09/17/2026
And just like that, we have a teenager. ❤️
Watching your child grow from the little one you once held in your arms into their own person is such a beautiful and emotional experience. For me, being able to witness and support that growth feels like one of the greatest successes of my life.
As parents, we think we are the ones teaching our children, but so often they are teaching us too — patience, unconditional love, priorities, and just how quickly time moves.
And something new has officially entered our house: photo approval. 😂
At 13, Nikola is much more conscious of how he wants to be seen, so I now ask before sharing his photographs online or using them in my portfolio. A few of my favorites did not make his approved list — apparently this photographer-mom now has an art director at home. 😄 And I respect that.
This milestone also inspired something new in my photography.
I am officially introducing a new portrait concept: The 13th Portrait — a session created to document that unique threshold between childhood and the teenage years, when our children are beginning to discover who they are and how they want to be seen.
Photograph these years — the funny ones, the awkward ones, the quiet ones, the milestones, and everything in between. As our children grow, the photographs become not only our memories of them, but part of their own story too.
Happy 13th birthday, Nikola. ❤️