One couple photographed over eight years from engagement to family of five

The Goodwins

Eight Years of Photographing One Growing Family

By now you’ve probably picked up on the fact that my favorite part of photography is the relationships that come from it. Not only do I get to build friendships with these wonderful couples, but I also have the honor of sharing in some of the most joyful moments of their lives.

I met Matt and Christina as an engaged couple in 2016, and was instantly drawn to their playful relationship and easygoing attitudes. After an engagement shoot that encompassed everything from piggyback rides to sword fights with pieces of grass, it came as no surprise when their wedding was a blast.

I’ve been photographing Matt and Christina for eight years now, and when I look back at those years I remember so much more than taking photos. I remember squealing at the news that they were having their first baby and holding him when he was days old. I remember being more touched than I could express when, after Walter’s 4-month photos the day after my birthday, they surprised me with a cupcake. I remember visiting their new home in Charlottesville with my wonderful assistant, Colleen, and spending nights in their guest suite downstairs. I remember thinking, as Walter climbed into my lap in the middle of his one-year-old photoshoot, that this moment alone would have been worth the two-hour drive. I remember laughing with an exasperated Christina when almost-two-year-old Walter rolled in the wet mulch right before we started family photos with baby Emma. And laughing even more when one-year-old Emma, entirely uninterested in taking photos, flopped down on her belly on the sidewalk while giving me a first rate you’re-dead-to-me stare from the midst of a cloud of white tulle. I remember Christina’s thoughtfulness, Matt patiently chasing after stray children, and cartoon construction vehicles singing on the TV as we sipped coffee on their couch and caught up on life.

As I look back on these eight years I don’t think about clients, I think about friends.

2016

engagement photos, Trinity Episcopal Church

engagement photos, Trinity Episcopal Church, Washington Diamond

engagement photos, NFL, jerseys, Trinity Episcopal Church, Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles

engagement photos, NFL, jerseys, Trinity Episcopal Church

engagement photos, NFL, jerseys, sunset photos, Trinity Episcopal Church

Wedding Day!

Middleburg Community Center, Washington Diamond, David's Bridal

Middleburg Community Center, Touch Ups by Benjamin Walk, Washington Diamond

Middleburg Community Center, Apothic Studio in Ashburn, David's Bridal, wedding bouquet, bride

Middleburg Community Center, Apothic Studio in Ashburn, David's Bridal, wedding bouquet

Trinity Episcopal Church, David's Bridal, wedding ceremony

Trinity Episcopal Church, just married, David's Bridal

Their wedding was at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, VA, and we took the engagement photos on the church grounds, which made it extra sweet to photograph them there again as husband and wife.