ELEANOR GRACE

Newborn  |  At-Home Photojournalistic Session

When I found out that Leah and Stephen were expecting their first born I was so excited to do portraits with them. Not only was I thrilled for them to experience this milestone in their family, but I have a pretty big soft spot for dads and baby girls. Not only that, but Stephen also served in our military and recently graduated with a degree in the medical field. It’s hard to put into words the swelling of honor, joy and love that I feel when I see military families reunited and husbands and wives able to continue building their lives together.  The bonds are stronger, the gratitude is deeper and the love is fuller.

As an army veteran and army veteran’s wife, Stephen and Leah have experienced lower lows and higher highs in their life than most of us. I wanted to celebrate, pay tribute to, and juxtapose these unspoken stories with the life of their newborn daughter, Ellie. I sought to illuminate the profound themes that were at play in this particular session – the strong and the weak, the weathered and new, the experienced and innocent, darkness vs. light; the protector, defender and guardian and the pure, trusting babe. Nobility and honor. Goodness. Power. Freedom. All of it. When they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” I think this is what they were referring to.

All of these ideas were swirling around in my mind during this session, and it was my mission to capture raw moments that illustrated all of it. The tone of the images  is a product of the creative approach I took to convey these deeper messages. Of course, I collaborated beforehand with Leah and couldn’t leave without taking a few portraits with flower crowns, eucalyptus wreaths and baskets of lace. Enjoy!