Willy, Ashley, the boys and one on the way | Chandler, Arizona

Let me just start by saying, this is by far one of my favorite family portrait sessions I have ever done.

I met Ashley a year ago. I was in LA and I had reached out asking her if I could do a portrait session of her and her family. She said yes! She also told me others have asked before and she didn’t say "yes" because their work didn’t match up to what she was looking for. She said when she saw my work she was more then excited to have me photograph. I was beyond excited and honored!

BUT, upon arriving to the location, I began to panic. Who was I to even think I could photograph her and her family. To give you some understanding, Ashley is a photographer (check her work out: The Stork and the Beanstalk) and in my eyes I would say she is by far one of my most favorite photographers! Her work is authentic. Her images will touch your soul. Her words she writes will cause you to want to live a more intentional life. You will be moved and changed. 

So going back to my panic, photographing her and her family was a big deal in my head. I mean she spends her days touching lives in deep ways and I wanted to be sure she was given the same, but I wasn’t sure that I would be able to do that. But I went for it.  She ended up telling me she loved the images!!

Now fast forward a year and I found myself having the honor of photographing her yet again right here in Arizona. This time in the home Willy grew up in and in the room that he told Ashley he loved her for the first time (I mean no pressure or anything). And then their two boys with another on the way. It was such an intimate time in their lives and she trusted me to captured it!

This time I felt comfortable. I wanted to embrace this time with them and for them. I wanted to jump all in, so I did!

Ashley and Willy’s love is deep. They inspire me to love my husband deeper and laugh more. The way he looks at her is beautiful, its almost like I could see deep inside that his heart explodes with love for her. Ashley embraces it, I can tell she feels safe in his arms.

Their boys are BOYS!! Bow and arrows, dirt, butts, cows… but beyond all those “boy things”, they adore their mama and they admire their daddy. I could see it. 

So all this too say, I was honored yet again that Ashley would trust me to capture her and her family. I was moved, inspired, changed and have a desire to live life with much intention. I desire that my work moves people. I believe we were created to feel, to be moved by what we see. I believe that images should touch your soul. It should stir past or present emotions. Love or anger, sadness or hope. Images should cause you to become vulnerable. 

I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed creating them.