When I first started my photography business I read that one should never feature images of their own family or children if they want to be taken seriously. There is some truth to that statement, you do want to see some diversity in a portfolio if the photographer says they specialize in that area and all images shouldn’t be from the same session. I think I took it a little bit too much to heart and rarely shared personal photos or experience on my blog.

I have recently realized that in this vast sea of photographers what I have that makes me special is how I view the world. Your choice in whom you hire to document your family may start with a financial consideration but it is my hope that your final choice comes from truly loving their work and how they see the world. When I look at the photographers that are inspiring me today, Erin Hensley & Heather Robinson, I don’t see a ton of paid client sessions; I see their family and their life and have an emotional connection to their photographs because I feel like I know them.

There is this strange expectation that photographers put on myself that their kids have to be styled, the house picked up and decorated to resemble a West Elm catalog; to post a picture that shows “less” than that would mean that your photos or you aren’t “professional.”  I’ve had enough of that. It started with my Instagram feed, and now I am carrying it over here to my blog. I am going to start sharing more of our life even if that means the laundry basket is on the floor and my daughter hasn’t combed her hair all day or the sink is full of dishes.

There is beauty in these moments. I want to remember these days because they are who I am and have helped me develop my own voice. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy seeing more of my beautiful everyday life.