I met Sally over the winter. Well, I intermet her, actually. We corresponded exclusively via Facebook until this past Tuesday night when we finally, FINALLY! met in person. We hugged and laughed and talked as if we’ve been friends forever. I joked with her husband (and talked motorbikes!) and make quick friends with her two adorable and darling little girls. We spent an hour living, walking, sharing stories, and laughing at Silverwood Park. I spent an hour shooting – for sixty short minutes I documented a few fleeting moments in their lives. Gwen’s playful eyes, Elsa’s cautious and inquisitive demeanor, Alex’s love for his family – and Sally. Beautiful, mesmerizing, amazing Sally....
Holden. Month Six.
My best friend had a baby last October (You may remember the birth story). I happen to love him like a nephew (probably because I love her like a sister.) On Monday we took some portraits; to preserve the memory of his arm fat. His two teeth. His big eyes and drooling mouth. To capture this moment in time. Because babies — they grow up. But Holden…before you get too big to sit in my lap. Too big to let momma give you a kiss in front of school. Too big to think your father is a superhero, I give you this: You’re six months old now. You’ve got two teeth, you love Sophie the Giraffe, you are desperate for pizza, and you’re loved beyond measure. As you grow up, I wish for you many things. Friends. A carefree childhood. Enough tantrums to teach your parents patience, but enough discipline...
Captain’s Log-Stardate: 3/10/2012
Each of us have a unique family dynamic. A story, a past, a history that is our own – storied and deep rooted. I suppose I am no different. But my family dynamic runs wide, rather than deep. I have the family I was born into, the family that became mine when I married, the family that has always loved me, and been loved, as though I’ve known them my whole life, though no blood flows common among us. And then there is my step-family; my step-father and his two children and their families. When he and my mother became a pair in 2004, I finally gained a real-live sister in his daughter, Gwen. We’ve spent the better part of these past years getting to know each other – settling in for talks at family gatherings. And though we don’t spend much time together outside of birthdays and Christmas, and...
Snow Days, Leap Years, Portraits and Puddles.
Last Wednesday, Leap Day, February 29th, it snowed. Quite a lot. Winter arrived in Minnesota on the final day of February and dropped a few inches of heavy, wet, build-the-world’s-tallest-snowman snow. My girls reveled in it. Correction: Elena reveled in it. Stella refused to put on gloves and learned very quickly that snow is cold. And cold hands make for a miserable little girl. One week later, as fast as it came, the snow retreated once more. Spring is coming. I can smell it on the pavement in the morning. I hear it in the song of the birds. Soon, green grass, golden sunshine (that lasts past seven o’clock!), lilacs (oh how I missed the lilacs the last two years) and warm, fresh breathe-it-in-deep-and-sigh-it-out air will arrive. But before spring can…spring, the thaw must come. And with it-water. Puddles. I could photograph these girls all day long. It comes so...
