For me, the most fulfilling part of being a photographer is blessing people with memories. We all know photos are priceless, but after losing my brother last year, I have a renewed perspective on what a photo means. It is that moment, those sounds, those smells. It is emotion. It is life.

Jessica and Arif know the pain of loss well. At the time of their marriage, they were struggling with his father’s diagnosis and passing which lead to the untraditional photo session we decided to have prior to their ceremony. They were able to share the images with his father the day before he passed away (you can read the post here). Now, they’ve welcomed baby Lincoln, named after his father, into their family.

I walked into their home on Sunday morning to the sun shining, music playing, and a palpable new-baby sweetness in the air. Over the two hours I was there, we chatted and caught up. I was struck by their positive attitudes and lighthearted approach to the photos. Often, new parents are understandably a bit frazzled. But Jess and Arif couldn’t stop talking about how awesome it is to have a child. They shared that most people share the negative parts of parenthood… the lack of sleep and general hardship. And they admitted there were very difficult moments as there are with any transition in life, but overall it was the most wonderful thing in the world and they couldn’t feel more blessed.

I feel honored to freeze these memories of their new season.