Have you ever woken up from a dream so vivid you could swear you just lived the events in real time? A dream so deep, it takes you a few minutes to realize its not real? Well, I have. Most of the time they’re just little snippets of my life thrown into hyperdrive fiction, or a ridiculous encounter with some absurd celebrity like Carrot Top or Weird Al Yankovic ( seriously, don’t ask..) but every now & then these dream scenes would give me a vision for a shoot. I used to have them weekly, until one day they just..stopped. Not gonna lie, I enjoyed the peaceful dream-free sleep while it lasted, but one summer night after a sun drenched day spent making memories & splashing at the pool with my boys, I dreamt of pancakes. Not just pancakes…a family making pancakes. A bright white kitchen, sticky-fingered kids, flour covered hands…a beautiful mess.

A few days later Candice’s email popped up in my inbox asking about my availability for a lifestyle session. We’ve been cyber friends for years, following each others instagram accounts and facebook posts, so before I ever stepped foot in their darling home, I felt like I knew them. I emailed back, told her about my crazy dream & asked her how she felt about making pancakes. If you know this family personally, or even just follow their lives via social media, you’ll know they love to cook. They’re big advocates of clean eating & organic living, so this pancake session was absolutely meant for them. Lucky for me, they loved the idea & we set a date to make it happen.

Within five minutes of walking in their door, a few quick hugs hello & putting down my gear bag, their three year old Stevie excitedly led me to her room & pulled out her puzzles. This kid, ya’ll. She had me wrapped around her finger in five minutes. This precious little human is every bit as vivacious, spunky & jaw-droppingly beautiful as her parents instagram pics suggest. So we played puzzles. And she called me “miss Kellie” and I could have seriously stayed & played with her all day. I made her a not-so-perfect cape & her daddy fixed it so she could fly. Baby Dani was sound asleep when I arrived, but she woke up pretty quickly once the cape flying & green monster chasing began. Dani is a cherub of a 3-month old, all cheeks & gummy grins. She comes alive when her sister pays her the slightest bit of attention & lights up when her daddy talks to her. Only 3 months into her sweet little life & its clear she loves her family. And truly…what’s not to love? Candice & Dan give every ounce of themselves to their family. They spend their days giving, building memories, living wholeheartedly. No moment is too small or insignificant to them. They dive in and live it all. I loved hearing Candice talk about how they don’t have cable because they would rather spend the money on cloth diapers for Dani. I loved watching this woman ( who says she never wanted kids before she met her husband) so effortlessly love her girls. I loved watching Dan be a loving husband and a silly, playful dad who is every bit the real deal. He’s the guy who magically squeezes into the girls play tunnel to create a “green monster” & chases Stevie around the house…

And so it went. An afternoon of life with the Lannings. Making pancakes, jumping in leaves, swinging high & living each moment in all of its beautiful, messy imperfection. I’m so grateful for silly dreams and this precious family for bringing them to life.

Six years ago, I was there. Standing by the water, watching these two promise each other forever & laughing at their witty comments ’til my sides hurt. They are a perfect match. I knew it the very minute we met. And all these years later, they are still one of my favorite memories of 2007…

For the past 3 years Meagan & Joe have trusted me to photograph their little Charlie. Even as a roly-poly 8 month old, she was larger than life. At three and a half, she is the perfect storm of wild & wonderful. A fiery blonde with deep soulful eyes, Charlie chases adventure with every inch of her tiny frame. She is the best subject for true lifestyle work since she rarely stops to breathe. I love that she lets me into her world of three-year-old wonder & forgets the camera is there. Each time I document a slice of her life, she inspires me to live bigger, braver & bolder. Its no surprise she’s turning into an adventurous little human with a beautiful heart. Meagan was meant for motherhood. She lets Charlie just be Charlie. Joe is steady & kind, always patient & ready to laugh with his girls. Their newest addition is Banjo the pup, who has a double dose of personality (see below) & fits pretty seamlessly into their family.

On a windy day in October, we decided to fly a kite. As they ran through this field & played as a family, the days of black & white film sessions flashed through my head. There’s just something about black & white that tells stories so well. The intricate way the sunlight hits their faces & highlights Charlie’s wild blonde hair. The way it draws you in to focus on the real story in front of you…

So I’ve decided to showcase this session in full-documentary style. The first all black & white post in the history of this blog, and hopefully not the last. Meagan, Joe, Charlie & Banjo…thanks for being four spectacular reasons I am so grateful to do what I do.

One of my favorite English professors once told me that if I didn’t genuinely care about what I was writing, it would be never be any good. At the time I didn’t realize how true that sentiment was, but when you apply his theory to photographing families…it could not be more true. There’s a kind of soul connection that goes on during my best sessions. A sort of cosmic star-alignment thingamabob. Some people call it magic. I call it love. And this family…I truly, truly love.

When I first met Julia she was still a girl. A bouncy, sugary-sweet, wide eyed girl. The past four years I’ve watched her grow into this incredible woman. She pours her heart into her family, her art, her friendships. Everything she does is infused with Julia magic. I’ve loved watching her evolve as an artist and a mama. She & Jona have an old-soul kind of love..the kind that wraps you up & draws you in. Their sweet Quin is a captivating little human. He stole my heart the first time we met & every session since, we have our own mini lovefest. During this session we played peek-a-boo on a park bench, threw sticks in the lake & walked the rocks holding hands. I’ll never forget his tiny voice saying “lets find a Quinnie sized rock, miss Kellie..” to which I replied “I think I see the perfect one..” and there we stood watching the boats sail by hand in hand.

Truth is, I genuinely adore this family. I’m grateful they chose me to document their life in all of its sweet adventure. Every session with these three is a prime example of that cosmic star-alignment thingamabob I love so much…