Alex- Pioneer, Ohio Senior Photographer- Sycamore Lane Photography

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~Henry Stanley Haskins

Brand New- A Storytelling Session- Hillsdale, Michigan Documentary Photographer

I met Colin and Aby when they hired me for a maternity session in August.  They were the happiest, most easy going couple I have ever photographed.  They joked and snuggled and laughed the entire time.  They made my job delightful.

So, when I received a text in October that their precious baby girl had made her appearance I was thrilled.  I wasn't expecting to here about her birth, but here was a client sharing her joy with me.  This is how I want all of my clients to respond.  I want to be a part of their joy and memories. It is why I do storytelling sessions.

When I read the text that Aby sent me, I knew I wanted to document this time of having a newborn for them.  It is only for a little while and parts of those early days fade from our memories too quickly. I told Aby, I just wanted them to be themselves, not to worry about what their house looked like or what they were wearing.

I was excited when she took me at my word! Too often clients think they need to dress up, coordinate their family, and have their home immaculate when all I really want is to record who they are in the every day. Colin was still in his PJ's after being up all night due to multiple feedings, burpings, and general fussiness of his little daughter. Aby was not dressed to the nines, but instead had comfortable clothes on and no makeup. Their home was clean, but not picked up and organized to perfection.  It was them, in their home, just as they are in this moment in time.

It was life and tiredness, newness and learning, hormones and lots of love all wrapped up in a new little family.

It was perfection!

He Chose to Let Hardship Teach- Hillsdale, Michigan Documentary Photographer

 My husband, Joel,  unexpectedly became unemployed about three months ago.  It has been an emotional and trying time, but it has also been a time of growing.  Hardships give you a choice.  You can buckle and crawl under the covers bemoaning your situation. OR you can see it as a time for change, for growth, for new opportunities and for learning.

I have had the joy of watching Joel take this time in our lives and use it to learn, grow and work.  He still does not have a permanent job, but God has provided. 

Last month he put metal on our elderly, neighbor lady's barn. I was able to take an hour one warm, November afternoon and document how hard he works to support our family.  We are truly blessed by his tenacity and perseverance. 

He truly lives this out..."Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, (Colossians. 3:23)