As most of you know, I’m got hitched nearly two years ago. There is nothing I love more than my wedding photos. Mainly because the hubs and I look hot and Gary and Courtney did such an awesome job making our wedding day images pieces of art. See? (If you’re planning a destination wedding, you’d be a fool not to hire these two.)

RIDICULOUS.

But here I am, a few years later, wishing I had a reason to haul the hubs to a photoshoot so we had more updated images of us around our home. You know, ones where we’re in normal clothes doing normal things.

That’s where my good friend Jess Koehler comes in. Jess is known for her stunning documentary work in other countries. She’s a brilliant artist and a natural story teller. Someone who digs for a deeper message by asking questions before she starts snapping away. I think that’s what makes her imagery so compelling. She brings humanity into her shots and I can’t help but feel a small piece of myself in all of her work. I could go on for days about this chick. Anywho, during her travels, she realized we all have something in common: a family legacy. It started with these two images:

The gentleman in the first image is seen here in front of his father’s home. It was the home he grew up in only a few steps from the home he now shares with his wife in the second image.  This is their life … the life their children and grandchildren will be telling stories about for years after they’re gone. It’s just like the old black and white images we’ve seen of our parents and grandparents on the front steps of their homes in their Sunday best. You know which ones I’m talking about? I love those photos of my family. They tell a bigger story about my family’s legacy that I’ve either forgotten or wasn’t born yet to be a part of. Those pictures show where it all began.

Jess realized we don’t do that anymore. Sure we take pictures all day every day on our iPhones and post them to Facebook. But our generation doesn’t take pictures on our front porches or in front of our homes like our parents and grandparents did. Kind-of crazy right? Not even in front of our first apartment or loft or rental. I mean, here I am almost two years into my marriage and I’m not sure I have ONE photo of the front of my house. I DEFINITELY don’t have a photo of the hubs and I in front of it. Which makes me sad because the beginning of our life together as a real family started in this home. It’s a part of our little family’s legacy.

So we set up a shoot date and the hubs and I let Jess do what she does best. Here’s our favorite from our Front Steps series:

I can’t tell you how excited I am about these images. They’re done in a way that represents our personalities and the life we’re living RIGHT NOW. They aren’t forced, yet still artistic and beautiful. But most importantly, I have a snapshot of the foundation we’re building for the life we’ll have in 20 years. And it all started here … in front of 2008 … like I’m going to tell you where I live!

The point is, she’s giving those of us who are just starting to build a legacy the chance to remember where it all began. It’s not just any ol’ snapshot, it’s continuing the story our families started years ago in front of their two-story farm houses. I think there’s something beautiful about that and I’m so excited we got to be a part of it! If you want in on the action, send her a message and tell her you want to set up a Front Steps session. She’ll blow your mind.

Here’s to living lives we’ll be proud of when our grandchildren are flipping through old Internet files.