Christina's Blog

I was recently asked to visit Duke Hospital to photograph a family who’s son was undergoing treatment for a serious illness.  I was excited about the chance to do this, especially as it was a surprise gift from a friend of the family and I know just how much a portrait can mean to someone during difficult times.

When I arrived at the hospital, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I always try to be sensitive to the fact that these are stressful circumstances and it’s natural that people may not feel particularly open to photographs or strangers.  Imagine my surprise though, when I was welcomed into their hospital room as if I were an old friend.  It wasn’t until several minutes had passed, along with a little conversation, that I realized that they didn’t even know what I was there!  Well, they knew a friend was sending a surprise, but had no idea what it was.  Mom mentioned she was hoping for a massage, but I convinced her I’m a much better photographer than masseuse. 

After I recovered from my embarrassment over not having properly introduced myself, we chatted a while… about their family and Chase, his recent diagnosis, and his upcoming treatments.  Chase offered me snacks and drinks, which I politely declined, but he was persistent.  In the end, he got me with his offer of a piece of chocolate – who can turn down chocolate??  We then set about trying to capture a few good portraits of both Chase and his family (minus one sibling who unfortunately hadn’t arrived in town yet.)

I cannot imagine having someone show up at my front door, tell me they were there to take my portrait and then give me 5 minutes to “get ready” …but that’s kind of exactly what I did to the Rudisill family.  They were kind and warm and welcoming to me, and I only hope I was able to capture a bit of the hope and love permeating the room that day.  Chase is continuing his battle with cancer and I wanted to send out a wish of hope and share this story, along with a few of the beautiful images I was able to create for them.  Keep fighting, Chase!

If my first session of the New Year is any indication, this year is gonna be a great one!  Peyton was visiting the studio for her 6 month Baby Love Collection session and she brought along her big brother, Austin.  One look at the two of them together and I knew I’d have no trouble at all capturing their relationship – the love these two have for each other was obvious and so genuine.  To be honest, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything quite like it – they literally just enjoyed being together and Austin was just so sweet with her.  After a few different poses, I recognized that Austin was beginning to lose interest in this whole “portrait session” thing and I really wanted to try one more pose.  I let him know if I could get just three more shots, I’d be done.  He reluctantly agreed and then did the sweetest thing ever:  he slipped his arms around his little sister, scooped her gently up into his lap and then in his best “stick with me, kid” voice said, “Come on, Peyton, we’re almost done.”  My. Heart.  Melted.

I am working on some gorgeous images tonight and just had to share this sneak-peek from a recent session.  I was invited to create baby Ryan’s newborn portraits when he was only 3 weeks old.  He was quite alert when I arrived, so I took the opportunity to photograph him with his Mommy and big sister, Isabelle first.  He was a bit resistant to the idea of sleeping at first, but after much encouragement from Mommy he finally drifted off, allowing me to capture all his perfect newness and create a beautiful collection of images.

It’s often hard to remember just how tiny our own babies are when they’re born, especially because we see them everyday and they grow so darn fast.  I still find myself surprised sometimes when I pick up a tiny newborn and realize again how very light they are… and how very, very perfect.  I hope Ryan’s family enjoys this little preview and I cannot wait to share the full collection with you!