Who we are | Kauai Photographer

Because you’re here, I know that you love photography, and that you’re into real moments. Me too.

Why do I call this post who we are? Because I think if you love and value photography, you’re not just looking for someone based on price. You’re looking for a photographer whose work speaks to you and if my work speaks to you, I think we must be really similar. I feel the same way about finding a photographer whose work moves me and I am happy to save money so that I can hire them. I’ve wondered why I feel so bonded to my clients and after working through a challenge given by a mentor, this must be the reason. I’m not here to just shoot some pics and pass them to you on a dvd. I want to get to know you and your family. I want to create images of your family that you treasure as art; images we make together to create moments of joy, forever captured for you to cherish and look back on. I want to help you choose the best images for that perfect spot in your home and have it sent to you so all you need to do is hang it on the wall. No stress required.

I’ve always loved to go to other people’s homes and look through their photo albums. It’s such a fun thing to see what moments they’ve captured, the things that were important to them, the places and people they love. My husband has only a handful of photos of his childhood and it breaks my heart a little. I wish I could see more of him at all different ages. I wish I could see if our children look like him as a child. I wish he had more of his special moments captured. It makes me want to document our children’s lives even more. I want them to see and feel how cherished they are. I want them to be able to look back on special and important moments in their lives and know it was important to me too, but also see the small details that made up the moments of our lives.

One of my favorite movies of all time is ‘About Time’. Richard Curtis is a genius and creates movies that make you FEEL. I am all about feeling. My favorite quote in that movie is “my extraordinary, ordinary life”. It hits me like a brick every time I hear it. Because that’s what we all have. Most of us probably feel like our lives are made up of the boring, mundane things, and yet, at the end of the day, those things matter. The way your child rubs your head when they’re sleepy, the way your daughter laughs giant belly laughs, the way your love’s hair blows in the wind, holding hands with someone you love more than anything, or your child dancing around while singing their favorite song. I believe this is the stuff life is made of, these moments, and they are truly magic. Like possessing super powers, magic. And I want to capture them for you, with you.

Why am I even talking about this and not just posting a client session? Because I think you need to know me a little better. Not just the me that posts sweet comments about clients I love. If you’re here, you really are here because you’re drawn to my work and if you’re drawn to my work, you should know more about me and who I am, since that affects your images. They’re not something I just take of you and your family; they’re a collaboration between us and we each bring something to the table. I’m going to be working on sharing more of me here. Not everyone will like it, or like me. I know that. I’m okay with that. But if you connect with this, we can be awesome together and I would love, love, love to work with you.

I’m Erin. I’m smart, but ditzy. I’m introverted but love to talk a lot to people when I’m ready and mentally prepared. I have to psych myself up before a session because I get so nervous and then drive home on cloud nine because I love it so much. I struggle with depression and anxiety, but it’s helped me to grow and become a better, hopefully more empathic person. It makes me cherish the good moments more and for that I am grateful. Hopefully you’ll be okay with knowing me a little better. This is pretty scary to me to put this out there, but I am trying to live a more vulnerable life. I highly recommend Brene Brown’s books and TED talk.

Here are some photos of my family by Mami Wyckoff; the people who make me who I am and give me a purpose in life. I hope to be able to meet your family too as your Kauai family photographer. (I did not take these images. They are of my own family, taken by another photographer. Because I believe in investing in my family’s moments.)