Why the Kids?

For me, it’s always been about the kids. The kids I babysat in college, the kids I got to teach as a 1st and 3rd grade teacher here in Seattle, and then the kids I got to call my own.

I think they’re the very best kind of humans, these kids.

It’s the curiosity, the newness, that fills them with wonder, and I just love watching it unfold. I’ll find myself sitting at lunch, completely captivated by my two-year-old as she tries to stab a slippery noodle with her fork. So determined, so focused, and just a little bit playful. Or I’ll watch my older kids stomping down the hallway as one of the characters they've invented, fully immersed in the movement and completely unaware of how wonderfully ridiculous they look. It's the same kind of freedom I remember from childhood, before we become so aware of ourselves.

I think that's why I love being around kids. They are constantly figuring out life in real time, and getting a front-row seat to that process is endlessly fascinating to me.

There's a quote by Picasso that captures it perfectly:

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

Kids are often remarkably free to be exactly who they are. They haven't yet learned all the rules about who they're supposed to be or how they're supposed to act. That authenticity is what I love most, and it's what I'm always looking for when I photograph them.

I don't want photographs of children performing childhood.

I want photographs of children living it.

One of the greatest gifts photography has given me is the ability to observe. When I'm at a session with a child and a camera in my hand, I'm in one of my happiest places. I get to slow down, pay attention, and notice all the little things that make each child uniquely themselves.

The way they examine a rock they found on the trail. The way they tuck their hand into a parent's pocket. The way they tell a story, ask a question, or burst into laughter. Or the way they navigate the discomfort of a new place, a new experience, or a photographer they've just met.

Photography gives me permission to be deeply curious about children, and that curiosity never gets old.

I think we all have something that draws us in—a thing that shapes our interests, our careers, our hobbies, and the way we spend our time. It's the thing that makes us feel most alive.

For me, it's getting to witness childhood.

That's what I love most about being human, and why I feel incredibly lucky that both education and photography have allowed me to spend so much of my life learning from, celebrating, and being inspired by children.

So yes, for me, it's always been about the kids.