The Bradshaws – Philadelphia Family Photographer

I’ve known Tammy for about a year now. We grew up in the same small town in New Jersey, but were enough years apart that we never had a reason to cross paths. Fast forward to last year where we were both starting up photography businesses, and seeing each others images grace our friends Facebook pages. I reached out to her on a whim – actually a slightly tipsy whim – and asked her if she’d like to get together sometime. Photography, believe it or not, is a lonely business. Sure, we connect with our clients on the regular, but most of your time is spent in your dungeon – I mean office – editing photographs, researching equipment, paying taxes, and figuring it all out. There’s no one there to tell you that you’re doing it all wrong. No one to tell you if you’re doing it right. So I was nervous reaching out to her, who knows what she’d say. Maybe she’d think I was a big weirdo.

But anyone that knows Tammy, which I clearly didn’t at the time, would know that she would never think any of those things. This lady is one of the most generous, sweet and open souls I’ve ever had the chance of meeting. And so when she asked me to photograph her family, I couldn’t have been happier.

I headed to the Bradshaw house on a quiet Sunday morning in September. Have you ever walked in to someone’s house and it just made sense? As if you’re seeing another part of their heart? Looking in to the things they hold most dear? Well, thats exactly how I felt upon walking in to the Bradshaw house. Their walls are littered with photographs, mementos and art – collected over time. Their cabinets have been overdone with chalkboard paint so that they can remind themselves about life and living it, leave messages for each other or make shopping lists. I immediately felt at home, and I couldn’t wait to kick off my shoes and have fun with this family. Actually though, it was Rayna that declared that I take off my shoes in her house – HA!

This family is so full of love, but they’re also full of joy and laughter and patience and kindness. You can’t help feeling better when you’re around them.