Making Waves

Sleeping with the sharks, celebrating Sonora's second birthday, and the beauty of growing alongside the families I photograph.

Some clients book me for a session.

Some, we become friends. And then there are the ones who become family. The Sassen Family, is one of those families.

When I first met Odessa and Mike, I was simply their photographer. Over the years, I've had the incredible privilege of documenting some of their biggest milestones -- from welcoming their son into the world, to celebrating birthdays and all the family adventures. Somewhere along the way, I wasn't simply their photographer anymore. I remember Mike commenting under an IG post "family photographer turned family friend" and i thought, "wow -- could this be any better?!" and then I became Tita India! If you're not familiar, Tita means auntie -- a term of endearment. It carries love, trust, belonging. Honestly, there isn't a better compliment that I could receive.

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For Sonora's 2nd birthday, we celebrated with one of the coolest experiences... sleeping with the sharks at the Austin Aquarium. I photographed her first birthday -- a "Wild One" theme that fit her perfectly then and somehow fits her even more now. She's the kind of little girl who wants to explore everything. She's adventurous, curious, and brave.

The aquarium was a very fun experience We didn't just sleep with sharks. We shared the night with stingrays, wallabies, birds, and some very vocal lemurs who acted as our animal alarm system.

Getting a private tour was awesome. It was great to see and photograph the interest and awe of everyone especially Sonora.

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Just like any other birthday -- It was a party! There was food, drinks, and what's a birthday without cake?! When it was time to wind down, we blew up our air mattresses and watched Night at the Museum with popcorn. Felt like a big family sleepover. Even had a few pedicures (inside joke) lol

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At times I stopped shooting because while I'm the photographer, i'm also Tita India now. There were moments where I lowered my camera, not because I missed the shot, but because I wanted to experience it too. That's honestly something I still wrestle with as a photographer --- balancing documenting a memory but also living it - But the Sassen's have a way of making that easy 💕. After delivering their gallery, I knew digital files weren't enough. I wanted these memories to exist beyond the moment so I created a printed album. Not because they asked for one -- because as Sonora will be older and maybe she'll pull this album off a shelf. She'll see the matching shirts, smile at how captivated she was by the sharks, she'll get to see how young her parents look, and how cute and little she was! Though she won't remember every detail of that night, she'll always have proof that she was deeply loved, that her childhood was filled with adventure.

Some of my favorite childhood memories aren't from a specific birthday or holiday.

They're from sitting, flipping through photo albums and scrapbooks my mom made.

Those albums reminded me of moments I had forgotten and introduced me to stories I was too young to remember.

Now, I have the privilege of creating that same experience for the families I photograph.

In a world where thousands of images stay trapped on phones, there's something incredibly meaningful about holding a photograph in your hands. Turning a page. Passing an album around the room.

Photography matters because it does more than just capture a moment. The Sassen family has given me one of the greatest gifts a client can give a photographer: complete trust. They trust my eye. They trust my creativity.

They trust that when it comes to preserving her family's memories, they're in good hands.