It’s a bit intimidating to first meet your client in their own home. One spring day in 2017 I pulled up to Callie and Ben’s house to take maternity photos before Oliver was born. Oliver was their second child, so I also got to meet Ophelia who was three at the time and absolutely adorable. I do remember the beautiful stained glass window on their stairway, but what sticks with me most is how they never felt like strangers, and were so welcoming.
They both completely trusted me, and it wasn’t just because they let me, a stranger, into their home. I will admit that back then I was new to posed newborn photography and I can also see now that my lighting was off. They were patient with me and although I criticize my art now, they are still lovely photos that bring back warm memories.
In late 2020 I was asked to photograph another special home for them. It was Ben’s birthplace, his first home, the home his mother still lived in. And anyone who knows St. Paul will tell you it’s “St. Small,” so when they gave me the address I had to laugh. It was only a block away from my own home. Ben grew up in the same neighborhood my kids did. Ben’s mom had been sick AND it was 2020 which was super challenging for the family. We took photos outside of their home in the snow. There was a big snowball fight in the end which Ben’s mom participated in gleefully. I was sad to hear she passed away in 2023 and her home was sold last year. In the meantime Callie told me she had had a fourth baby, which was a surprise to me, so when I was in their home taking newborn photos last year they mentioned the sale of Ben’s family home. We decided to take photos with the entire extended family in front of the home before it closed. It was such an honor to be allowed to walk inside of the house and hear all of their wonderful memories there.
As a photographer you are always looking for the light. It doesn’t matter how bad the background is as long as you find the light. Grief is like that too. There is always a light to find in dark times. I hope those photos of their last day in their family home was a light in the darkness for the family. Callie and the kids gifted me some raspberry jam made from the raspberries in their grandmother’s backyard. I savored every bite of it knowing how special it was to them.
Thank you Ben, Callie, Ophelia, Oliver, Beau, and Violet for letting me into the homes where your hearts are. I always feel at home with you.
