It’s getting pretty chilly out. It’s time to start bringing in the plants and thinking about preparing for winter. I’m not sure how I feel about that! The past few weeks I’ve been cooped up inside, so the transition from summer to fall seemed to happen overnight. It’s kind of nice that way. Not a lot of back and forth.
As you know, I’ve been on leave for a while. It took a little bit to get back on my feet, but I’m feeling pretty much back to normal. It was nice to have some time off where I wasn’t able to do any work. I slept a lot and I feel like I got the sort of rest you only dream of having the opportunity to get. Although there was pain and nauseousness involved too, I had my wonderful husband with me who made me soup and brought me ginger ale for my stomach and drove out to the store that’s further away when I really needed a cookie first thing in the morning. I also had friends that kept in touch with me to keep me company and who came over to share cupcakes and popcorn, color, watch cartoons, and chat. A few even helped out by driving me to the doctor when my husband wasn’t able to, and brought meals for me. I’m really grateful. We have friends!
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to work with a beautiful and fun family. I’ve talked about my friend Vivian a bit before. She had a baby boy about 6 months ago. We picked an afternoon and I drove out to her home to meet her partner and three little ones.
Now, anyone who knows me well knows that children can make me a bit nervous. Despite growing up with a large and close extended family, I never spent much time with the younger kids, so I never really learned how to interact with them. But when I stepped out of my car I saw a little hand poke out of the front door and wave. When I got out of the car I heard a little, “Hi!” and I knew this was going to be fun.
We spent the next couple hours doing a little sitting, a little playing, a little corralling. One of the most magical things about being a photographer is having opportunities like this. You get a peek inside families. How they interact with each other. You see bonds that you can’t see when you’re outside. It’s like you become part of the family for a few hours. That is an amazing feeling.
My child nerves vanished almost instantly. Viv’s kids were so fun and welcomed me into their family as a cool playmate. And have I mentioned how special her new little boy is?
I can’t stop gushing about him every time I see that big smile!
It was really comforting to work with a friend (and to make more!) and I can’t wait to shoot for them again. We all had so much fun, and it’s the biggest reward to see their happy faces. I am so thankful for their kind words as well. Our session gave me a huge confidence boost that I needed to get out there and start working with people more. I talk about how much I love working with food (and I do), but you don’t get the same emotions without working with loving families. It really fills your heart!
Have you ever seen such beautiful smiles! I’m so happy to know such genuine people.
Next time I’ll tell you about another awesome opportunity to work with friends at their wedding! I’m so blessed!
-Lisa
Your story was so beautiful as were all the pictures.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! 😀