I love having a history with my clients...history that spans the years and the life events. It helps me frame the photography of their family story in a different way. I have this kind of history with the Grants. I actually shot their wedding at The Red Barn in Morton. It was a beautiful wedding! I hadn't heard from Julie and Travis in quite some time, and they really aren't on social media. When they recently reached out to ask me to take updated family photos, I was thrilled that I would get to work with them again! I was also looking forward to seeing how much Jaxon had grown...and then I found out they now have two more little ones, Penelope "Penny" & Ozlo "Baby Ahdo" (per Penelope). This was REALLY exciting to me...it was honestly like being reunited with long-lost friends!
This family has to be one of the most beautifully eclectic families I have had the pleasure of working with. I absolutely loved this session. Not only did the weather, colors and the overall vibe blend together perfectly, but I learned so much more about the Grant family and their adorable therapy poodle.
For starters, I learned that they are real music fans. Some of their current favorites are The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, Garth Brooks and Here Come the Mummies (who, if you have not yet seen live, you should really look into!). Even bedtime routines in the Grant household involve a lot of dancing to the music they love. Together, Julie and Travis have earned multiple graduate degrees, and they both currently work in education. The family loves Harry Potter, and interestingly enough, their family story draws many parallels between the fictional story and the events in their life.
They love spending time together as a family. They are all avid baseball fans. Travis and Jaxon play baseball in the summer and the younger ones are even starting to figure out the game. Penelope likes to run the bases after the games, and Ozlo has already figured out how to play catch with a ball. As a family, they try to visit Disney World every other year, which is also where Mom and Dad spent their honeymoon. They enjoy playing Super Mario Bros. on the Wii, watching the Cubs play, attending and participating in their church and going out for dinner at Old Chicago.
Though the Grants admit they don't yet have any special family heirlooms that get passed on from generation to generation, they do plan to change that with their children/grandchildren. These photos might even be part of that. I just enjoyed this session and reuniting with this family so much, and I certainly hope to work with them again soon!
