I have always loved pictures. Even as a young child, I would go through the same set of photographs over and over again... they were always so fascinating to me, even the most ordinary ones. I credit this in part to both of my grandmothers, whose entire homes are filled with family pictures. I loved to look and ask questions about them, especially the ones of my grandparents and great-grandparents as children, in worn but always extraordinary black and white photographs. Each picture told a story, and to me, there was nothing more fascinating than finding what stories the photo held.
My interest was fueled even more after the birth of my children, my favorite subjects. I could not take enough pictures of them, and started to love the candid moments I captured just as much - and sometimes more than - their posed, "smile at mommy!" pictures. Eventually people started asking me to photograph their children.
Watching children grow is one of the best parts of my job... amazing how a newborn has transformed into an independent toddler at his next session a year later. I have watched itsy bitsy bald babies turn into walking, talking little beings with pigtails and preferences. Brand new parents, so careful at first, have become old pros the next time I see them. I feel honored to have parents invite me into their lives and homes and capture their children at different stages of childhood, whether it be the first steps or the first lost tooth. Or any of those unforgettable moments in between
I love to work in black and white; I think it really shows the soul of the subject. Black and white is classic, understated, and timeless. Each picture holds a moment, a memory. I need only look at old family photographs - my grandfather as a pouting 4-year old in a sailor suit, my grandmother as a beautiful young bride - to remind me of that. |
