Seth, Chelsey, & Kendyl

Seth's mom, who's been one of my mom's dearest friends almost ere I can remember, hired me to photograph Seth's sweet, little family. In the course of the shoot, Seth and I determined: he's sixteen years younger than I, which makes sense because--sure as I'm sitting here--I remember him only as a toddler like his little daughter. He would've been about her age when I left home.

Ours was a morning shoot, and according to her parents, Kendyl isn't really a morning person. I took an overabundance of photos because it took a long while for me to feel confident that I'd gotten enough family photos; the itty-bitty blonde was perfectly happy to explore and play, but not so much to be held down for a group shot. :) 

In the end, I couldn't be more pleased with the images I captured, and may God continue to bless and keep this beautiful, little family.

 

Fletcher's Family

Just a little over a month ago, Baby Fletcher's paternal grandmother hired me to take some photos of him and his parents, who married this weekend. She asked me to delay in putting the photos on the Internet because she planned to display some of them (at the reception, I think).

It's been a little hard for me to sit on these gorgeous photos. Every session is my favorite, but I love this one for special reasons. First of all, Fletcher's dad took me back to my days of teaching English at the technical school. There's no such thing as an English major, there, and most of my students filed in begrudgingly, to meet a requirement. One of my very favorite things was to bust up all the preconceived notions they held and make their experience enjoyable.

I enjoy photography sessions, sometimes, for the challenge of making the experience better than expected. Occasionally (particularly with small children), I can't turn things around completely, and I value, too, the challenge of capturing images--anyway, despite--that will be treasured down the road.

Fletcher's dad warmed and played, and the word on the street is that he was pleased with my work. He made his gorgeous fiancee his wife, this weekend, which goes to the second reason I love this session: it reminds me of "Dance Little Jean" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I've always loved that song.

Joslin

We needed to travel to East Tennessee to pick up Jim's mom's car, and I decided to try and take some photos while we were down there (gas money). My Friday evening photo session was with five-year-old Joslin.

Joslin's mom Shelly is my younger brother's age (I graduated with Shelly's sister Angie!), but I remember Shelly from our evenings with missionaries Mrs. Glover and Mrs. Clark, who drove through Straight Fork in an enormous van, 25+ years ago, picking up willing children for home-based Bible study.

I keep up with Shelly via facebook, but in all honesty, it had been so long since I'd seen her actual face that, when I looked at her the other evening, I felt a little as if I were participating in an episode of Cold Case, experiencing flashbacks of her face as a teenager.

Joslin is amazing: sharp as a tack, energetic, non-squeamish, and (best of all) very frank. Every time I asked her a question, she told me like it was, and without hesitation. I prefer to interact with people just like that: open, sincere. I hope she never changes.

I'm in love with the images I captured of Joslin and found it difficult to choose which to share here and on facebook, especially because I want her mama to be plenty surprised and delighted when she views the entire set. But I would be remiss if I didn't share that, for me, the best part of the shoot involved my interaction with Shelly.

My dad made a comment, once, about someone's spirit failing to bear witness to his, and I took that to mean that he didn't connect with that person on a spiritual level: that he couldn't identify with that person as being related to him, in Christ. After my time with Shelly, that turn of phrase ran through my mind; I just kept thinking, with wonder: her spirit just bore witness to mine.

Many years have passed since Shelly's and my time with Mrs. Glover and Mrs. Clark. They've left this world, by now, as have at least three (maybe more) of the East Tennessee children who--along with Shelly and me--sat at their knees and listened to them talk about Jesus. I'm so thankful for those kind-hearted missionaries and their preparing us for life here, and beyond.

Just before Shelly and I parted ways, she told me a story. It was a very personal story, and I won't share it, here, but I cried, listening, and received her words as validation. I didn't go into the session expecting what came out of it. It ended up being a gift to me.