These small humans. I just love them.
One of the first things I did when I moved here to Maine was to contact a local preschool to see if they’d like me to take some portraits. After leaving all my clients behind in Virginia, it felt like home to step into a playground in my new state and be surrounded by the same curiosity and laughter I loved being a part of back home.
I look at the faces in these photos and remember a time, years ago, when I popped into my daughter’s preschool classroom unexpectedly. She spotted me from across the room, and her whole face just LIT UP when she realized I was there. I didn’t happen to catch that moment in a photo, but it will live in my heart forever.
And moments like that are the kind of photos I capture at preschools. Moments of joy, contemplation, focus, or just having fun.
These photos show children simply being themselves. They are honest, genuine portraits without posing or forced smiles.
I’ve always thought that preschool-age is a magical time of life when kids can be fully who they are, without apology or worrying about how they look in a photo. (Although they love to see the photos I take of them on the back of my camera!)
When I go to a preschool to take photos, there’s no lining up or standing still on a certain spot. The words “say cheese!” never come out of my mouth. Instead, I hang out with them on the playground.
It takes a lot longer to take photos this way, but I think it’s worth it.
I spend a lot of time getting to know each of them as I photograph, which helps me get photos that show not just what they look like but who they are.
It’s truly a joy to meet each of these small humans.
Want to schedule
a portrait session?
Contact me for details