What to Wear For Your Family Photo Session

My photo sessions are a little bit different, more relaxed and fun than your typical family photo session. We’re creating an intimate moment between you and your family. Much like the feeling of having them pile into bed with you on a Sunday morning or run to your arms when you’ve arrived home after a long time away. Tousled hair, simple clothing, and bare feet (when safe) all lend to the emotional connection of these Fine Art Photographs.

The love and connection in my photos is the most important part! It’s what draws you in and leaves you FEELING the photograph. This may be controversial, but it’s my belief that what you’re wearing the least important element of your session. I know, sounds wild! But take a look through my work and I think you’ll agree, it’s the emotion and connection that you see first, and what you remembr.

Ok, now having said all that I know that styling yourself and also YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY can be unbelievably stressful. It’s my goal to make a session with me as relaxed and fun as possible., so I provide an entire private Welcome Page for everyone that books with me. It includes everything you need to know for your photo session so that you can relax and maybe even (definitely) enjoy your self! And I just have to say, and this may be surprising based on everything above, but I LOVE fashion. If you have the most spectacular dress for your session I will adore it and totally let you know, probably more than once! I will photograph the heck out of it and you will be so glad you wore it. I do think, though, that connection is more important than the clothes and that’s what makes me just a little bit different.

Here are a few of those tips from the Welcome Page, just for you!

1. Don’t put everyone in matching clothes :) It’s better that your clothes compliment each other instead of being too matchy-matchy. We’re avoiding the matching jeans and white shirt look from the 90’s, unless that’s your vibe in which case bring it on!

2. Avoid logos, graphics, and words on clothing. The eye will be distracted by that instead of focusing on your love and connection.

3. Wear something that you love and makes you feel good about yourself. Many of my families use clothes they already have. When you feel confident in your clothing, it shines through in your photos. And if you don’t like your outfit, most likely you won’t like your photos.

I hope this helps you with your photo session, whether you book with me or one of the other lovely photographers in Yuma. I love you, my friend! I can’t wait to photograph your sweet, beautiful love.

You will never regret having photos, you’ll only regret not taking them.

The Color of Grief

Grief is proof that love exists.

I read this somewhere recently and it stopped me. First, let me share the my brain experiences and remembers certain events in color. I’m sure there’s a fancy name for this but I don’t have the inclination to look it up. Message me if you know what it is. But only if you have a link, because again, the inclination is lacking. So like, I have some childhood memories tinged in yellow, (like aged photos?), my college memories are interlaced with blue, you get it. There are REASONS for the colors (always reasons) but I’ll save those details for me and my therapist.

Anyway, when my mom suddenly died in 2019, all I could see was black. My mom lived just a couple miles away and we ran a business together, so she was quite entwined in my life. When she died my entire existence went black. This is very fitting and may I say, very classically on trend? Death=black, obvi! Well done, brain! For about a year, I moved through the world with a gentle black filter radiating from the center of my brain all the way out as far as I could see. In my memory it’s a deep, velvety black. The deepest and darkest pain I had yet to experience, but cozy like a warm, starless night. It embraced me and insulated my broken heart.

This is not the interesting part! What fascinated me was my body’s incredible ability to survive when all my heart wanted to do was die. It was like my brain had put all of my emotions on pause. Like it had erased everything that mattered, and mostly didn’t matter, and left me with a clean slate. A clean, black slate.

And all I felt was love.

My soul was a bottomless well and the first layer was deep, black grief. But the layer on top? It was brilliant, sparkly love. The blackness underneath made the love on top kind of pop, ya know? Like when you paint your nails with glitter, you can see it best with a dark color underneath. (I’m a sparkle lover, in case you haven’t picked up on it.)

I wonder now, would the love have been so profound without the grief underneath?

Please believe me, this was a heartbreakingly beautiful year. My sorrow was matched by my joy in every little thing. I remember feeling absolutely crushed by the adorableness of a stranger smiling to themself at Target. How cute is it to find oneself enjoying your own thoughts? I wanted to hug and squeeze the person! It was like I was on high alert to see the tiny precious moments that make our existence delightful. I think this is what people feel after a near-death experience. Except instead of my own near-death experience, I experienced my mother having an actual-death experience. And as those things do, it changed me forever.

My mother was far too young to die. I was too far from my center to lose her.

That bottomless well of black grief underneath all the sparkly love, I now know, was the love I have for my mama. My brain gathered it all all up and wove it into a soft, tightly knit, dark as night blanket and wrapped it around and around and around my heart. It said, “I got you. I’m holding us together for the time being. Now look! See how the love shines against the black? Focus on the love and it will get you through.”

For the next year or so, I listened. Observed. Loved.

At some point I told my friend, Sara, how I was feeling. She was lovely, supportive and validating. Sparkly. She said, “Now you just need to hang on to it. Hang on to that love.”

Was I successful? Did I hang on to it? I’m happy to report that yes, I did. Not always!, but I did grasp at every glittery moment I could. I began to weave those moments into my experience so that the dark grief that blanketed my soul was soon filled with sparkle in every color. Like looking at the midnight sky dappled with stars of joy, humor, and awe. The blackness became multi-color again.

I can still see (feel?) some of the darkness though, and I like that. It’s smooth and infinite. Welcoming. I can breathe deep and sink into the space. My mama is there now, for me. She always will be.

Grief is proof that love exists.

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You may be wondering, how does any of this relate to photography? Oh my love, allow me to show you my gorgeous mama.

I crave her face and cherish every image of her.

Photos matter.

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PS: While editing this I remembered that my brain quirk is called synesthesia. Ironically, I don’t see that word in color.

Newsletters are boring! How about a Love Letter instead?

I mean, the title says it all. You hear the word “newsletter” and probably groan internally. Everyone has one these days and no one has the time or inclination to read them.

Except.

There are two or three newsletters that show up in my mailbox that I outright ADORE. I may even breathe a sigh of relief when I see them. They’re a welcome treat after scrolling through junk, school emails, and work mumbo jumbo. For five minutes I’m transported into the author’s lovely mind and I may even think about their words again later that day! Who knew?

Soooo, can you see where this is going, my friend?

I’m going to stop sending newsletters. For real.

I’M GOING TO STOP SENDING NEWSLETTERS. I mean, I wasn’t great at sending them anyways but now isn’t the time to beat myself up over that, ya know?

Newsletters are boring. And lord knows we can’t waste this brief and precious life on boring.

Instead of a newsletter, I WILL be sending a Love Letter to my dear readers, with photos and thoughts on love.

A Love Letter, as in a letter full of love, from me to you.

Doesn’t that sound absolutely lovely? If this world is about anything, it’s about love. Since you’re here, I know that you probably cherish intimate human connections the way I do. Hopefully, you’re surrounded by tender, sweet love. And I’m determined to reflect that love back to you with my photos and words.

My Love Letters will be short and extra sweet, with a touch of sarcastic humor. Because if there’s anything we need in addition to love, sweet jeezus it’s humor.

Do I wish that you’ll breathe a sigh of pleasant relief when you see my little Love Letter in your inbox? FFS, you bet I do! I hope my photos and words can bring a touch of respite to your busy day. I hope it’ll be a tiny little vacation that you read in the pickup line, or in bed at the end of a long day, or even while you’re in the bathroom (maybe using the toilet but also maybe just escaping your children for a hot second).

I hope you’ll read my Love Letters and maybe even reply. I’m here for you, ready to love and laugh our way through this interesting life.

If you haven’t already, sign up below to receive your Love Letter: