It All Started With a Caption



There is a spot at my kitchen table that knows me pretty well by now. The one where I sit down with my coffee still warm in my hands, open up my laptop, and stare at a photo I took that stirred something up in my soul, then try to find the words to make someone else feel what I felt when I took it. I will type a sentence and delete it. The delete button becomes my best friend as I wipe it all away and start over. There is something about the sound of typing when an idea is really flowing. My fingers can barely keep up, the keyboard almost humming under my hands, and for a second I think, okay, this is it, this is the one. I sit back, I read it, I tilt my head. Not quite right. So I put my hands back on the keys and I start again.

I want every caption I write to come straight from my heart and actually mean something to the person reading it. I want to tell a story, to use words the way I use my camera, to capture a feeling, a moment, something real. Words hold so much power, and it is never simple for me to just write something, close my laptop, and call it a day. I want it to have intention and heart, and I want it to reach someone who needed to hear it that day.

And thank goodness my sister Ashley knows this about me.

The Caption That Started It All

One Friday Ashley was over so our kids could hang out and play in the backyard, fighting over a stick or a rock or whatever it happened to be that day. We both looked out, said "work it out, you will be alright," and went right back to chatting. Ashley has always been that person in my life who shows up when I need her, so I looked over and said, "Hey, would you read this caption for me and make sure it makes sense?" Without hesitation she said yes, because that is just who she is.

She started reading it, and I looked over and she had tears in her eyes. I was so confused at first. I thought something was wrong. But then she read it back to me and I remembered exactly how I felt when I wrote it. I had felt it so deeply, and I just hoped that when someone else read it they would feel my heart behind it too. And she did.

This is the caption she was reading:

You know that moment when you are walking through the grocery store or taking a walk around the block and you pass another parent and they look at your little ones and say "I wish my kids were that young again." And there is this look in their eyes, like a sadness, like they miss that season so much even though it was wild and exhausting and all you wanted was five minutes alone. And you think, I am going to miss this too. So let's not miss it. No pressure, no perfection, just your family exactly as you are right now, simple and overstimulating and so full of love. Because someday you are going to be that parent walking past a young family wishing you could go back. And you are going to be able to look at those photos on your wall and be so thankful you have those memories. Let's not wait for someday. Let's do it now.

She looked up and said she did not want to wait anymore. That caption made her feel seen, like someone finally put words to something she had been feeling for a while. She had been putting off booking a session, and she could not tell you exactly why. Maybe life got busy, maybe it never felt like the right time. But sitting there in my kitchen with our kids hollering at each other in the backyard, she decided that this season of her life was worth documenting.

And she looked at me and said, "Screw it, let's book a session."

So we did. And the planning began.

Moving the Couch (Again)

A few weeks before our session, Ashley and I were FaceTiming, talking about our session coming up. We landed on doing an in home session in Johnstown, Colorado, because she had always wanted to do one, and this felt like the perfect time. She mentioned the couch was right in front of the window, and we talked about how it might need to move so I could stand in the perfect spot to get the best lighting. She laughed and said, "Well, looks like the couch will have to move," and I was absolutely thrilled because I love a new floor plan.

Now let me give you a little backstory on Ashley and me. As kids we absolutely loved rearranging our rooms, and we would take every opportunity we could to move things around. And when we got our own houses, that did not change one bit. We would be sitting and chatting at one of our houses and one of us would say, "You know, I think your couch would look better over there," and before we knew it we were moving the entire living room around. And when our husbands would come home, they would walk in, look around, roll their eyes, and say, "Why must things always be moved?" And we would both look at them and say, "Well, we think it looks better over here."

Ashley had to ask Ben for a little help with the rearrange before our session, and I am so glad he was willing to help her one more time, because with the couch moved it opened up the whole space!

Meet Ben and Ashley

I have been to this house more times than I can count, but this time was different. I did not come to chase the kids around or help move furniture, even though we love to do that. This time I came with my camera, and I felt so honored to be there to capture this season of their life.

With every couple there is always one person who absolutely adores PDA and one person who needs a little more time to warm up, and Ben and Ashley were no exception. I started directing them with some poses, but Ben had other plans. He just took over, dancing with her, stealing kisses, making her laugh, just being completely and unapologetically himself. And Ashley kept laughing and saying, "Ben, be serious!" which of course only encouraged him more.

But then there was this one moment that I keep coming back to. He pulled her in close and something shifted. I watched her whole body just relax into him, and I honestly put my camera down for a second and just watched that sweet moment between them. She was just with the person she loves the most. And after that, Ashley truly became more herself: laughing, being playful, just completely at ease.

The Kitchen: Where the Magic Happened

With about thirty minutes left, I suggested we move into the kitchen, and that is where everything just clicked. Ashley and Ben were sipping coffee, laughing, just completely themselves. No posing, no direction, just two people who know each other really well enjoying each other's company. Ben looked at me and said, "I need another cup of coffee," and reached for his favorite mug, the one that does not even have a handle on it anymore. He started talking about why he loved that mug so much, and Ashley just smiled at him the way you smile at someone you have known for a long time.

I put my camera down for just a second because something about that moment got me. They were just talking about a mug. A broken mug. But that is what life is actually about, isn't it? Not the perfect things, not the trending things, just the everyday simple moments that mean something to you. A mug without a handle that you just cannot bring yourself to throw away. And I think love is a little like that too. Things get worn, parts get broken, but when you keep showing up for each other, that love just keeps growing. And watching Ashley and Ben in that kitchen, I could feel exactly that. Their love felt genuine and real and so deeply theirs.



The Photo That Gets Me Every Time

In-home sessions in Johnstown, Colorado, used to intimidate the heck out of me because I did not understand how to bring the warmth of someone's home into my photos. But now I understand it is not really about the perfect lighting or the perfect outfits or the perfect house. It is about the family who makes that house a home, filled with love and laughter and everyday moments that matter. And that is why I have learned to fall completely in love with them.

My timer went off letting me know the session was up. After a few more shots, I finally put my camera down and was about to turn it off, when Wyatt came wandering down the stairs still half asleep from his nap. I knew that even in his sleepy state he would be totally down for a few photos. I hugged him and brought him over to Ashley and Ben and asked him to put his hand on top of his mama's. And he did. Eyes barely open, still waking up, he just reached out and placed his little hand right on top of hers.

It is something I have started doing at the end of every family session, hands stacked on top of one another, because it tells the whole story in one frame. These are the hands that built this family, the hands that hold each other and wipe tears and reach for each other at the end of a long day. And that little sleepy hand on top said everything words never could.

Ashley and Ben, thank you for letting me into your home and into your story. This is your life, and it is a beautiful one. I am so glad that proofreading one little caption for me turned into you looking at me and saying, 'Screw it, let's book a session.'"

Ready to Book Your Own Session?

If you have been thinking about booking anniversary photos in Johnstown, Colorado and you just need that little push — this is it. I would love nothing more than to step into your space and capture your family right where they are. Head over to the contact page and let's get you on the books!

And if you loved following along with Ashley and Ben's story, come follow me over on Instagram , where I write captions that speak to people the way that one spoke to Ashley.