When Caroline’s mom reached out to me, she said she wanted to be sure that they had memories of every stage of Caroline’s ever-changing life and personality and really wanted me to capture her as she was about to turn one.

In any other circumstances, LaShanta and I would probably never have met. She lives in Houston, Texas and I’m 1,400 miles away in Maryland. Our schedules and personalities can be completely different and, yet, she’s one of the most inspirational and important people to me.

Our daughter, Addison, celebrated her 8th birthday a couple of weeks ago. I can say now that it was a really special day for her and she felt so, so loved, but planning a kiddos’ birthday in the middle of a quarantine is a crazy thing. You want them to experience the “specialness” of a birthday but you’re so limited by what you can and can’t do.

Last weekend, a small handful of loved ones met at Susquehanna State Park in Harford County, Maryland, north of Baltimore to celebrate Chris and Elizabeth’s wedding day. It was a day of laughs and going with the flow as locations changed, people got lost, masks were worn and nerves and fear were overcome with complete joy. It was them — it was just a day of fun and happiness and love.

I have belonged to a “club” now for more than 25 years. It’s a club where membership is based on loss. It is a club where the sisterhood or brotherhood in it means you share grief and anger on a repetitive, never-ending cycle. 

I love finding new locations and secret (or not-so-secret) spots to capture my family, your family or just the view itself.

Nicole is my ‘gemela’, which is the Spanish word for ‘twin.’Two interesting facts that may better explain our nicknames:

1. We met in 2005 during a study abroad trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and;

2. We share the same birthday (I’m one year older)!

A newsletter is one of the most important things I’ve added to my behind-the-scenes of my business. It’s almost like a monthly check-in for me — What do I want to work on this month? What holidays or special events are coming up? What do my clients need during this time of year?

As much as I miss capturing your families and especially all of my littlest explorers, I know that one day I’ll be behind the camera and my treasured clients will be in front of me and we’ll be capturing milestones and smiles and so, so much love. Until it’s safe (and legal) to do so, I wanted to encourage my families to make sure you’re still capturing memories, even now in this crazy season of life. 

I’ve heard all of the excuses for moms not getting in the photos with their kids. Really. But, one day, they will look back on photos wishing for more photos with you in them — reminders of the memories and moments from their childhood.