Gresham Family (2015) | Downtown St. Joseph, Michigan

Four years ago, yesterday, we moved from Florida to Michigan so my husband could start his new job. It was a very exciting time for us! An awful lot happened in the next two years. And by ‘an awful lot’, I mean absolutely nothing related to photography. I closed my photography business when we moved to Michigan. I still hoped to do again some day but I was not mentally or emotionally ready to take it back on as a profession. However, in January 2015, when my dear friend wanted some winter photos of her family, casually hanging out at their favorite Downtown St. Joseph spots, I jumped at the chance.

We started with a few shots of them near the St. Joseph Lighthouse and walked back up the bluff for some hot cocoa at The Chocolate Cafe; then we walked around some more, stopping for some group shots and head shots and visited a charming little book store. I love when I can go to a location where my subjects feel comfortable and free to be themselves. I thrive on the moments I can capture not only nice smiles but feelings… emotions… memories… personalities. My absolute favorite shot from this session is the photo above. The girls were laughing about something random and witty the youngest sister said. I don’t remember what she said but I can still hear their laughter. I remember feeling like I was witnessing what it must be like to grow up with sisters. They might not always like each other, but there is an undoubtable bond between them. I’m not sure how else to describe it. It’s beautiful.

I wrote about the Gresham Family in my very first Michigan blog post a few weeks ago, at which point I talked about how they were one of my first family sessions when I lived in Florida. I had no idea, then, that we would still be doing family sessions many years later and nearly one thousand miles north of where we were. These girls have grown up so much!