Hi, Amy here. And I have a confession: at first I hated the picture up there. I look nuts! And my eyes are bulging so crazy. But you know who loves this picture? My daughter, Eden. And I grew to love it to. Because it tells the story of us together when she was four- being silly, not afraid of how we look and what other people think.

People often ask me how I became a photographer. It’s simple really: I’ve always been drawn to stories. For a while, I thought I would be a writer, but eventually I found myself in this space, telling stories through photographs rather than words.

My husband and I have four kids, and parenthood changed us- as I’m sure it did you. What once I held on to, I’ve learned to let go. What once I valued highly, I’ve found to be deficient. I’ve always been a perfectionist, but parenthood shows me perfection is unattainable. My kids show me how much presence, curiosity, and courage can be enough.

“Life demands much of me. Give me courage to be still.”

I have this written next to my kitchen sink. It reminds me to slow down. To let go. To be present. This is where Documentary Family Photography comes in. As I fell in love with documenting my kids’ childhood, I began to see how beautiful the rawness could be. I stopped trying to make everything perfect. And you know what, those are the pictures they love! When they grab my phone and scroll through my photos, they are drawn to the ones that tell a story, that stir up a memory, and that evoke an emotion. So this is what I want to give to them, and to my husband and I….and also to you.