The final post of this series goes out to another champion and hero in my life, my sister. Hannah, I love you. You are my other half. It’s an absolute blessing to share this life with you (and to share a birthday with you too)! I’m so proud to call you my sister. You display a level of strength that I aspire to achieve every day. Your passion around health and wellness is your essence and the knowledge you’ve passed on to our family has been the greatest gift.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ You possess power, motivation, drive, and persistence. You have a massive heart and you are the number one source of inspiration in my life. You have an amazing ability to draw the sunshine out of the individuals in your life. People are “seen” by you and you fill them with love, compassion, and kindness.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ You are incredibly thoughtful. I keep all of your beautiful handwritten letters and they bring me so much joy. You are a talented artist and I am in constant awe of your creations. You have influenced me, and others around you, more than you know. I’m a better man as a result of having you as my sister. I cherish you and I appreciate you 🙏🏼❤️⁣ ⁣⁣ Is there a specific quality that you appreciate most about my beautiful sister, @honeybrookartandwellness? I’d love for you to share! ❤️
Today’s post goes out to another champion and hero in my life, my dad. Dad, I’m so very proud of you and I. It’s clear to me that since our incredible, 12 day motorcycle trip around France together, you and I have entered a beautiful, brand new chapter of our relationship, and as your son, I’m erupting with love and gratitude. You and I have worked so hard to achieve this new level of love, affinity, and appreciation for one another and I want to thank you and acknowledge you for meeting me halfway. It is an honor to call you my father.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ At the root of your being, there lies an undying love and commitment to our family. You soul is full of generosity, warmth, and kindness and you have stood as a beacon of support to us and so many others throughout this life. You are a door opener, a creator of possibilities, a great teacher, and a wonderful father, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, and teammate. You do it all with such confidence, power, and grace. I deeply appreciate you and I love you so much, Daddyo ❤️⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Is there a specific quality that you appreciate most about this incredible man, @craigh.smith? I’d love for you to share! 🙏🏼
Today’s post goes out to this champion and hero in my life, my mom. Where do I even begin, @welcometowonder? You are a blessing in my life, and so many other’s lives. I’m so very grateful to call you my mother and you are a constant source of inspiration, joy, and unconditional, abundant love. You possess an amazing ability to brighten anyone’s day and it’s magical to witness. You are a powerful and compassionate mother, wife, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, and teammate on this earth.⁣ ⁣ There’s one quality that I love and appreciate about you most and it’s your un-ending curiosity to discover the wonder and beauty in this life. Your soul emanates gratitude and it fills you and the world around you with the most beautiful, warm, enveloping sunshine. I deeply appreciate your presence in my life and I love you so much! ❤️🙏🏼⁣ ⁣ Is there a specific quality that you appreciate most about this incredible woman? I’d love for you to share! ❤️
Rachel and Kenny, happy one year anniversary! These two celebrated their love for each other exactly one year ago, today. And what a wonderful and special day it was! Truly, these photos speak for themselves. Make sure you scroll through all ten images so that you get the full flavor of just how beautiful this day was.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ The love in the air that day between @rlshark77 and @ksharkness1 as well as their friends and family was immense. It was an honor to witness and it was experience that I’ll never forget. Rachel and Kenny, thank you for inviting me to be a part of your very special day. I’m so grateful to have captured these memories for you to cherish for rest of your lives together.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ I’m wishing you two another year of peace, love, joy, and happiness ✌🏼❤️😊
Today also marks the 73rd wedding anniversary of my Grandmother, Dorothy, and Grandfather, Casimir. They were married in 1946 in Rochester, NY. I love them deeply and I miss them very much. Happy anniversary Grandma and Grandpa! #1057 ❤️
Thank YOU Sarah and Dave!! It was an absolute honor photographing your wedding two years ago and I’m wishing the both of you a very very happy two year anniversary! @elaine.shanks, I hope you two have the most beautiful weekend and may it be full of peace, joy, love, and happiness!!✌🏼😊❤️⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ To all my followers, make sure you swipe all the way through these images so you can see their infamous post ceremony fist bump!! ❤️👊🏼❤️⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Also, huge shout out to @justin_cappuccino for being the spark that ultimately gave me the opportunity to photograph Sarah and Dave’s special day! Thanks brother!! I miss you!! ❤️ ⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ .⁣⠀ #bohobride #thatsdarling #loveauthentic #engaged #greenweddingshoes #chasinglight #bohowedding #weddingseason #smpweddings #engagement #ido #weddingphotographer #weddinggown #engaged #theknot #weddinginspiration #engagementring #bridesmaid #weddinginspo #bridesmaids #washingtondc #exposeddc #igdc #mydccool #acreativedc #streetmeetdc #canonphotos #canoneos #canonphotographer #focalmarked
When was the last time you asked yourself, “Why am I so exhausted today?” Most likely, the next statement may have been, “I shouldn’t feel this tired!” And then, you spend a lot of your time and energy wondering why you’re not feeling 100% or frustrated that you feel off.⁣ ⁣ Two very close friends of mine, who I consider to be family, left the city this past Tuesday morning to start a new life in Colorado. It was a long time in the making, I knew it was happening, and we had spent a lot of time together leading up to the move, and yet, this week, I found myself asking the same question, “Why do I feel so exhausted today?”⁣ ⁣ The mental shift happened when I followed that thought with, “Alex, you’re allowed to feel exhausted.” This was a first. As I began accepting that it was ok to feel this way, it became clear that the exhaustion came from deeply missing my friends. And although I miss them, I’m deeply grateful that they are a part of my life. Lee and Karina, if you’re reading this, I love you two. Thank you both for an amazing chapter and here’s to the next chapter together ❤️⁣ ⁣ To everyone out there going through some sort of loss or separation in their lives this week, my heart goes out to you. You’re allowed to feel the way you’re feeling 🙏🏼
This past Sunday, my mom, @welcometowonder, and I, spent the evening looking back on our family’s history. She began by reading me a journal entry she had written back in 1986 about a dinner she had had with her parents. Next, we were flipping through a photo album of a family trip to Switzerland that happened 20 years ago.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ The impermanence of life really comes into focus when you look at images of family members from two decades ago. Here I am, staring at photographs of my mom at age 39, and right next to me, sits my mom at age 59. Time is strange isn’t it?⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ I’ve found myself coming back to the word “fleeting” lately. Days, months, and years blend together and create chapters and experiences in our lives that are always fleeting, always slipping through our finger tips, and passing us by. All we can do is slow down and savor those moments to the best of our abilities, taking in the sounds, smells, shapes, textures, and colors. And sometimes, it can be as simple as taking a moment to make eye contact with someone you love.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ To me, this image tells me a story about the impermanence of life. Here is a skeleton of a tree and perched at the top, for a fleeting moment, is a beautiful little bird. Life goes by quickly, and yet, it’s the small details, those fleeting moments, that we remember most.
Here I am, nearly four years ago, standing on the coast of Cambodia, watching the sunset, as another day fades away. Fireworks sound off, children and families play on the beach, sky lanterns float off into the distance, all while the ocean dances with the sand. This photo brings me back to a moment of peace and presence.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ What is it about sunsets that give us such pause?Aside from their stunning array color, what draws us so deeply to sunsets? To me, it’s almost as if a sunset has the power to momentarily wipe our mind of thoughts, past and present.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Personally, that’s what I adore about sunsets. It’s a moment of pause where I’m often met with gratitude. What do you feel while staring at a sunset? Do you have a most memorable sunset from your past? Where were you and where was your mind? I’d love to know ✌🏼❤️😊