braces or how grandma always pulled everyone in for one more hug before goodbye.
My wife would almost never believe I'm saying this (let's keep it our secret), but through my own photographic journey, I discovered how important emotions are to humans. We are emotional beings. Through photographs, we can change our moods by reliving elements of our lives that happened in the past or enjoy the feeling of Grandma being nearby in memory, when looking at the photos of her in that album you just couldn't part with.
Unfortunately, moments don't wait. Life moves along pretty fast. My little kids aren't little anymore. My daughter doesn't need me to reach the Cheerios box from above the fridge. I thought it was just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital, all brand-new. So next time you see your cat upside down because she oozed off the couch while sleeping, grab your cell phone and get that shot. :)
If you would like help capturing your "moments in time" or would like to schedule a session, please fill out my Contact form.
Somehow, my oldest always photobombs any photo I try to take of my middle son. This has gone on since they were both pretty small. I think it has become his life's mission. :)
Note the chickens. This was a couple years before the collection grew and they became the featured content of my 2025 calendar.
