one of my most favorite things in the world is
the pictures our parents took of us growing up.
they are simply the best.
i haven’t a single doubt in my mind that those photos
are responsible for my love of photography.
i love that the photos i take today of families have
such a close resemblance of my own childhood photos.

it’s amazing to me that this camera took photos of them
on their wedding day, then went off to europe with my dad,
and then became the camera that would freeze our childhood
memories for us to have + love today.
…even better than that, this camera would also be the very one
that my brother and i would learn photography with.
the exposure cheat sheet my brother created in high school
is still taped on the bottom of it.
AND EVEN BETTER THAN THAT, i still use this camera today.

everytime i am belly down in the middle of a road trying to get
a shot, i think of all the times i watched my dad do this.
and the photos i take of kids with their dad’s are
derived from the photos my mom took.
…when i have moments of doubt about whether
or not i am heading down the right path, i remember
that photography has been with me and a part of me
since the day i was born.
it’s not just what i love, it’s who i am.

my mom’s handwriting hasn’t changed one bit,
my dad still has the greatest fro on planet earth,
and were my brothers the cutest kids ever or what?

photograph your life.
photograph your family. your friends.
even if it’s with your iPhone.
don’t stop.
be selective, be aware of what you’re trying to pause.
…people now believe that taking photos somehow means
that you’re not present in life. and i’m sorry, but those
people who believe that can go kick rocks.
someday your kids will want to see what you were
like when you were their age, and you’ll have
the photos to show them.

this post is dedicated to my sweet cousin, kaitlyn.
this weekend she interviewed me for her digital media
class, and she reminded me of the story i was telling
her about how much i love our photos as kids,
which inspired this post.