How Small Shop Modeling Sparked My Love for Photography

Featuring one of my favorite little freckle-faced muses

There’s something magical about this image — the shy smile hiding under a floppy hat, the little fingers gripping the brim, the daisy dress, the bold red curls catching the light. It feels playful and sweet and wonderfully unposed… and it takes me right back to where my photography journey first began.

Long before I ever owned a “real” camera, I was deep in the world of small shop modeling with my kiddos. If you’ve ever been part of that community, you know the joy of dressing your little ones in adorable outfits and trying to capture their personalities in a single photo. I didn’t realize it then, but every time I crouched down in front of them with my phone — hoping for a cute smile or a magical little moment — I was slowly falling in love with photography.

My kids were my first models, my first practice sessions, my first spark of inspiration. They taught me how to chase light, how to photograph movement, how to embrace the giggles and the wiggles and the not-so-perfect moments that somehow become the most perfect memories.

This photo reminds me of all of that.
The innocence.
The playfulness.
The tiny piece of childhood frozen in time.

In 2020, after years of learning through those small shop sessions, I finally invested in my first good camera — and it felt like everything clicked. What started as hobby photos for small shops turned into a passion for storytelling, capturing real emotion, and preserving the fleeting seasons of life for other families.

Every session I photograph today still carries a little piece of where I started. The joy. The curiosity. The love of documenting childhood in its purest form.

And it all began with moments just like this one.