Category Archives: Day in the Life Sessions

Documentary morning session (Jess, Russ, B, & C) – Newton, MA

Wafts of bacon filled the kitchen as the boys gathered at the table, clearly excited for their homemade waffles – or rather, the maple syrup that covered said waffles. C actually proved that he didn’t need the catalyst for the syrup at all; he just lapped it up off the plate enjoying every last drop! Big brother B gave me a lesson in the alternative way to tie shoes (the two-bunny-ears approach) before we all headed outside to enjoy the nice weather. Their morning continued with some family portraits in the back yard, with a random sword fight or two here and there for good measure. B showed off some expert stone-skipping at the nearby lake while C did some exploring, ever excited to find a plastic worm left over by a fisherman. The morning was capped off with a bubble-blowing session with mom and B.

Jess and Russ – thank you so much for allowing your morning to unfold before me. I love your boys’ sense of adventure!

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Morning documentary session (Rebecca, Owen, H, & M) – Southborough, MA

Having two little kiddos means having a bottle and a sippy cup at the ready at any given time. It means the younger one gets exposed to characters (i.e. Star Wars) way earlier than the first one did. Having two little kiddos means completing a puzzle with the older one (who aptly points out the age requirement printed on the box to his younger sibling) and then act as a referee when the baby goes after it and wants to tear it apart. It means giving the baby an age-appropriate snack, like banana crackers, and having the older one want the same thing.

Between the giggle-filled-book-reading, Star-Wars-helmet-donning, puzzle-making, train-playing, stuffed-animal-snuggling, and cracker-snacking, this sweet family of four enjoyed their morning with one another. Rebecca and Owen, thanks so much for allowing the morning to flow naturally and letting me capture all the wonderful dynamics that unfold in the span of an hour. What a fun little morning!

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Day in the Life (Lisa, Eric, S, & G) – South End – Boston, MA

Wake up at 5:45am, walk dog, brush kids’ teeth, coordinate dress-up, play cars, make/eat/clean-up breakfast, get dressed, and then the activities of the day begins. Are you exhausted yet? These twins keep their parents going all morning long (with only one stop for coffee!). But isn’t it a thing of beauty? All of these things – the donning of a princess crown, the setting up of paints, the scooting around the neighborhood, time spent at a sports activity, finding flowers to plant by your front door – all of these seemingly minute things add up to to meaningful and magical childhood.

Eric and Lisa, thank you for allowing me to document your Sunday morning. The love you have for these two beautiful souls is palpable. Wishing you many more weekend mornings just like this!

Day in the Life (Kristan, Adam, E, & J) – Arlington, MA

It may have been just an ordinary day. In fact, that was the idea. Nothing special planned. No coordinating clothes, no trip to an especially pretty park, no timing with the setting of the sun. Just do what you do as you normally do it. Let me capture it and then, then you can actually see all the beauty that happens on an ordinary day. Then you can see all that you do as a parent is extraordinary even though it may feel like it’s just part of the job. From Lego-building to boo-boo-kissing, from whipping up some pasta carbonara* to readying for bedtime, parenting is wonderful and challenging and exhausting and priceless.

The balancing act of being a mom and owning a small business is not unlike that of any other position where one must do two very different things simultaneously, do them well, and do them both with a full heart. Kristan managed to do this with skill and a smile: picking up E from school and consoling J, while also trying to figure out how to tweak her schedule for a new client. Adam seamlessly joined the team when he arrived home from work and caught up on the day’s events which included J nearly being pinned between the car door and a tree. E filled him in on just how tired she was (but had enough energy to enjoy the macaron for dessert). And at the end of the night when little eyes were closed and little hearts were content, they were able to enjoy the well-deserved quiet, the presence of each other, the comfort of their couch, and a little wine.

Kristan and Adam, thanks so much for opening your afternoon and evening to me and my cameras. I loved every minute.

*Literally, she whipped up pasta carbonara – no recipe needed, she didn’t even measure anything from what I could tell. Seriously, this would have taken me an hour. Check out her amazing cooking skills and fantastic business, Collier’s Market.

A final nudge from a friend

Jill-0734 The house was so crowded that you couldn’t walk from one room to another without literally bumping into a dozen people. And each “excuse me” and “oh, did you meet…” was met with an endearing, joyful, or silly story. It was a testament to who Jill was, to who her husband is, and how their son will be loved forever. I left the shiva with my heart sad yet full of love. And my head was swirling.

Jill-1091 Several weeks ago I received the news that Jill had passed away. Jill was dear to me not in a sense that I saw her often. I honestly can’t even say that I knew her that well. She was, and still is, dear to me because she touched my heart in a profound way. I spent half of a day photographing her, her husband, and their son back in 2014. That day will forever be in my heart for so many reasons: I learned that sometimes, the bigger the pancake, the better. I learned that we should all actively strive for grace. And it reinforced my belief: that sometimes, it’s the moments in between the big ones that matter. Her passing has pushed me over my fear of following my heart.

While I’ve been working toward this goal behind the scenes for a while now, I am now officially offering a new kind of photography session similar to the one with Jill’s family. A documentary take on YOUR family life. A whole day. A half-day. Think photojournalism meets family. Think of all the little things you notice with your kids in your day, in your home, in your routine that you want to remember. That you want your kids to remember: The way you brush their hair. The way they greet you in the morning. The food oh-so-lovingly thrown on the floor. The way the older one reads to the younger one. The way they wrestle on the couch. The stack of books that are seemingly always *beside* the bookshelf. The way the cleats pile up on the floor moments after they return home.

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My girls are still quite young, but I know that years from now, when the surfaces are once again clean, when I’m putting their mail aside for when they come home to visit, when they go on a trip with their friends and forget to call, I’ll be looking for these memories. Here is my genuine nudge to you – think about how you want to remember these days.

If you are interested in a “day in the life” session, please contact me for more info. I’ll be updating the website in the weeks to come. I am offering a limited number of sessions at an introductory rate.

Here is the slideshow from my 1/2 day with Jill, Tim, and their sweet son. Tim, thank you for allowing me to (re)share your story. And to Jill, many thanks, my friend, for your grace, smile, and gentle push.