I'm so fortunate to meet amazing people in my photography journey.  Everyone single person has a wonderful story. I am incredibly lucky to be their photographer at a specific window in time.  For me it's like opening a brand new book and watching the story unfold before my eyes.  And when I get back to my editing room (I have taken over our dining room and living room with my equipment) I watch the story unfold all over again and even find some shots I forgot about until I develop the photo.

I was recently on the east coast for a family reunion.  While I was there I had two photo sessions in Washington, D.C.  One of them was with an amazing young family. I met Carolyn, her husband Ola, and their precocious, delightful, gifted and brilliant daughter, Kennedy, at Dupont Circle. Carolyn told me ahead of time that the last time they had professional photos was at their wedding.  Their daughter is now six years old so these photos were going to be important to them.

We met around 5:30 p.m. which is a fantastic time to take photos.  The lighting was great and although Dupont Circle is a rather crowded and public place we were able to capture some wonderful photos.  Kennedy was up first.  As you can see she has a few front teeth that are waiting to come in.  I love these toothless grins.  Kennedy picked out her own outfit which as it turns out complimented perfectly with what her mother and father were wearing.

Now Kennedy's story is amazing.  Kennedy and her parents were fortunate to win the lottery.  Not the mega-millions lottery, but the school lottery. That's even better than the mega-millions.  Kennedy is enrolled at a public charter school in Washington, D.C. that combines language immersion with a world-class education system.  At five years old Kennedy was able to hold a conversation in Mandarin Chinese.  With a full year of language immersion under her pink belt she is rapidly speaking like a native Chinese speaker.  Her accent is flawless and she relishes every opportunity to speak with other Mandarin speakers.

On top of her language skills Kennedy is also taking dance lessons and piano classes.  She is the epitome of how a great education system can prepare young children.  She's an eager learner and thrives on every challenge.  Both Carolyn and Ola help nurture Kennedy's strong curiosity and encourage her inquisitive mind. Without a doubt Kennedy will be someone to reckon with when she enters college.  As in the photo above, she's going to soar.

It was such a pleasure working with Carolyn, Ola and Kennedy. Their love for one another is so apparent.  Their love and dedication has enabled Kennedy to bloom.

Be on the look-out, one day you may see Kennedy's name in the news.  She may be a future President of the United States! With her language and diplomacy skills she is on the fast track.

signature TCP