Motherhood is such an incredibly vulnerable journey.
As I’ve been opening my calendar for family sessions again, I’ve found myself thinking about just how unique every family’s story really is. No two journeys into motherhood look the same, and that’s something I don’t take lightly.
When I first started photography, I loved documenting families, but if I’m being honest, there was a part of me that kept my distance. It wasn’t until recently that I stopped to ask myself why.
Part of my own journey into motherhood included three miscarriages. Those losses shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. The walls I put up, I didn't even realize they were there until 7 years later. They made parts of motherhood feel tender, and for a long time, I unknowingly tucked those feelings away.
Branding photography became a space I loved. It was creative, strategic, fulfilling and not even a little vulnerable. But family photography asks for something different. It asks you to witness love in its most honest form.
As I’ve reflected over the past several months, I’ve realized that’s exactly what I’m craving as an artist.
I want to create photographs that feel real. The belly laughs. The quiet cuddles. The wild toddlers. The way your child reaches for your hand without thinking. The moments you don’t realize are extraordinary until years later.
Every family standing in front of my camera has a story I’ll never fully know. Some are celebrating long-awaited babies. Some have experienced loss. Some are navigating seasons that feel impossibly hard. Some are simply trying to soak up another year before their little ones grow a little bigger.
Whatever your story looks like, it deserves to be remembered.
I think that’s why family photography feels different to me now. Not because my own journey defines the work I create, but because it has taught me not to take these moments for granted. To cherish even the tough days. To know why every single great grandmother i've ever met tells you "you're gonna miss this sweetie" while you have a screaming baby on your hip and a toddler face planted on the floor. Photography and all the families I've met along the way have taught me to drop the walls, experience everything with your children with your heart wide open. Take the scenic route, even if its longer, even if its messier, even if they've been whining all day and especially if it's going to make a memory.
And if I’m lucky enough to photograph your family, I hope you don’t just leave with beautiful images. I hope you leave feeling seen.
If you’re looking for a family photographer in Lennon, Owosso, Lansing, Flint, or anywhere in Mid-Michigan, I’d be honored to tell your family’s story with warmth, honesty, and images that feel like home.