"I want photographs that make me feel happy"

Before every session I like to meet with the family's I will be photographing.  If I am here to tell your story, I need to KNOW your story. I need to know who you are, who your children are, what you like to do, what you think, what you feel, how your journey has been as a family. To me, you are important. Your journey is important. And whether we know it or not, it will influence our session.  I need to connect with my clients, to do some soul searching with them, and to find out why this session is important, and what we can do to create a meaningful session.

When I met with this mama, I asked her "What does your family do for fun", and she laughed, told me they don't really like the beach, or hikes, that she loves to run, and her daughter loves to ride her bike.

A few days before our session, I received a message from her.  She told me she went home still thinking about this question I had asked, and she had thought of what her family loves to do together.  They love to try new tea! And, she remembered they had a beautiful tea set her father in law had given them, who has passed away a few years ago.  She mentioned setting up a tea party using this tea set, combining her family's favorite pastime with a homage to her late father in law.

Days after editing these images, I kept thinking to myself something she had said during our first meeting.  When I had asked, "Why were these portraits important to you", she had immediately answered, "Because I want photographs that make me feel happy".  I think this answer pretty much sums up what I ideally want for my clients. I want photographs that make you feel happy when you look at them.  I want to capture moments and things that make your heart melt with happiness when looking at it.  Happiness, joy, love, celebration.  This is all I want for my amazing families <3