Documentary Family Awards

Winning isn’t everything and I have learned a whole heck of a lot more from failures than successes in photography, but it sure does feel good to be recognized.  For years, I have followed Kirsten Lewis Bethman and Jenna Shouldice as leaders in the genre of documentary family photography, two women who have raised the bar and truly elevated the game by creating incredible bodies of work, producing thoughtful instruction that is accessible to everyone, and provided a platform to celebrate the amazing talent within documentary family photography.  The first time I watched them in the live judging of the Documentary Family Awards, I was blown away by the talent and creativity behind each image.  Even better, Kirsten and Jenna went into detail about why certain images are powerful and what might be done to make them even better.  When the DFAs rolled around the second time, I forced myself to enter, thinking that there was no way I was ever going to get an image into the competition.  But I really wanted to be a part of it and learn from the process.  And then I entered the third time.  And the fourth.  That time, I saw one of my images made it through the first round of judges and I was honestly THRILLED.  I was totally proud just to see it.  In June, I submitted photos, one a series that I had submitted previously and returned to it and worked harder to make it better.  And so when I tuned in to watch the live judging and saw my photos be selected in every single category that I had submitted to (environmental portrait, cell phone only, nothing is better than real life, and series) I was floored.  Incredulous. 

I think this made my entire YEAR.  I’m beyond proud to be a part of this incredible group of photographers with talent that constantly blows my mind and inspires me every day to be a better photographer. 

Cell Phone Only

Nothing Is Better Than Real Life

Series

Me, Myself, and I

When growing up feels lonely. Everyone is supposed to have a place to belong, but what happens when you haven’t found it yet? What happens when people are changing and sometimes outgrow you? These are questions I’ve asked as a mom of a child in the middle of his adolescence, a time when desperately trying to fit himself into a space where he won’t be noticed. I still see him.

(You can see and read more on this series here)