A Summer Family Session at Paquette Park in Portage WI. The neutral colors of their wardrobes makes these photos so timeless!
As a wedding and senior photographer, I don’t get out and photograph families very often. Most of our family sessions are for past brides, but Mai’s family is special.
Mai’s good friend Katie nominated her for the annual holiday giveaway. The giveaway is hosted each year in December, and applicants from all over the Midwest respond. There are no requirements, and anyone can enter. People can choose to nominate themselves or someone else, and are asked to respond to the question, “why would this person enjoy a photo shoot from us?”. It’s so hard to choose a winner, especially with so many people pouring their heart out in response.
In her application, Katie described Mai as a hard working mom of two who consistently goes out of her way to help others. She is going to school, working nights and raising her two boys to be sweet, kind hearted kids who dream big. In the hour and a half I spent with them, I could already feel how much she had succeeded in that. In a lot of ways, she reminded me of my own mom growing up. My mom was a single mom of three throughout most of her life. She often shares with me how much she feels like she missed out on, or can’t remember from our childhood simply because she was working so hard.
When Katie nominated Mai, she said something that struck my heart…
“Someday, things will slow down for her…her kids will be older, night shift a distant memory, her degree complete…but I want her to always be able to look back and appreciate this season of her life.”
That resonated with me. This why I continue to take photos. Some day, we will want to look back at a different part of our lives, and be reminded of what those days felt like.
Mai, thank you for traveling to Portage, WI and allowing me to share time with your sweet family for this photo session! I am so glad Katie introduced us, and I hope some day when you have a minute to slow down and breathe, you look back at these photos and see just how incredible of a mom you are.
Interested in learning more about Portrait Sessions? Check out our portraits page!
