family. Flinders, mornington peninsula

“You are being asked to surrender to the beauty that is trying to unfold” ~Sarah Blondin

I copied these words down (they’re from a meditation i listen to about 4 times a week) intending to riff on it a little bit, you know, relate it to family photography and the reasons why, after a year away from this craft, I’ve decided that it’s important work that I want to continue with for the moment, in amongst an increased dedication to art practice. But it’s kind of redundant, the words speak for themselves, and any parent has already learned a lot about surrender.

The only thing I want to add is this: your only job during your family photos is to be present with the ones you love. In whatever way feels most natural, most authentic and most deeply true to you - try to surrender. Let down the walls as much as you humanly can, I do think you probably want to, if you’ve booked a shoot like this. So let’s follow through. Honestly, I’ve seen everything, and think all of it is unbearably beautiful. Whatever it is that you think might be too much or too little or too embarrassing or too fighty or too awkward, I can hold it, I really can, and then let me show you what I see. But I can only do that if you let me in a little.

I too am making the commitment to be more and more open, and honest and unashamed and unabashed. Let’s do it together.

There isn’t time for anything else.