Sara+Sam+Julian // Holly Springs Family Photographer

These folks (and their cats) are near and dear to my heart! I met them back when they were a husband and wife photography team, photographed them after they had changed careers and before they had Julian, then photographed them most recently in early 2020 when Julian was just learning how to walk. Now Sara has grown her astrology business into a super successful career and has published books and planners, Sam works for a major company, and Julian is not only walking but flying between rooms. It’s been so fun to see the changes in all of them throughout the years. Their adorable cats, though, have held steady and are exactly the same and still very adorable. Biscuit and Miss Poofy (see if you can determine who is who) made appearances in exchange for treats and head scratches and were very good models. Julian is a little wild ball of 4 year-old energy that is friendly and sweet and LOVES cats. He also loves making tea in the backyard out of sand and water from the swimming pool, gardening, and reading. He’s a super successful reader who just picked up on reading himself – one day his parents just found that Julian was able to read – and I imagine that one day they’ll wake up to find that Julian has also picked up on calculus by himself, or maybe astrophysics. He’s just that sort of kid. He gave me lots of hugs when I left and asked if he could get in my car so I could take him to Marbles.

Boy holding cat stuffed animal
Child jumping around a room
Child jumping around a room
Child jumping around a room
Child jumping around a room
Child jumping around a room
At home documentary photos in Holly Springs NC
At home documentary photos in Holly Springs NC
Drawings on a kid's wall
Child in his room surrounded by stuffed animals
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
At home family photos of mom and dad wrestling with child
Documentary family photos
Documentary family photos
Documentary family photos
Documentary family photos
Parents reading to child in bed
Parents reading to child in bed
Parents reading to child in bed
Parents reading to child in bed
Parents reading to child in bed
Parents reading to child in bed
Family photo drawn by child
Mother and son portraits
Father and son portraits
Father and son portraits
Parents goofing around with kid
Parents goofing around with kid
Parents goofing around with kid
Portrait of a couple by a wallpapered wall
Portrait of a couple by a wallpapered wall
Family photo at home by wallpaper
Cat portrait photographer in NC
Cat portrait photographer in NC
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Cat portrait photographer in NC
Old timey photo of woman and cat
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Cat portrait photographer in NC
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Cat portrait photographer in NC
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Family playing with blocks in sunroom
Family photos in Holly Springs of a family gardening in their backyard
Family photos in Holly Springs of a family gardening in their backyard
Chamomile plant
Family photos in Holly Springs of a family gardening in their backyard
Family photos in Holly Springs of a family gardening in their backyard
Family photos in Holly Springs of a family gardening in their backyard
Family photos in Holly Springs of a family gardening in their backyard
Family photos in Holly Springs of a family gardening in their backyard
Child playing on jungle gym in backyard
Child playing on jungle gym in backyard
Boy jumping on deflated bounce house in backyard
Boy jumping on deflated bounce house in backyard
Child playing in sandbox in backyard
Child playing in sandbox in backyard
Child playing in sandbox in backyard
Kid playing in sprinkler bounce house
Kid playing in sprinkler bounce house
Kid playing in sprinkler bounce house
Child pouring sand into a swimming pool
Child pouring sand into a swimming pool
Child pouring sand into a swimming pool
Portrait of a 4 year old child
Portrait of a 4 year old child
Mom hugging son
Cat portrait photographer
Cat photographer
Pet photographer in Holly Springs NC
Pet photographer in Holly Springs NC
Pet photographer in Holly Springs NC
Pet photographer in Holly Springs NC
Pet photographer in Holly Springs NC
Pet photographer in Holly Springs NC

Melanie+Ryan+Scarlett+Raven // Halloween Family Session

Halloween is quite near and dear to our hearts. My birthday is in October, and I’ve usurped Halloween as my own personal holiday since I was born. Then Geoff and I were married on the 23rd with a Halloween-themed wedding, and basically Halloween all year, Halloween all the time, Halloween Halloween Halloween. We met Melanie and Ryan some time ago, and they are ALSO Halloween Halloween Halloween in ALL THE BEST WAYS! We were unfortunately unavailable to photograph their wedding but they’ve returned to us now with their sweet daughters Scarlett and Raven and booked us for a Halloween family session and we were SO EXCITED!! Their decorations are quite impressive, and we’ve learned we need to up our outdoor game a bit. They also have the most fabulous and wonderful collection of tiny little Halloween houses that light up and have moving ghosts and they’re all very elaborate and spooky. We had Christmas houses like this when we were little, but had I known Halloween houses existed, my parents would’ve been in trouble.

So we hung out with this Halloweeny crew at their place, checking out their decorations and running around the house playing! Scarlett is a brave and strong girl, who doesn’t flinch when her dad turns the corner wearing a terrifying clown mask, but instead attempts to block him with a Wonder Woman arm maneuver while still trying to hold onto some M&Ms. Raven loves the Zombie Man in the yard, and the giant inflatable spider down the street at a neighbor’s. She also adores the Chucky dolls upstairs in their attic, but isn’t quite okay with the terrifying clown mask yet (we’re working on it). Both children love their Halloween balloons, candy-dispensing mummy head, and the giant rubber rat sitting on top of their play kitchen. They also enjoy telling Alexa to play “This is Halloween” but forget the Danny Elfman part so Alexa plays the Marilyn Manson version and the kids hide. Melanie and Ryan enjoy horror movies (surprise!), getting their pictures taken with Robert Englund, collecting wonderful horror movie art, and being our heroes. Cheers to this spooktacular family of ghouls and ghoulettes! We are so happy to have been a little part of your boooootiful Halloween season.