I never write notes like this anymore and I am vowing to start. How many times has someone done something for you and you’ve been SO thankful but just didn’t make the time to tell them? I need to start making the simple art of thanking people a bigger part of my everyday life!

I got this email from Emily today with permission to blog as a testimonial and Em, THANK YOU! Not only for taking nap time to write it but for having the heart to think it+share it!

Dear Fresh Art Gals (Jodie, Kim, and now Katie)–

You gave me our family movie two days ago, and I am still gooey and emotional about it. I honestly cannot tell you how much your talent and efforts have made my entire week this week.

For those of you reading, Jodie mentioned how FREEZING it ended up being the day we shot. It was a “fake it til you make it” experience for sure, for ALL of us. Everyone shivering, cameras getting frozen to stiff fingers, quivering models (us)…. And through it all, there was still this MAGIC about the whole thing. When I first got to see the “set” (the table, the props, the display that Katie had styled and set up), I was completely enchanted. HOW did this cute girl I’d never met manage to get it SO  RIGHT? Just a few emails, a few conversations, and she GOT IT. She found ME and put it into play for the session. It completely set the tone for the day, and it was so fun being there, knowing I was in good hands, that it was easy for me to ignore the cold long enough to get some shots.

It was WINDY. The 30-degree wind cut right through all of us. But we were laughing (maybe just to keep from cursing the weather gods?)… And I could just TELL that Kim was getting the shots she wanted, and Jodie was getting the film she needed. They all made us feel completely confident and at ease with the process. Seriously— they made it all look so EASY.

As a children’s photographer myself, I have some tricks up my sleeve for wrangling toddlers. I was ready to use them on my Noah should he start getting troublesome. But you know what? I didn’t have to lift a finger. Those mamas GOT IT. Kim, Jodie, Katie— all of them had little finessed tricks to get him to stay focused. As a mama, I could just relax and let them work with him, and I KNEW they were getting the shots. That is TALENT, people. (you should have seen Katie with Noah’s coat on her head, zooming around with her “cape”, making him giggle! He was in heaven!).

Cold? Yes. Windy? Heck yes! But it WORKED. Even so, even with the good vibe I left that day with, nothing could’ve prepared me for the magic they captured and presented to me in the next few days. The movie alone is a complete treasure to me— my sweet boys, me loving on them, all of us celebrating our baby girl… Jodie found the perfect music (an artist I am already in love with!). She found the perfect moments to edit into the still photos. The timing  of the piece? Perfect. I cherish this little family movie with all my heart. What a cool thing to have and to keep for always! MY family, just as they are THIS MOMENT. Forever. And that’s not even getting to the photographs– what Fresh Art does so spectacularly. There are so many little things that came together to make these so special to me, that make these photographs ones to put on display, BIG. Jodie and Kim, you just get your clients to TRUST you, and the genuine emotions and candor come shining through in the images. I love that. I love seeing myself through your lens(es).

Anyway…. I have LOTS more “gush” and love in my fingertips… But I’m famous for talking/writing too much, so I’ll self-edit. Ha! The POINT is (yes, I have a point)— I am utterly enchanted by the magic of your team, and the gift you have given my family. Thank you for bringing so much of yourselves to your work, and for giving the gift of REAL moments to all your clients. What we do as photographers is more than just provide ART— we provide perfect moments with the people we love best, beautifully preserved in a way we can cherish them and pass them down to our our kids and enjoy them for years to come.

Thank you for doing that for me.

Much love and respect-

Emily