A Parenthood Collection

From Bump to Birthday: Watching a Family Grow Through My Lens

Some sessions hit a little deeper—even better when it’s a series of sessions that cuts right to the soul. I’ve known Drew and EJ long before the bump, the baby, or the cake-covered first birthday. I’ve known them as travel hungry adventurers chasing tropical sunsets. I’ve known them as thrill seekers and influencers. Most recently, I’ve known them as entrepreneurs and homesteaders. They’ve swayed and adapted through every season life has brought their way—always side by side—and now, with those same well-worn titles still worn proudly, they’ve stepped into their newest role:

Mom and Dad

Archer Gann was grown with the deepest care. From the smallest bump and an announcement that couldn’t be contained, I watched EJ nurture, sooth and savor - a poster child for the “pregnancy glow.”

But it was the delivery room that took my breath away and brought me to tears. This warrior woman fought hard to bring her son into this world and it was electric. There is nothing more wonderous than those first breaths, the tears, the tiny fingers wrapping around mom’s.

And now? That once-little bump is a curious, snarky one-year-old diving head first into birthday cake and throwing his so carefully crafted body into everything he sees. Watching him grow—and watching them grow into parents—has been nothing short of magic.

There truly aren’t words to capture the joy of documenting these fleeting moments for my friends. As a new mother myself, I’ve come to understand just how strange time can be—how it crawls and flies all at once. Photographing Archer from the very beginning has been nothing short of an honor. From the late-night talks and quiet hopes for the child they hadn’t met yet, to watching him run barefoot through the leaves and catch fish with his dad—it’s hard to even remember a time when he wasn’t here. He’s been woven into the fabric of their story from the beginning, and getting to capture that has been beautiful beyond measure.