Modern Joy » unscripted life photography

After shooting around Stillwater for a while, I asked 7 year old, Owen, what he did for fun. He said, “play sports and play on the ipad.”  I appreciated his honesty and found it humorous that I’m only 27 and yet things are so different than in my childhood.  He was quite the ham and never lacked a smile.  His sister Julia, was shy at first but had no problems dancing in the sunshine for me 20 minutes later.  It was a pleasure to visit Stillwater again.  I have fond memories of spending Saturdays as a child with my mom and sister, eating ice cream on Mainstreet and watching the boats float down the river.  It was the perfect day…75 degrees and sunny.

Leslie and Matt, thanks for sharing your beautiful family and spending the day with me in Stillwater.  Enjoy the album!

Just because they’re not deployed does not mean they are home. Harry is a Warrant Officer in the Army. As a UAS Platoon Leader, he basically flies UAS (unmanned aircraft system) and instructs other army soldiers how to fly them. Harry has been serving for years and loves what he does but it doesn’t come without a price. In addition to his past deployments, his current position requires him to frequently be away from his family for weeks to months at a time. Jenn is his lovely bride of almost 6 years and the mother of their two daughters and a newborn son. Along with the regular challenges of having 3 children under the age of 3, Jenn manages to mow the lawn, fix the house, grocery shop and even make cupcakes with the girls, all while Harry is gone. I respect Jenn for her ever cheerful attitude despite the daily challenges she faces. Loving someone in the service changes the way you live. You just never know when they’ll be home or for how long. You learn to drop everything and enjoy the moments that they’re home.

Recently, Jenn shared with me one of the challenges of Harry being gone. Myla, their 3 yr old, doesn’t understand why her daddy doesn’t come home…

“just had to tell you that Myla has been quite upset this afternoon missing her daddy! we laughed looking at pictures of the 2 of them together that you took! she picked the one out for my profile pic! we are so thankful for the memories you captured ”

“sitting here thinking about how it will be 20 1/2 more days till we see Harry but it sure warms my heart looking at our family photos together and remembering that fun day! Thank you!”

I am so happy that I can help close the gap with photography. I don’t know what life is like in Jenn’s shoes but I will someday. I can only hope that throughout my photography career, I continue to bring to life precious family memories while their loved ones are away. Thanks Harry, Jenn, Myla, Rayna, and Weston for the sacrifices you make.

Here’s a few images from their family session.  View their full album here.