For Your Favorite Person | A Grandmother & Granddaughter Session at Tryon Creek
Alexis came to me with a request I had never gotten before.
Not an engagement session. Not a maternity shoot. Not a family portrait with kids and a dog. She wanted a session — just a real, intentional portrait session — with her grandmother. Her favorite person.
I said yes immediately. And now I am completely obsessed, and I want everyone to do this.
We met at Tryon Creek State Natural Area in Southwest Portland — one of those places that feels genuinely tucked away from the city, all moss-covered maples and fern-lined trails and light that filters down through the canopy in a way that makes everything feel a little luminous. It was the perfect setting for these two.
What struck me immediately was how natural they were together. There was no awkwardness, no warming up period — just two people who clearly adore each other, walking through the woods, holding hands, leaning their heads together. Alexis has this warmth about her, this openness, and her grandmother met every moment with the same energy. The laughter in these frames is so real it almost startled me behind the lens.
The detail shot of their hands — reaching toward each other against the mossy green backdrop — is one of my favorite photographs I've made in a long time. Two generations, right there in the frame. Everything a picture is supposed to hold.
Alexis dressed beautifully — a flowing embroidered skirt, layered necklaces, that hint of pink in her hair — and her grandmother showed up exactly as herself, which is honestly the best thing anyone can do in front of a camera. Together they looked like they belonged in those woods. Like the forest had been waiting for them.
I've been thinking about this session ever since, and I keep coming back to the same feeling: why don't more people do this? We photograph babies and couples and big milestones, and those things matter enormously. But so does this — the quiet, precious, everyday relationship between a person and their favorite person. The one you call when something good happens. The one whose hands you know by heart.
If you have someone like that in your life, book the session. I mean it.
Alexis — thank you for bringing me something completely new. I hope you and your grandmother treasure these forever.
Want to do something like this? I am absolutely here for it. Let's connect.
