Why I photograph Families on a Working Farm
People are often surprised when they learn I grew up on a farm. The funny thing is... I wasn't exactly the farm kid everyone imagines.
I was the girly girl. My mom wasn't thrilled about me doing "farm stuff," so helping with chores wasn't a regular part of my childhood. On the rare occasions I did lend a hand, it usually ended with some sort of adventure—or misadventure. There was the time I got paint in my eye, and more than one occasion where I walked away with bumps and bruises. Looking back, maybe the farm and I were still getting to know each other.
As an adult, life took me in a different direction. I spent years working in the professional world before finding my way back home. These days, I help my dad with our family business, and somewhere along the way, the farm became more than just the place where I grew up.
It became my place of peace. One of my favorite things to do is take what I call a "wellness walk." They're not really about exercise. They're about clearing my mind. There is something special about stepping away from the constant notifications, endless to-do lists, and glowing screens. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I don't. Either way, it feels different when you're watching the sun rise over a pasture or catching that golden evening light stretching across an open field.
I've walked these fields so many times that I've started to notice the little things. I know where the light pours through the trees just before sunset. I know which fence line glows in the evening and where the wildflowers seem happiest. Long before I bring a camera, I've already fallen in love with these places. Maybe that's why photographing families here feels so natural. The farm invites people to slow down.
Children don't have to be told to explore—they just do. They pick up rocks, chase butterflies, inspect flowers, wave at the cows, and somehow always find the perfect puddle. Parents stop worrying quite so much about perfectly posed smiles and start laughing alongside their kids. And honestly? Those are the moments I want to remember.
Some of my favorite photographs aren't perfectly clean. They're muddy boots, tiny hands reaching through a fence to pet a curious cow, overalls dusted with dirt, wind-blown hair, and big belly laughs that couldn't have been planned. Out here, a little dirt doesn't ruin the moment. It tells the story.
I love knowing that my own children get to grow up with this kind of freedom. When we're looking for something to do, we don't always head into town. Sometimes we take a drive around the farm. Sometimes we visit the cows. Sometimes we laugh as the roosters remind us they're convinced they own the place. (If you've ever met a rooster with an attitude, you know you just have to remind him who's really in charge.)
Life on a farm isn't always neat, but it's wonderfully real. That's the feeling I hope every family takes home after a session at Otter Creek Acres. Not just beautiful photographs, but images that remind them what it felt like to be together—to breathe deeply, wander a little, get their boots dirty, and make memories that don't require a screen. Because years from now, I don't think anyone will remember whether their kids had dirt on their overalls. They'll remember how happy they were.
