The best feeling in the world is having families come back year after year and trusting me with documenting their memories. Lizz told me that from the beginning, the reason she was drawn to my photography was the photos of my own boys, that she felt like I really capture the essence of childhood. We had been talking about the next time we would do her family photos since last fall. They had just purchased a beautiful new home, and there was talk of doing an in home session but also talk of doing another beach session, as Ocean City holds special meaning for her. If you want to hear more about the meaning of Ocean City, Maryland to this sweet family, you should check out this session that I did for them in the fall of 2018. We settled on beach family photos again, in Ocean City, when they planned to go on spring break in April 2020. Well we all know what happened in the spring of this year, so we were delayed, but finally able to capture some beautiful moments this October.
Bella and Natalie have grown so much, it was almost like looking at two completely different girls! But they clearly remembered me, as they shouted “Miss Brittany! Miss Brittany!” multiple times throughout our time together. In fact, Lizz told me that the first thing one of the girls said that morning, as they were rolling around in the bed, was “Do we get to see Miss Brittany today?”
We started with a few family photos, and making sure to get some special portraits of each of the girls with their mom and then their dad, working through getting the images that I knew I wanted to make sure were included in their gallery. And then the real fun began . . .
I love capturing the connections that a family has when I can just step back and observe, let them play and capture kids being kids. I may have gotten a little wet, waist deep in the ocean fully clothed, but it was well worth it. Watching the girls jump the waves, holding onto Lizz and Richard’s hands, just truly felt like watching a childhood memory that these girls will always cherish.
We wrapped up by documenting sandy feet (a detail of childhood to be remembered), and taking one last family picture with their hotel in the background. The girls were sad it was over, but happy when I gifted them activity books to keep them busy back in their hotel room. I really cannot wait to do this again with this wonderful family.
During this session, Rob was capturing some behind the scenes photos of me and there were moments where Lizz and I were chatting and catching up. I really wanted to hug her and just get a photo of me and her together, but I held back because we are in the midst of a pandemic. When I shared these feeling with Lizz, in a message after the session, she expressed that she is hopeful that this will come to an end and that she knows that we will have many more sessions together.
Thank you, Lizz, for choosing to reconnect with me years after we were together in high school. Thank you for being my biggest fan and cheerleader. I have so much admiration for you, as a mother, as a wife and as a friend. Being connected with you has made me a better human, and I’m grateful that you are a part of my life.
Thank you, to both Lizz and Richard, for inviting me into capture a glimpse of your family’s love. I appreciate your trust in documenting these memories and hope these photos serve as a reminder of your love for one another and for your girls for years to come.