A SHORT RETROSPECTIVE & A SHOWCASE
With it being National Adoption month and all I thought a great nod to this particular month is to highlight one of my favorite families brought together through the gift of adoption.
I have known Kim and (not so) Little N since 2006. A beautiful family active in the adoption community with The Cradle Foundation based out of the Chicago area. Our session was a couple of months ago however I had terrible blog issues around that time, Kim was busy with the annual Cradle Foundation Ball and time just kept getting away from us. I’ve sort of built up this anticipation for this retrospective and I almost don’t want to fail us in this! But here it goes, session showcase, more after the images:
As a child and family photography professional it is a privilege to capture my Marmalade Family as they grow and mature. It is a remarkable thing to watch bonds grow stronger as the years pass, to watch children grow and parents grow with them. To watch silly kids mature into handsome young adults. To watch toddlers grow into being school aged kids with personalities and ideas and (gasp!) opinions. LOL As a mom it always is a surprise to hear my kids’ opinions on things, like where does this come from??! And in photographing kids I often hear this from my comrades in motherhood. “WHERE DOES THIS COME FROM!!!” 😉
It’s a gift to watch mothers settle into their mom role and handle every quirk and difficulty with ease and a smile. It is just a gift to be part of my clients’ worlds and it’s a greater gift to be invited back year after year.
I started photographing (not so) Little N when he was just a few weeks old and once again when he was about one years old. In fact if I recall correctly I think I even photographed some of his first steps!! So when they moved out of the area for a few years I think I mourned a little, I always do when my clients move away (shout out to the G Family, the other G Family, the K Family and the W Family and any one else that I may have forgotten to mention). It’s difficult to verbalize but as a photographer I grow with these families, I become part of their world, via the memories made for them, and they become part of the fabric of my being as a person in ways I’m not sure they can imagine nor I can begin to verbalize. I know other photographers probably get what I’m saying – lives truly intertwine. My wish is that I will get to see some of these children become adults & may be have children of their own. It truly is an incredible honor to watch the progression of a person from baby to adult. Maybe this is why motherhood is so bittersweet for me, your whole role is to love them and watch them become independent; while different in the role of family photographer is also bittersweet because I share many of the same experiences as the moms and dads I photograph, we sometimes chat about our sorrows, more often our happy times, heck many of my clients sent me cards expressing sadness for my loss when my folks passed away, it truly is an incredible bond.
When the S Fam moved back around 2011 I was thrilled to be able to photograph them once again. To say that it was a SHOCK to see this former toddler as a school age, happy and smiling KID is an understatement. It’s been a thrill to photograph them since. Thank you Kim and N (& Stella!!) – seeing you guys is always a highlight of my season! I apologize for waxing poetic about you guys (and all my families in general). At least once a season I have to express my heartfelt thanks and this time of year is perfect for gratitude.
On with a short retrospective. Enjoy. 🙂
The S Family
Retrospective 2006-2014
I hope this was worth the wait. Thank you to Kim, (not so) Little N and of course Stella!! A boy & his dog, after all.
(And I still can’t believe how tall this kid has gotten!!)
Happy National Adoption Month!!
Are you looking for someone to create some Naperville Child and Family Photography for you? Call us today 815-603-8450 and we can discuss plans for your photo session with Marmalade Photography!! We serve the Naperville area with come-to-you photo services as well as photographing clients in dedicated locations in the SW suburbs.
