Some Of My All-Time Favorite Photos

Some of my most cherished photographs are dark, heavy, grainy, soft, or somehow imperfect. Some of my favorite photos that I've ever taken are from early on in my career and they in no way fit my style now. But while I have a favorite style, I appreciate other styles and sometimes a photo would not work if taken in my style. It needs a different look to be all that it can be. I'm going to share some of my all-time favorites with you and explain why I love them and maybe even why they aren't perfect but still have beauty. Ultimately, these photos all pull at my heart and any photo that does that is a winner in my book. I might not be able to explain why but there isn't always words for things. Sometimes you are moved beyond words.

I love the simplicity of this photo. This was kind of a lucky shot because the bird was moving around SO. MUCH so the composition was luck. But my favorite part is how smooth and creamy the water is!!

I'm so proud of myself because it was tricky to capture her face and emotion, his face in the phone, while still staying out of the way!! I love the emotion of this photo. She was so surprised to get the call from her cousin and I'm so glad I could capture that moment for my dear friend.

This showcases the human element. The curiosity of a child. I had just a second to snap the photo and then rescue my lens from little fingers :) You also feel like you're connecting to her through the photo.

More connection. I love showing emotion and connection in my photos and capturing moments as an observer. All the technical skills mean nothing if you can't find connection and emotion in your photos.

I asked her to show me the leaf and I loved how this one turned out! With kids, so often you can't really plan what they will do, so composition is held loosely. It's not completely luck, because I do have a plan, but when the kid cooperates, magic happens!!!

There is so much about this that I love: the lighting is soft and beautiful, the expression on the little boy's face, the connection between dad and son... it's a precious moment.

Again, I am an outside observer of life, capturing a child's world from their level. I'm really glad I put her off to the side of the frame instead of right in the middle!!

For this session, I literally just told the parents to interact with their little girl and I got GOLD!! If this doesn't melt you, I don't know what will! This is all about emotion.

I had him jumping over and over because I saw this cool effect once and wanted to get it again. He wasn't thrilled with me but the end result was totally worth it! I don't do a ton of action shots but I love this one.

It's all about the bokeh for this one. Bokeh is the dots of light you can see in the background and I also love how smooth and blurred the background is so that my front flower really pops. I wish I'd positioned it differently, maybe down in the left corner a little bit more.

Totally a lucky shot! I don't mind admitting it! The wagons were pulling away and this little guy turned around to smile at me. What makes this photo work so well is the simplicity of it, the light reflecting up from the ground to fill his face, and the way the opening leads you straight to his face. I wish the hand was not there but since this was unposed and unplanned, you get what you get!!

As you can see, these are not photos that I would put on my website portfolio or Instagram feed, not because they are bad in any way, but they don't fit my asthetic and the look I am going for. Despite that, I love them and they are the kinds of photos that are worth a thousand (or more!) words.