the finding of me… » live. learn. photograph. journal.

i received a gift. from two friends. one who i have never met in person, but feel like we are soul sisters. and one who lives close by me and has the biggest heart.

i read this blog post from angie. and i was inspired by her honest writing and encouragement to get on the other side of the camera. i have been where she is. and i often still feel that way. not good enough. not thin enough. not pretty enough. not comfortable in front of the camera. so i have very few photos with my boys. but after reading angie’s words and seeing the photos of her with her baby girl quinn (yes, same name as my quinn!) i was ready to do something more than just wish and dream about having some precious images of me and my boys.

so i emailed ali. she is my friend + photography mentor. we met through a mutual friend just after i bought my first dslr camera and she selflessly shared all that she could to help me become a photographer. i am so very grateful to her for all that she has given to me. so lucky am i to have such a friend.

ali and i excitedly agreed to photograph each other with our kids. just a mom + kid shoot. casual. fun. no rules. in the heat of florida in the summer. with a few cooperative kids. and some not so much. two photographer moms and five kids. we made it happen. and had a bit of fun in the process.

ali has done so much for me. it is so heartwarming to finally be able to give back to her. here are some of my very favorite shots of ali with her jake, cami and reese…

jake is now taller than his mom, so he made her take off her {cute} shoes to prove it. and a silly little 5 year old couldn’t help but pop into the photo. reese’s silly faces made their way into more than one photo.heading off to get some well-deserved frozen yogurt after indulging mom in her photo time…

ali has blogged photos me and my boys, so be sure to go here to check them out. she is such an amazing photographer – and friend!