My Chiaroscuro work, turning fifty this winter, preparing to launch my oldest from the nest, and walking alongside aging parents, have tenderized my heart in ways I never expected. This season is shaping how I see this one precious life we’re given—also how I see the families I’m privileged to photograph and film.

Newborns fill me with wonder…so much potential, so many dreams, all that life yet to live crammed into the tiniest bodies. Through my lens, I’m reminded that every person—from babies just starting out, to grandparents with decades behind them—is a living library of stories.

Capturing these milestones feels sacred. It’s bearing witness to new chapters being written, families growing, time moving in ways both tender and astonishing. My work is my play, but it’s also my purpose. It feels like a calling on my life to receive a family’s moments in raw form, then return them as art to be cherished for always.