family life, photographed

A blonde mom is blowing bubbles for her young daughter

your life, not a lifestyle photoshoot

Don’t wait for your house to be perfectly clean, or for a major milestone, or for your kids to be in a perfect mood, or for your body to look a certain way.

More than anything I want you to be able to look back on these photos and say YES this is our story – not a role you stepped into for the camera.

i'm Jess,

A brunette woman in sunglasses is sitting on a cliff looking away from the camera

a documentary family photographer based in Longmont, Colorado.

I’m a get-down-and-play-on-the-floor kind of friend to kids, and a lifelong photographer devoted to celebrating the messy, brilliant, and unexpected ways our stories unfold.

A white woman with curly brown hair is smiling at her toddler in a coffee shop a

I cry every time I see these photos!

They’re a perfect little snapshot of what our lives are really like. I just cherish them so, so much and wish every parent had photos like these to look back on.

Most days I feel like a slobby, hectic mom, but I look at the photos Jess has taken of me and my family and I look beautiful and kind and loving and I think — holy cow, maybe I got this! She gives me confidence in myself and our life!!

The amount of joy her photos bring me is beyond words and I will always cherish them.

– Holly, after five sessions and counting

Close up image of an adult in a plaid shirt holding the hand of a small child

Documenting your family life is a gift you give yourself now, and a gift you tuck away for your grown up kids. And maybe even their kids.

It’s the gift of contextualizing their growing up years and fixing the ephemeral in place – it’s a way of showing you’ve always been you, and we loved you every step of the way.

A mom and dad are cheering and clapping for their one year old daughter while she takes her first steps

Jess captured how we were in those early months: cozied up together in our nest of a home, sleepy, but so full of bliss.

Your baseboards are clean enough & your body is perfect.

Wear the sweats you feel at home in, serve the beige veggie-less foods your kid will actually eat.

You know you’re gonna blink one day and miss the chaos even as you’re enjoying the quiet – don’t wait for everything to fall into place, because we all know it never really will.