This is probably my favorite session I have ever done to date. It also happened to be the first time I had pre-session jitters when shooting a client… because it was my very own dad! This was a very personal project for me because it involved documenting a true love story that deeply impacts my life. At first, I wasn’t sure how my parents were going to react to being lovey on camera in front of me, but the two were naturals and had a ton of fun with it! 

Luckily for me, my father is a male model. Yup, that’s right people; he has been featured in print, commercials and has even been naked in Vogue! To top it off, this all happened well into his 50s! However, the real star of this shoot is the woman I consider to be my step mom, Ellen Dolan. She is a well established actress and played Margo on As the World Turns for a decade! These two have been together for the majority of my life and have co-parented my half sister, Angela, who is now 16 years old! 

It has been amazing getting to grow up and know my parents as people rather than adult figures who raise us. These pictures show the power of love 16 years and counting. Although I am a wedding photographer, I am a firm believer that you don’t need marriage to have a committed loving relationship that withstands the test of time. I’d like to thank my dad and Ellen for showing me that everyone’s path to happiness is different.

This was a very personal project for me and I want to encourage everyone to take a second to document the love stories that surround their own lives! Here are a few of my favorites from our afternoon at the Jefferson Memorial.