Family portraits are about capturing moments. Moments that really tell the story of the love and bonds your family shares. I love taking family portrait photographs outdoors. Around Lexington there are lots of beautiful places to shoot– Keeneland, Henry Clay, Downtown, just to name a few. And if you ever find yourself in Oregon (where my family is from), head over to Cannon Beach,where the photograph above was shot.  The light is absolutely beautiful and it’s hard to beat playing in the sand while looking out over the horizon.

The photo above is a  father and son portrait of the first weekend my now husband and my son ever spent together. I was a single mom who had finally fallen in love with a really incredible man. But I was still nervous at first how  my son and him would bond. This image of the two of them standing side by side, tossing sand into the water, playing like boys, looking as natural as could be as father and son is one that means a whole lot to me. It was one of their first ‘father and son moments’ and I’m so happy I captured it in a photograph.

Being a family portrait photographer is about standing back and seeing moments as they unfold. My job is to first feel the magic that is brewing, then frame the scene with the camera.  I always try to create a picture that most genuinely tells the story of relationships and love.