Smithville, Ohio

Just like any profession, photography has its pros and cons.  Getting to photograph your family qualifies as both.  I am usually an outside perspective on a story, but getting to document how my family’s story changes and shifts is a much more intimate role.  Not only do I get to tell our story, I get to shape it by loving, laughing, and being part of the team.

It’s easy in the day to day to not realize just how fast time is passing.  It’s easy to not check in on each other, to not really talk to each other.  In doing family photos, I got to spend a brief moment in which I was pleasantly forced to spend thirty minutes celebrating each of my sisters.  In those moments, I got to realize how much we’d changed since last year’s photos.  Watching my parents smile and laugh at each other as we awkwardly attempted to take photos was a beautiful reminder of where I hope to see my own marriage someday.  And the teamwork used to take the big group photo was both amusing but also impressive.  

What a privilege it is to go through life with such people in our lives, in our stories.  

For those of you who made it all the way through I thought I would include this little out-take. 😉 The process isn’t always pretty but it sure is fun.