Guest Post: A RAWR-ing good time

Over the years I’ve photographed countless families, usually during the most pivotal moments of their lives. A new baby, a new house, a birthday, or even to celebrate a beloved pet’s life before they cross the rainbow bridge. These memories grace my website and Instagram feed for a period of time, and then inevitably they retire from my portfolio as I make room for new work. But these memories live on loud & proud in my client’s albums, on their walls, and in their hearts for [hopefully!] generations to come. It’s both humbling and terrifying to know that my work will outlive us all… in that case it’d better be good, right? 

When I asked my clients to write about their experiences being photographed, I thought it would be a great way to inform curious people about what to expect. In reality, reading my client’s words has helped peel back the layers to uncover what matters most to them. This has sparked new creativity and a greater purpose in my business, but perhaps more importantly, I know it will inspire other families in the same walks of life. For that reason, I couldn’t be more excited to share this series.

Today’s guest post is written by Chelsea – a momma with a great sense of humor, but she did have some real reservations about hiring a professional photographer. Her words are a testament to how far trust & comfort can go when those things are prioritized from the beginning. I’m so grateful to have earned a spot in their hearts, and to have gained such wonderful friends in the process.

So without further ado… Internet, meet Chelsea!

A RAWR-ING GOOD TIME: CHELSEA’S STORY

A couple years ago, I had begun a family photographer search and as I scanned instagram after instagram account, I was inundated with “trendy” photos that were either beiged-out, pom-fran spewing, or so saturated with darkness that you could not really tell who or what was in the picture. But then a friend posted her recent family photos that were light, vibrant, and colorful, and I just had to find out who had created them. Low and behold… it was Daisy! 

I didn’t pull the trigger on a photo session right away because we weren’t in the position to make an investment (houses and babies are expensive, who knew?) but I quietly stalked her page from afar. The more I lurked, the more I noticed that each family had their own “flavor.” In-home family photos meant no two families looked the same, which proved to me that Daisy was more interested in highlighting what makes each family unique, instead of putting everyone into the same beige box. 

Fast forward to 2022, Daisy shared a photo of a little girl on a swing. Her caption said the photo itself might not win any worldwide recognition, but there will come a day when that little girl will be too big for her swing and the backyard hangouts will be memories. And in that moment, I knew I needed Daisy to capture my family’s moments. I needed to make an investment so my daughter Avery could show her children moments from her own childhood one day.

I put in an inquiry form, crossed my fingers, and a few days later, we were chatting it up on the phone like we had been pals for years. Daisy was delightful and kind, and really wanted to get to know us as a family. She asked follow up questions about who we were, what we were interested in, and what moments we hoped to have captured…

… then the day came to get our pictures taken. My husband was hesitant, and my child’s nickname is chaos.

And I knew Daisy was good, but was she good enough to win over a husband who’s not usually into photos? Could she appease a child who can give you a hug one second and a bop on the nose the next? Could she shoot around two dogs who act like they never get attention? 

The answer is yes, yes, and yes again.

Daisy ebbed and flowed with our family and adjusted for snacks and cries (which are inevitable with a 18-month-old).

She made us feel comfortable so that we could be ourselves… which for Jordan, involved wearing the inflatable dino costume! Our photos did not feel staged or forced for a moment. We loved on each other, embraced the rowdiness of life with 2 large dogs, and really laughed and smiled as we lived out some of our best moments as a family. 

After session day, I patiently waited for our photos. Daisy has a unique process where she puts all of the photos into a slideshow set to music so you can “watch” them together as a family for the first time at home. My heart could not handle the amount of joy I was hit with. It was incredibly hard to decide what to have printed first! There was such a range; from smiling photos with the dogs mauling each other in the background to a quiet moment of me feeding my little girl in bed. Moments that you simply cannot attain on your own, because then not everyone would be in the picture. 

She CAPTURED EVERY MOMENT THAT WE WANTED, AND SOME WE DIDN’T KNOW WE EVEN NEEDED. 

There was a moment when Jordan, Avery, and I were dancing around the living room to a Mike Posner song and the lyrics behind us flashed “and I kept going” and Daisy was able to capture that.

We were so taken by this photo that we chose “and we kept going” as the inscription on our photo album. This is us. 

We framed one of the photos of my husband in his dinosaur suit, too. I hung it above Avery’s changing table and we get to start each morning and end each night with her RAWR-ing at her little picture. Again, how lucky are we?

PARENTHOOD IS HARD, BEING AN ADULT IS HARD, AND SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED SOMETHING TO BE EASY.

You just need a reminder to hang on the wall that WE kept going. Photos are our reminders to ourselves that we can laugh and smile and dance through the hard moments. Now I get to have that reminder on my wall for the rest of my life, and my daughter will have it for the rest of hers. All thanks to Daisy’s attention to detail, and encouragement to just be ourselves.

I could go on and on about how fantastic she is as a human, but I’ll wrap it up: If you are looking for someone who cares about the little moments as much as you do and wants to have a blast while doing it, this is your lady. Daisy gets what life is all about: loving, smiling, not taking life too seriously, and having an absurdly good time while doing it all.