There’s a moment from my childhood that still makes my stomach drop a little when I think about it.
I was in fourth grade, standing in a spelling bee.
I loved school. I loved reading. I loved spelling tests. I loved getting things right.
And then my first word came:
Rutabaga.
I got it wrong immediately.
And I cried.
Not quietly either. Fully embarrassed. Humiliated. Heartbroken in the way only kids can be when something feels huge.
At the time, it felt like the biggest failure in the world.
Now?
It’s one of the clearest memories I have from childhood.
Not because it was perfect.
Because it wasn’t.

When we think about documenting our families, we often think about:
But memory doesn’t really work that way.
The moments that stay with us are often:
I remember:
Tiny things.
But somehow… not tiny at all.

As adults, we often expect childhood memories to feel linear.
But they rarely do.
They come back in flashes:
Sometimes a memory comes back because your own child experiences something similar.
My first grader has a spacer in the roof of her mouth right now.
And every time I see it, I’m suddenly back in kindergarten remembering mine.
Not the procedure.
Not the details.
Just the feeling of having it.
That’s what memory does.

Right now, your child is creating memories they won’t fully understand until years from now.
One day they may remember:
And they may forget a thousand other things entirely.
That’s why photographs matter so much.
Not because they freeze perfection.
Because they preserve presence.

One of the biggest misconceptions about family photography is that it’s supposed to look polished and flawless.
But the images families treasure most later are usually the ones that feel:
The way your toddler clings to your leg.
The chaos between siblings.
The wind in your daughter’s hair.
The missing tooth smile.
The expression your child makes that only you recognize.
Those are the details that become priceless later.

There are so many things I didn’t understand as a child.
My parents’ divorce.
My dad remarrying.
The tension that existed quietly behind closed doors.
Kids don’t always know what’s happening around them.
But they feel everything.
Years later, after both my dad and stepmom had passed away, I inherited a journal my stepmom had written while dating my dad.
Reading it changed something in me.
I saw how deeply she loved us.
How badly she wanted to belong in our family.
And suddenly, pieces of my childhood made more sense.
That’s another reason I value photographs so deeply.
Sometimes understanding comes later.
And photos become part of how we reconnect with our own story.

At Alabaster Photos, I photograph families, newborns, mothers, and growing children with storytelling in mind.
Not stiff poses.
Not perfection.
But connection.
I want your images to feel:
Because years from now, these photographs may help your children remember not just what life looked like…
But what it felt like.

One day your child will sit somewhere unexpected and suddenly remember:
And your photographs will help bring those memories back into focus.
That’s the real reason to document your life now.

📍 Studio located in downtown New Richmond, Wisconsin
📸 Serving families throughout Hudson, Baldwin, River Falls, and the St. Croix Valley
🤍 Relaxed family, motherhood, maternity, and newborn photography designed around storytelling and connection
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In-Home photography sessions are also available in Hudson, Stillwater, and throughout Western Wisconsin.
Newborn, Maternity, & Family Photography
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