Southern Utah Family Photographs: Adoptive Family, the Stucki's (with slideshow)

I am particularly passionate about promoting families who adopt since I myself was adopted when I was 14 years old.

I will be frank. There is nothing easy about foster care, foster to adopt and even adoption on its own. Any Age. It is heart wrenching. Hard for everyone. But let me tell you, rewarding and beautiful in so many ways, that it makes the hard times seem like a required class, that can only make you a better person.

I recently photographed a very unique family. The Stucki Family. Lara and Sam by age traditionally would be parents who might be sending children off to college and perhaps even looking forward to their first grandchild. Instead, they have one fabulous older son (biologically) who is 18 years old and in college. Then, they made a decision to have a large family.  Over the past seven years, they have foster to adopted three children and recently adopted three more children from Ethiopia. All six of these children are under the age of seven.

This was a very busy sitting! Working to keep attention and moving very quickly to capture each smile. Regardless of how busy the photoshoot was, I was amazed at the connection these children had with each-other, their big brother and their parents. They could not stop hugging each-other. It was wonderful. I always have many questions for families like this. Lara and Sam answered my questions and did not hesitate to be frank about the sacrifices and hardships they have had to endure in order to have this family. They are also equally strong about how grateful they are for these children and what a blessing they are to them. They are not shy about expressing the fact that they would not ever exchange tough times, it was necessary so they could have these children. One of their small daughters I had met that day, held my hand as we walked across the street to their car, after the sitting was over. She looked up at me in the most sincere way and said "I love you." I drove away from this sitting with tears in my eyes. Thank you Lara and Sam for hiring me. People like you, make this world a beautiful place to live in.

I hope you enjoy the slideshow:

Family Photos in Southern Utah: The Wells Family Slideshow

I love this family. Kyle Wells was a good friend through highschool. I think it is always a blessing to get to reunite with people you knew in highschool and then see them years later; mature, happily married to someone lovely and with several, beautiful children. This was the case with Kyle.
These kids had me laughing to myself while I worked on these photos all week as I remembered the little things they said to me. While I was posing them for the first shot of the sitting, I told Kyle and JoEllen to get close so it "looks like you like eachother." The kids looked up at me and said dramatically. "OH! They LIKE each-other alright!"What a great and honest exclamation!
Another one of my ULTIMATE laughs of the night came when we were finished with the sitting and I turned to the kids after they were sitting in their car and said  "I had such a fun time with you! Thank you!" Immediately after, Kyle walked up to me and paid me the photo fee, when from the background his daughter yells, "We don't have to pay her! She had FUN!" It was the icing on top of the cake. I laughed all the way home, I couldn't wait to tell my husband.
So yes, it was wonderful photographing and sharing time with the Wells. They are a genuine, beautiful family. Thank you Kyle and JoEllen for hiring me, I truly appreciate it.

I hope you enjoy this little slideshow. After the slideshow, the gallery of images will appear and you can click on the image to scroll through and view each photo.

-Sharee