In June, I flew to Denver to visit my mentor and learn from her, hands on in the field. I spent three days picking her brain and learning all the things.

One of the highlights of my trip was meeting Mia and her three girls. It didn’t take long for me to completely fall in love with them.

Our time together began just hangin in diapers and princess dresses, playing with stuffies. The best way to start the day as far as I’m concerned.

I’m always looking for simple details that tell a story or represent the family in some way.

I was so pumped to photograph my first set of twins. Saw these Elmos chillin and the little characteristics that make them look slightly different from one another. I’m pretty sure I can make a solid guess of which Elmo belongs to which twin.

And I’m guessing you might be able to as well by the end of this blog post.

This is Grace. Little spitfire. Living life at 100% capacity. All. Day. Long.

Took me all of 5 seconds to realize she was my muse.

With most of my families, it can be tricky for me to decide when to socialize, and take part in the day and when to step back and photograph.

Because both are important in making great pictures.

Relationships are always at the forefront of my mind, and chatting is my go-to.

But I have found that in the quiet moments, stepping back can be really effective. Then, I’m not inserting myself into the moment, but photographing it exactly as it’s happening, unaltered. That’s how I made the picture above. I watched this fiercely independent girl push that huge chair across the floor, climb the counter and grab some snacks from the cupboard. I stepped back to get the shot, but knew her mom was nearby for her if she needed help.

Getting to know the family, and building relationship with each individual person, helps me see opportunities for photos that are meaningful to them and pictures that are brimming with story.

Photographing families in their homes and about town, doing their real everyday is my favorite. There is so much more meaning behind these pictures, and time to make the good photos even greater.

xo

Anna