Mother’s Day Photos 2014 – San Francisco Portrait Studio

Mother’s Day was just this past weekend and so I’m a little late in posting this, but I was out of town for a family wedding. I usually share photos of my clients or personal projects. Today, I wanted to share photos of one of the strongest, most beautiful women I know – my own mother. I am so incredibly grateful to her for so many things – she is the one who has taken care of me in ways that have probably stretched her to her own limits. My mother has been a source of support for as long as I can remember. As a child, she often told me that the word “can’t” isn’t in the dictionary, and that I can do accomplish anything. Despite the many pressures in her life, she has continued to encourage me to find my own path and to live my own dream. She tells me almost every week to ignore the naysayers and to keep pushing forward. My mother is absolutely incredible – she has worked most of her adult life, at times holding down three jobs, in order to support our family. Of course, she then would come home to an additional shift that including cooking and cleaning. Even after all that, she somehow found energy and time to encourage myself and my siblings. One of the things I miss most about Los Angeles is the ease of being able to drop in and visit my mom. I realize that I probably took that for granted when it was so easy to do. Right now, she is half way across the world for the next few months and there are days where it feels weird to not hear her voice on the other end of the line asking me what I ate today. She always asks me what I ate today – it might be a mom thing. But it is because she knows I forget about things like food when I am engrossed in a project.

Ronnie and I took these photos in December of 2013 because I am so well aware of the number of photos I have with my mom – not that many to be honest. I want her to be present in photos with me and I want to be present in photos with her. And one day, I will push to be present in photos with my children, not just documenting their lives alone – but their lives with me and with Ronnie – so that one day they will have those memories and stories to look back on. I encourage all moms to step out from behind the camera every once in a while and make sure you get in there with your kids. It doesn’t have to be the perfect family photo (although I can help with that) it just needs to happen and it needs to happen more often.

Sending hugs and kisses to my mom, halfway across the world and wishing all you amazing mothers a Happy Mother’s Day!