Often, especially in Boulder, your first love is furry. No not our loved ones who may forgo a razor for a few days of backcountry camping but the canine or feline type. There are more dogs than children in Boulder but there are also plenty of felines in families (not just the mountain lions at the edge of the foothills). It can feel like an obvious next step in life: college, become a pet guardian, find another human who enjoys/tolerates the fact that your life kind of/sort of revolves around your new four legged companion, etc. Unfortunately, when time seems to speed up so quickly that you blink and all of the sudden your family member is 16 you realize that getting a few photographs of everyone in the family is pretty darn important. I LOVE that when this family reached out to me to photograph their two little girls I was also able to capture a few frames of everyone: human, feline and canine.
Having found my "firstborn" at the amazing Boulder Humane Society years ago, I still remember seeing Buckley for the first time. As my husband and I took him out for a short walk around the grounds, I immediately knew two things: 1. He was a tad bit wild (he was 10mo old at the time) and 1. He was perfect. These words, coincidentally, can also describe our two boys. It was with these thoughts and all the memories and moments that I shared with Buckley that reminded me just how special and unique our animals are. I kept these recollections and emotions in mind as I attempted to find one elusive kitty and capture her for a moment with my camera. It may have involved coaxing, crawling and a fast shutter speed but it was 100% worth it.
The last time I saw this lovely family, Mama and Dad had just welcomed their second daughter earthside earlier that morning. Yes I was honored to photograph baby Stella on the day she was born and was thrilled to get to see the entire crew once more. Some days in our lives can seem monotonous but I swear I turned around to sneeze and boom: Stella was now one. This of course was super strange because I still remember seeing her big sister Lilah for the first time when she was still in her Mama's belly (okay uterus) and I'm pretty sure I was still in my 20's just a minute ago.
Getting to capture this family multiple times over the years has truly been a gift. Getting to catch up, see this young family grow and become even more incredible with each passing year is something I cherish. Each time they allow me to bring my camera along to capture where they are and exactly as they are I'm reminded why I love photographing families and cultivating relationships with clients. It's for moments like these. Ones that keep me up editing into the wee hours of the night because I just can't stop. I'm so excited and thankful and want to keep bringing these moments to life in photographic form for families just like this one. They are unequivocally magical, wonderful, real and lovely in every way.