April Sunshine

Sometimes as a photographer you have a session that takes your breath away. One that those little voices of doubt, those little nuggets of imposter syndrome, just slip away and don’t even try to whisper in your ear. When you know before you even add the tiniest bit of editing that the photos are going to be absolute fire.

This was one of those sessions. We met an hour before sunset, also known as golden hour among photographers and Instagram influencers. The very air feels filled with sunlight at this time of day, and I have yet to have a golden hour session that didn’t take my breath away.

While I love all photography, there are two types that particularly speak to me. Weddings, and families, more specifically motherhood sessions. There is something so magical about capturing mothers with their children. As a mama, I know the deep connection between mothers and their children, as well as how often mothers are left out of the photographs, or don’t feel that we should be in them because we don’t feel like we are “good enough” in whatever way. I absolutely love capturing the joy and love and messy truth of motherhood. The genuine smiles or sometimes the fleeting sadness of the unavoidable passage of time that becomes ever more pressing once we have our children.

This particular motherhood session was to document her little girl’s 5th birthday. We had been planning to have the session the next weekend, but the weather was perfect on this Friday in April, so we decided to go for it! We went to a wildlife refuge, which has the most perfect land for golden hour sessions, and the bonus was that the little girl loves the birds and other animals who love to enjoy this glorious land.

Bubbles, birds, and sunshine ensued. As we walked back to our cars, the little girl babbled happily as the mama and I chatted. It was an absolutely gorgeous session, and I felt so very honored to be chosen to capture such beautiful memories for this wonderful little family.