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.

 

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.

Shrinking Nathan

I owed my friend Margie cookies, and she asked me to deliver them to a bake sale to benefit Nathan Martin. I didn't meet Nathan or his family the day of that delivery, but some time later, my friend Anjie ordered one of my cookie cakes and asked me to deliver it to Nathan at his house.

I knew Nathan loved baseball and decorated the cake to look like one. When I lifted the lid of the pizza box to show him the cake, he beamed and, without hesitation, dragged his finger right through the white icing in the center of the cake and licked it off. That's when I fell in love.

To meet Nathan and his family is to love them, and it seems like our entire community feels the same way. Thank goodness, because--having really been through it--Nathan and his family have needed love and support these past few years.

Nathan bumped his head while engaging in normal child's play and suffers from TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), with symptoms to include seizures, memory loss, and headaches. He has an excellent team of doctors and was admitted to the hospital Friday, in fact, for monitoring. You can read more about his story here and follow his progress on facebook here. Please pray for his complete recovery.

I visited Nathan at his house for the second time in November, this time taking my shrink machine. I just wanted to make him smile. Trust me: that smile is captivating and contagious. The following are great examples of my shrinks, and Nathan's mom encouraged me to share them, here.

Jessica & Cristian

I taught Jessica more than one class at ITT, back in the day. It's been more than six years since I left the school, and I'm touched that some of my students have kept in touch...not only with me, but with one another. The day of this session, my student Marjorie accompanied Jessica and Cristian, and I could tell: they've become family.

Jessica is centered beyond her years and radiates love, in general, but she glows especially bright when she's with Cristian. It was a privilege to capture their sweet relationship with my camera.

As you scroll down, you'll see a "shrink" of Cristian. I don't employ this editing technique often because it's time-consuming to do it well, but I do seem to have an aptitude for it. I wrote a story for my daughter Charleigh's third birthday and illustrated it entirely with her shrinks. I mention this because maybe someone would like to hire me to create a personalized book of words and photos for a child?