Photographing children requires transforming into one. It requires running barefoot through the grass, playing dress up, squeezing into the tiny doorframes of playhouses, singing silly songs and making up new games. It takes temporarily forgetting the world and people around you for a few hours to understand the sincerity behind their smile and the sound of their giggle. You need to laugh at the grass stains on the knees of your jeans and dirt on your feet to remember why searching for bugs can be so fun. And all of this? You do it with a camera in hand.

When I made the decision to start photographing children eight years ago, I decided that I would only photograph them in natural settings where they felt comfortable and could play. Whether in the playroom of the house, their favorite park, the zoo or their backyard, I felt that the setting needed to be familiar in order to evoke their genuine smile and reveal their personality. I never felt comfortable with the idea of photographing children against generic backdrops and forcing them to hold props. To me, part of the art form is capturing images of the child that represent who they are – not who we want them to be.

During photo shoots with children it is common to find me sitting, laying, squatting or kneeling. I try to physically be on their level to the best of my ability. When you tower over a child physically, you automatically give them the impression that you are an authority figure. You intimidate them. My goal is to become their friend, their playmate, and the big kid who has no problem pretending that she is the ugly stepsister in order to partake in the new adaptation of Cinderella. If they run and scream – I run and scream. If they decide to start singing the alphabet to me, I will attempt to join in. The sillier they find me the more comfortable they are in front of my camera. And just in case you were wondering…Yes, I can belt out the Wiggles with the best of them.

In addition to my regular sitting fee, I have tried to offer packages that are innovative and products that can be treasured. I offer services including framing, album creation and home consultations in order to take the burden off of the parents. For each client, I create a fully personalized, password protected online proofing and ordering web site that can be given out to friends and family. I take pride in every step of what I do and have been blessed with talents that extend far beyond pressing a button with my index finger.

There are many options in the photography industry when it comes to proofing websites, album manufacturers, accessory manufacturers and print labs. I have chosen to only offer products of the highest quality to my clients. I will never offer anything less than the best regardless of cost to me or the resulting time commitment, and I will never outsource any of my workflow or design elements. Why? These are your children. They have an entire lifetime ahead of them to grow, to learn and to love. I need to make sure that the keepsake I provide to you as the parent can be handed to them as an adult, so that they can look back on that time in their life when Barbie or Basketball was their world.

…And they can laugh…And they can smile…And you’ll have given them the gift of innocence all over again, even if just on paper.