Sweet Oliver. This boy has been in front of my camera since day one—literally. I’ve had the joy of capturing his newborn session, his two-month milestone, and his six-month milestone all before his family made a big move to the San Francisco area. So when his mom, Leanndra, reached out to book his one-year session, I was over the moon… and a little shocked to hear they were planning to fly back to Northwest Arkansas just for it!
Turns out, Oliver was having his first birthday party here with friends, and Leanndra really wanted to keep his milestone photos consistent and meaningful. Even though I gave her a couple of photographer suggestions in California, she let me know her heart was set on finishing this first-year journey with me.
I’ll be honest—I didn’t give Leanndra the experience I normally pride myself on. Between all the planning and travel on their end, I dropped the ball a bit on mine. I apologized more than once because she deserved better prep and communication from me. But true to her kind and gracious self, she stayed focused on celebrating her little guy and making the most of the day.
And then came the real boss of the session: Oliver himself.
Fresh off a day of travel, fighting a new time zone, and just plain exhausted, Oliver decided he had no plans to enjoy this session. It was his party, and he was going to cry if he wanted to—and boy, did he. We tried everything. His favorite toys. Pouches. Snacks. Drinks. Singing. Dancing. Mom snuggles. Even hiding mom just enough so she could still peek in. Nothing was quite cutting it.
But after 2.5 hours of love, patience, a power nap, and persistence, we got there.
And the images? They are magic. Real, emotional, hard-earned magic. His little face, his big personality, and those split-second moments remind us just how fast this first year flies.
I’m truly grateful that Leanndra trusted me—again—with these memories. That they traveled all this way. That even when things didn’t go perfectly, they stuck with me. This session is a reminder that milestone photography isn’t always picture-perfect, but it’s always worth it.
Happy birthday, Oliver. You are so loved.
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