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This past week I got the chance to visit Birth Root’s BUDS class in Portland, Maine.  Birth Roots is this amazing organization that I wish I knew about as a expecting/new mom.  It is a warm, supportive environment filled with a wealth of information, and babies.  So pretty amazing.  While I was there I photographed some sweet newborns, check out all the cuteness!

Yesterday I went down to Portland, Maine to document the biggest day in this little guy’s life.

Words can’t explain how special it was, so I will just leave you with this:

Baby J turned one, and I am so very happy I was there to document it.  I mean, those cheeks. Her mama told me how special she was, she described her as calm, laid back, pensive, independent, but very social.  Her smile just beams!

Their home in Lewiston, Maine was the perfect backdrop for their family pictures.

My favorite image of this session is below.  J had been working on standing recently, and right in the middle of taking some portraits, she stood up independently for the first time!  The crowd roared.  (Ok, not really but mom and dad clapped and cheered.)

I remember that phase of life so clearly.  Watching your baby doing all these firsts, and taking joy in seeing them learning to navigate the world.  As kids get older, those moments spread out, but they never lose their sweetness.

And this is exactly why documentary has my heart.  Because 15 years from now, when she is turning 16, they won’t even be thinking about the first time she stood up.  Until they see this photograph and think “Hey, remember how excited J used to get over sticks?!” ❤

To see their entire session, or to see what I deliver my customers as a full session, watch the short video below.

I met the Kate pretty quickly after moving to Maine, and she was such a gracious, welcoming person that it was extra exciting for me to be able to photograph her family.

The girls personalities translated so perfectly in these images.

Their home in Bath, Maine was an Ah-Maze-Zing backdrop for their family photos.  Everything was in full bloom, the trees, the plants, the fairy garden.

Check out their photo session here:

You know how it goes right?  You schedule your photo session, you pick the perfect outfits, and you are full of ideas on how your family should behave.  But when you arrived, your daughter skinned her knee, your son was shy, and you just want to scream, “we are trying to make memories here people!”

What if you let go of all those expectations?

I am here to tell you, that it is time to give up your idea of what traditional family portraits should be.

What if your photos could be more than just portraits?  What if your photos looked like a dream, felt like a memory?

There is so much more to your family than perfect smiles, and there can be more to your photos than just perfect exposure.

In my favorite images of my own kids, from this past year, not one of them have the children looking right into the camera with the perfect smile (which don’t get me wrong, I love.)  But each image tells a story.  They have a feeling.  They take me back to that moment in my mind, and I am there with them again.

Isn’t that what the gift of photography is about?  Reliving moments.  You could have an actual “save” button for your minds eye, if you just give up perfection and embrace documentary photography.