Kelsey Smith Photography

I really don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said. Some days are good and some days are bad but all have been pretty scary. It doesn’t seem like all that long ago when the news didn’t make me want to climb into bed for the day. When my kids were able to dig in the dirt with their sweet friends. When we went about our crazy chaotic days of drop offs and pick ups and everything in between. This new normal is anything but normal but I’m thankful we’re all here toget...her. I know I am grateful for all the times we said yes as a family. Even when we thought it was going to be a nightmare with four kids. Even when we were right. For now, my family and I are healthy, safe, and together. And beyond grateful. Wishing the same to you and yours.

Away, away we go.

This family stole my heart.

And some sessions we just laugh and laugh and laugh.

This is everything I ever want to say about family in one photograph. It is the content look of love. It is the moments that pass effortlessly from mama to kiddo. It is new houses and fresh green plants in every corner. It is light shining through always.

From sunrise to sunset, our latest baby’s first day on Earth. Welcome to the world, Lee Lighton.

When mama love and soft light match up perfectly.

Have you ever wondered how you can get the most out of your family photography sessions? I wrote this article for you! Head over to the Rookie Mom blog to check it out! https://www.rookiemoms.com/fall-family-photo-sessions/

I’ve been gone but I’m back now. At least a little bit. There are so many reasons why I started to limit my social media posts, both professionally and personally. It started as a social media free summer in 2017 and I fell in love. My clients continued to return without seeing my posts and I was lucky enough to even grow my business without the use of social media. It was beyond reassuring that I was on the right path. I realized how much of my energy went into my online ...life and how that energy could be better spent focusing inward and spending the extra time on my family. I stopped posting our everyday moments and instead I started keeping them close to my heart. Somehow, it made the time more special knowing it was just for us. I have been holding these moments close. Each one filling my heart, putting the pieces back together. I started to completely pull away from social media and I can’t say I will ever be back in that fully immersed, everyday moment kind of way. But I do have a year and a half of beautiful client moments that I’ve been keeping and I think they deserve to see the light of day. I'm ready now though, I think. I'm ready to share, both these moments and myself again. I’ll start with this moment. This moment holds my whole heart. Allison answered in her questionnaire that she wanted to remember her daughter’s sweet little self, her little hands and feet. To me, this moment gets that and so much more. The little sliver of light peeking through their profiles, the closed eyes like they’re breathing each other in. This moment is everything I hope to capture for my clients and tell the story of their family. This moment is pure love.

To this dad, our Dad. The Dad that makes our house complete. The one who gets up early and stays up late on Christmas Eve putting together presents. The one who takes care of us and leads our pack of stone cold weirdos. To our rad Dad, thank you for being you and thank you for being ours. To all the dads. To my Dad. For protecting us. For loving us in only the way you can. For teaching us all you know. For picking us up when we fall. For taking a breath and answering with pat...ience. For hanging Christmas lights. For always being there. For hugging us tightly. For reading that damn Dr. Seuss book a million and one times. For having the best worst dad jokes. For hooking up the trailer and leading us into the sunset. For the dads who get up, day after day, and work tirelessly. For having the courage to let your children be who they need to be. For being a bright light shining in all the darkness. This ish is not easy. Sometimes, this ish is not fun. But always, this love is worth it. Thank you, Dads, for making our hearts happy.