It all started with a dream. I’ve photographed this beautiful family since the first born was five days old. Now they have a new little sunshine in the family. My role as documentarian is an extreme honor with the added bonus of a beautiful friendship grown from trust, creativity and time. Each session not only tells the story of this beautiful family, but iconic images rise to the top speaking of personality, place and relationships.

photos make a house a home from Laura Cottril on Vimeo.

We knew we wanted to make this gallery just right before we committed to the expense of creating it. So we started with a blueprint layout including favorite images from the past year’s sessions. The portrait gallery is designed to be changeable, so as the years go by we can add to it or replace images. Creating a printed blueprint let us feel good about the final size of the layout on the wall, including the size of the different frames

The installation was like opening gifts at Christmas! We had the plan, the map and the framed prints ready to go. It couldn’t have been easier or more fun to watch the photo gallery take shape, one by one, as they went up on the wall. Of course we had good helpers too!

Gazing at each year’s favorite images was such a treat as the memory from each session flashed before our eyes.

A client once told me that not only does the photo bring back the memory of the day, it brings back the memory of what else was happening in their life at that time. A photograph is a powerful reminder of the stages along our life timeline.

Now this lovely family gets to gaze or glance at their memories as they pass by their wall gallery every day.