Motherhood is made up of a thousand little moments — snuggles on the couch, tiny hands wrapped around your neck, laughter that fills the room. It’s easy to capture photos of our children, but far too often we forget to step into the frame ourselves. As a Minneapolis portrait photographer, I’ve seen just how meaningful these images become over time. For me, motherhood photography has become one of the most powerful ways to preserve this season of life, and it all started with one simple session when Logan was a baby.

When Logan was about 9 months old, I booked a motherhood session with just the two of us: something that had never even crossed my mind before.

We spent the morning snuggling, playing, and just being us. Nothing fancy. No pressure. And when I saw those photos, something shifted for me.

They quickly became some of my favorite images I’ve ever had.

They captured us exactly as we were in that season — Logan with all of his little quirks, and me wrapped up in the kind of love I didn’t yet have words for. The bond I share with him was already stronger than I knew was possible, and the love I felt was completely all-consuming. Seeing that reflected back to me in photos felt really powerful.

Right away, I knew I never wanted to forget that feeling.

Since then, I’ve had a motherhood session every single spring. In-home, in-studio, outdoors. Mini sessions and full sessions. And now, looking back at those photos year after year, I’m honestly amazed by how different they are.

It’s hard to notice the change when you’re together every day. But when I look at those images, I find myself saying over and over again, “Look how little they were.”

I see Logan laying his head on my chest as an infant.
That goofy smile he had for just a couple of weeks, when he tucked his upper lip into his bottom one.
How much he changed between those first two sessions: from a skinny 9-month-old to a pudgy little 18-month-old.

I remember how he used to grab my face when he kissed me, run at me to tickle me, squeeze me tight around the neck, and how his eyes would sparkle when he looked up at me.

And then… I got to have two of them.

My whole world, in photos.

Once Lorelai joined our sessions, I not only had special moments with each of them. I had moments of them together. Even when they were so little, you could already see the love between them. Logan absolutely adored his baby sister. They just lit up around each other.

I love having photos of Lorelai grabbing my face, holding her toes, playing with my hair, and covering her eyes for peek-a-boo.

I love having photos showing how I held their hands, brushed their hair, kissed their cheeks, tickled them, and played with them.

I’m almost always the one behind the camera, capturing the memories. But I want these photos not just for me — I want them so they have a reminder of how I was with them. Of how deeply I loved them.

I knew right away that I wanted to do these sessions every year, at least once. Not because it’s always easy (picking outfits can be stressful and I don’t always love being photographed anymore), but because none of that is what matters in the end.

What matters is being able to see love in photographs.

That’s why motherhood photos matter so much to me.
Because I don’t want to forget how this feels.
Because mothers deserve to be in the photos.
And because this season of motherhood deserves to be remembered.

That’s exactly why I created the Celebrating Motherhood experience.

As a Twin Cities motherhood photographer, I believe every mother deserves to step into the frame with her children and preserve this season of life. These motherhood photos become more than just pictures — they become reminders of the love, connection, and everyday moments that make this season so meaningful.

One day, these images won’t just be for you. They’ll be for them, too.