When I look at a newborn, I see the beginning of a new life, a soul waiting to be discovered, a completely unique being that is such a treasure. I hear complete dependence, I smell the fleeting scent of new life.
I feel the responsibility to tell the story so far and document every detail of how beautiful and loved this baby is, just as they are today. I feel blessed to be in their presence and honoured to be the one to record their early days. I bring complete respect for the new life in front of me.
I believe a newborns stillness can take you to the core of life, where you will hear the whisper of a world just begun.
When I look at a rounded belly, a see a miracle growing. I see excitement and anticipation. I feel wonder, love, uncertainty, beauty radiating. I see the promise of something far bigger than me. I see a woman becoming a Mother, I see her hopes and her dreams. Experience has told me to document these elements as these memories will be quickly replaced with new ones with the bundle we will soon hold in our arms.
When I look at a family and all of the individual lives enclosed, I see the love, the bond, and I feel warmed. I feel the need to record the unwritten, unspoken bond between a parent and a child.
I feel the responsibility to photograph children in their parent’s arms where they belong.
I believe in the positive impact that a daily visual reminder of a families security can have on a child, their growth and their self-esteem. I see smiles, closeness, happiness. I hear laughter.
I believe your children will want to know your stories and the roles they play in them, as your life story becomes theirs. I believe one day, your children will own these photos we take, how old they will be when they take on ownership is unknown to us.
I believe in photographing like a parent, as opposed to photographing like a photographer or a business owner. I believe in creating from the heart, trusting my ability to see, my ability to connect, my need to follow my artistic instinct. I believe in always searching for something more. I believe portraiture must mirror our lives so we can see perspectives we wouldn’t normally get to see, perspectives outside our own. Allowing us to see the incredible beauty within the everyday experience of parenthood.
I believe in the value of a family portrait. I know the pride, and the fierce, unconditional love you have for your family. I know the days you can hold your babies in your hands are unfairly short. I know the need to hold onto childhood for as long as possible. From holding my own newborns, I know the moments that have now passed in my life that I cherish, I know the things I miss, I know the importance of being photographed with my children, for my children. I know our children need a photo of themselves with their parents by their side. I know life can change in a heartbeat.
I believe a parents greatest wish is making sure their children know how much they are loved and that they have given them enough love to take them through the rest of their lives with their hearts full, and their love will be echoed in the generations that follow.
I believe there is nothing like the feeling when I take a photograph, knowing I have recorded a single moment in time that embraces so much value and power. A single photograph that contains things that cannot be replaced, things that money cannot buy, and elements that we cannot see, that we can only feel.
A photograph, that draws you in and speaks to you. A photograph that will out live and out last and will always carry with it, a special message that will say so much more than any words ever could.