Featured Client: The Ehrich Family

Moving forward, I am recommitting myself to writing featured client blog posts, yay! I absolutely love highlighting the clients that made my business what it is today by supporting me from the very beginning, before I had any idea of what I was doing.

Today I'm going to go down memory lane with the Ehrich family (parents are Alissa and Myron and kiddos Henry and Claire). I've been friends with Alissa for 11 years and our first session together was in 2013... so 7 years ago!  Alissa so kindly shared feedback about what it's been like working together. 

"I actually don’t LOVE having my picture taken but you have such a talent at not only making everyone feel at ease but at creating such perfect movements and expressions - I’ve yet to see one where I think “oh geez, I look SO awkward”."

(These first images are from our very first shoot together at the Minneapolis Institute of Art)

"My absolute favorite was the newborn session you did with Claire Bear. Not only did her pictures turn out so beautifully but you captured one photo of all four of us together. It was the same day that I felt...complete? I can’t totally describe it (although I’m sure other parents can relate) but I had already begun to feel like this was what our family was meant to be. And I can still vividly remember and feel my exhaustion, physical discomfort from a difficult labor & delivery, the puffiness in my face but also the intense love and bliss I had been feeling in those first few days after she was born. And now I’m choked up writing this."

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I love visiting and seeing their photos up on the wall! I asked her more about her design process.

​"I like to display our photos as a gallery wall. It’s currently taken down, actually, as I need to rearrange and add to it. So it’s constantly changing... just like we are as a family; always evolving! Oh, and both of the kids have a couple of framed photos in their bedrooms that they chose - they both really adore having these pictures in their rooms that, as Henry told me, make them “feel like they have the best family” Alissa says.

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I asked her about the thing a lot of us mamas struggle with on picture day... HOW do you get your family on board and cooperating for a session?

"As far as kids or husband cooperating? We’ve had uncooperative weather (the MIA shoot was supposed to be all outdoors! And Willow River had snow!), very uncooperative kids (Henry wanted to sit out on the willow river session because he was mad about who-knows-what on the way there) and Myron and I were actually deep in a newish-parent spat when we showed up for our very first session with you at the MIA.
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BUT. something about these sessions feels... healing? Each time, whatever the problem was at the beginning of the session seemed insignificant or, in the case of the snow and cold at Willow River, like a happy little accident. There’s just something about having to cuddle with one another, gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes to create that perfect shot, or giggle to get that awesome laughing pic that cleanses you, you know? Family Photo Therapy- it needs to be a thing. ;-)"

Above is our most recent session together taken in 2019 at Willow River. I love seeing the evolution of their family, the evolution of my shooting and editing, and the evolution of Alissa's hair. Basically, it's the coolest to have photo archives of my family and friends growing and becoming lovelier as the years go on. 

Alissa, thank you for your incredibly kind words and for being a steadfast supporter of my business as well as a friend for life. Can't wait until we can reunite!