Family Photos Are Worth It . Your Time & Investment

“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.” — William Martin

You know that feeling when a family photo on the wall pulls you right back to that moment?

The laughter. The love. The light in the eyes. The special feeling of being together.

That’s the magic of photography. It connects us to what matters most. Life moves fast. The house gets quieter, the kids grow up, the dog slows down. But right now? These are the good old days.

It’s so important to slow down and give your family the gift of presence and capture seasons of life.

Wild, wonderful, beautiful, chaotic, awkward, tender, silly and full of love. Whether we’re exploring mountain meadows, chasing light, or grabbing ice cream, I’m there with a camera (and probably a bad dad joke).

There are so many things we spend money on that fade — dinners out, new gadgets, “stuff,” They fill a moment, a storage space and then they pass.

But photographs, especially the kind that tell your story become something else entirely. They’re not a quick purchase. They’re a return ticket to a season of life you’ll never live again. The way your child fit perfectly in your arms, the way laughter filled the air, the way Colorado light touched everything gold for just a second. Emotions and connection are timeless. We can’t get them back, but we can try and slow it all down a bit and relish in the beautiful journey of life.

Family photos are the kind of investment that grows in value. Years from now, when your children are grown, these images viscerally will bring you right back. And they can be past down for generations to come.

Moreover, it’s an experience. When else do you round up the whole family, dress nice, go to a beautiful location together, leave your cell phones in the car and focus on each other and the natural world around you? That’s a gift.

So often when we finish a photo session, family members will come up to me and say “Wow! That was so much fun…I wasn’t expecting it to be so enjoyable.” I give them a reassuring nod.

“It’s so nice to spend quality time together without distractions in beautiful spaces and places. We get the opportunity to belly laugh, to run wild, to love deeper and be truly connected. And that’s priceless.”

This is all so easy for me to say right? I’m a photographer and of course I am going to promote my art and work.

True.

Yet, the more I spend time with families capturing moments of magic and freezing precious memories, I truly see the value. I feel this way because I’ve poured through boxes of prints around my parents house. I’ve looked at the same photos on the wall for nearly 40 years, and they’ve profoundly shaped me. Like the photos of my mom and dad paddling together down a class 4 whitewater rapid. It’s etched into my memory…and sure enough I have spent years of my own life paddling and feel a truly special connection anytime I get in a boat and paddle.

Or maybe it’s the cute photo of my dad when he was 4 years old posing outside of his Dad’s barber shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania. His father passed before I was born, so it’s a slice of life that brings me closer to my granddad who I never had the privilege to meet.

It’s the photos of my parents wedding day. It’s the photos with my wife and her grandfather looking at photos he took during his time in the Vietnam War that he never shared with anyone. It’s the action photo of grandfater, an All-American running back at NC State University breaking a tackle. It’s those precious photos of loved one’s and dogs who are no longer with us.

Our stories deserve to be told. I’m thankful to have these stories to tell because let me tell you… at the end of the day, they do matter, they are worth it, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.

Whether you call Colorado home or are here visiting, I’m here to help celebrate you. I believe the best portraits come from simply being yourselves in spaces that inspire.

I bring passion, patience, laughter, and heart to every session. Every family photo session, I make space for a relaxed, fun and natural energy and environment. I encourage spontaneity and just being you!

From the grand adventures to the everyday moments, I’ll guide you with genuine warmth, playfulness and ease, so you can simply enjoy the moment, celebrate each other and take a deep breath and enjoy time together and the beautiful spaces around you.

So yes — family photos cost money. But what you’re really investing in is memory, legacy, and love made visible. And that’s something you can’t put a price on.