Recently, my friend Gwen asked me what my favorite shoot of all time has been. I have had so many special shoots, so this was a hard question to answer. Photographing a baby take her first breath is near the top of the list. Photographing a special announcement, like what gender a new baby will be, is super special. I have had some very special extended family shoots that have become all the more significant to the family after a loss.
But all of these hardly compare to my time with a special family last evening. I got to go to the airport and witness a family bringing their baby boy home from Africa. Their journey was especially long and trying, so the ending was that much more powerful. Mom writes, “Sixteen months after seeing his face for the first time, eight months after holding him for the first time, six months after having to leave him, two months after David left to bring him home – MATTHEW IS COMING HOME!!!”
So Thursday afternoon, we gathered at the airport. Grandmas and Grandpas, friends, siblings. We paced nervously. We wiped our eyes. We laughed with the children. And then this:
Maybe it is because my own children are adopted. Maybe because I understood how long this family had worked to bring their children together. Maybe it is because the whole scene made strangers tear up.
Gwen, this is my favorite shoot.
Welcome Matthew!
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