an ode to momma…

My mom is my greatest inspiration.

As a child growing up in the 90’s, my mom had a Canon AE-1 film camera slung around her neck for a lot of the time. She had a beautiful way of capturing those around her and was able to tell the story of my childhood. I still use this camera today, actually - for your photos.
You also get her magic ✨
She was able to capture the essence of our childhood. Our personalities spill out of these photographs. I can almost smell them.
Don’t get me wrong, she never shied away from a JC Penney portrait, but these mean the most to me. The camera was never a character in our lives - no “do this”, “smile”, “sit still”. She simply observed - and her love & adoration pours out of these photographs.

My mom has since developed Alzheimer’s Disease at a very young age. Her photos are the one of the greatest gifts she has given me.
I have boxes upon boxes of photographs about my childhood. I have so many questions that I wasn’t able to get answers for - and I can almost piece together a story because of the photos she took.
I get to HOLD these photos in my hand and remember that she was there.
This is a big reason why I shoot film and why I take photographs altogether.

I feel really blessed and lucky that I get to hold these photographs that feel like an extension of her.
For me, taking photos is more than just a pretty picture.