The clock ticked over and we’d blown the funding goal out of the water for our Kickstarter project. Wesley, Pablo, and I sat down for a well deserved glass of whiskey and stared out at the Han River for a couple of hours. A mixture of shock, affirmation, and fear for what was to come kept us running on adrenaline as we chatted through how far we had come. The book was ready, but little did we know how difficult […]
Almost exactly three years ago, I met with Brian and Lisa as they travelled to Seoul to meet the newest member of their family, Lucy. The sweet, reserved little girl we met then has since grown into a sweet, outgoing little girl, and I was absolutely beside myself when I got a message from Brian saying they were traveling again to adopt another new member of the family, Henry. Lisa and Brian invited me into their family again to document […]
Twenty-three months after signing the papers to begin their adoption process, I met the Zanes family on the ground as their family photographer here in Seoul. They could not have wished for a better start to their lives with Michael Ubin as their youngest sibling. His big brother and sister smothered him with love, and his parents with all the care in the world. Michael smiled back in return and took to his family without hesitation. We spent the day […]
Finally, it’s time to get Part 3 of my Year in Review as a Seoul photographer underway. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here. Last time we left a couple of stories unfinished, so I’d like to start this post with those. After a two month wait, it was finally time to see Amber and Matt again, and be there as they took custody of their too-cute-to-be-true son Asher. It would also be time that I got […]
Of all the things I photograph here in Seoul, by far the most rewarding are the family sessions I am able to be part of. I have witnessed more than 20 children meeting their new families through the international adoption system, and spent hundreds of hours with expat families looking to create a memento of their time here in Korea. Brooke and Justin got in touch way back in January of this year. They had seen the work I did […]
“She’s not the same girl you met in the summer, is she?” Mary Leigh posted to me. Indeed she is not. Nell has come forward in leaps and bounds. She is energetic, loving and full of personality. Watching her current family session vicariously through family instagram posts, I was extremely envious of their photographer. Nell was as open and active as her brothers, and that’s saying something! Part of me wishes I was there to capture that part of their […]
It’s been a while since my last update here, as there’s been a lot on the back-burner here. The constant stream of Nell updates that flows through my social media reminds me daily that I need to finish this story. So, here it is. Part 2 of meeting Nell in Seoul. I mentioned last time how much this assignment made me remember the importance of what I do as a photographer, and the second session was no different from the […]
There are few things that remind me that what I do as a photographer is important more than people’s reaction to the photographs I give them, to the story I have told for them. Mary Leigh reminded me of that time and time again, even before we met here in Seoul. I first worked with some good friends of hers, Lori and Steve, back in January of this year. Before Lori and Steve had even left Korea, Mary Leigh had […]
Lawson appeared on my Facebook page last month as a silhouette. It was difficult to resist the urge to share this adoption story right away, but rules will be rules! He is now safely home with his family in the United States, and I can finally share their joy with you. Josh and Elizabeth had been in the process of adopting for a long time, jumping through the various hurdles required for the process. They were finally matched with Lawson […]
Last time, we met Ezra and his parents Ester and Dan. Ester and Dan are one of the few couples lucky enough to be able to stay in Korea during the entire adoption process, and get to know their son as well as the system allows. As we saw last time, Ezra bonded quickly with them and was more than happy to assist in their moving process. Dan’s fun-loving nature, and Ester’s outpouring of love gave him a very easy […]