welcome to the blog
A normal day in my life
This is my family.
Our beauty in the chaos.
Lots of colors in our home right now.
Mid-summer mess.
The floor is lava.
Favorite toys are currently a bluetooth headphone case and a rainbow water bottle.
Lulu’s room is briiiiight purple.
Piles of library books from our local library.
Homemade mini banana, walnut, chocolate chip muffins.
Frozen pajama nighty gifted by the neighbor girls.
It’s only 9:30 a.m.
Documenting Spring Break 2023
Bags packed.
Sunny day.
First Stop Indiana Dunes.
Airbnb at Tryon Farm.
Tryon Farm is a residential conservation community located on 150 acres of rolling prairie, dunes, wetland and forest in Northwest Indiana.
Finally, we went on to Chicago for a couple nights where I barely made any photos because I was a single mom with two little kids in a big city!
But we did all the touristy things and the kids loved it.
And our hotel was epic.
“His goal in life was to be an echo
The type of sound that floats around
And then back down like a feather…”
-Wilco
Welcome baby Aiden
Documentary or Lifestyle Newborn Sessions in Grand Rapids and West Michigan. Click below to learn more!
Saturday morning with the Beene family
In the sun. Love for everyone. Live as one. Have a lot of fun.
-Herb Alpert
In the sun
Love for everyone
Live as one
Have a lot of fun.-Herb Alpert
Four kids in this family and each and every one of them contributed to making breakfast, setting the table, cleaning up, etc. Life goals right here. What a beautiful season of life to capture.
Saturday morning family meeting. They check in on their goals, achievements, and behaviors. What a beautiful moment of support and accountability for this family. Again, life goals.
Just life. Kids’ spaces. Snuggles and giggles. Moms hands. Play. Love of family.
Beene Family Portrait.
Let’s connect! I’d love to tell your family’s story.
Life with baby Emary
Documentary or Lifestyle Newborn Sessions in Grand Rapids and West Michigan. Click below to learn more!
Ten documentary family photographs from 2022
“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” -Oscar Wilde
“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” -Oscar Wilde
This is the year we came out of the pandemic. I moved my family across the country from Oregon to Michigan. Building our lives in Grand Rapids has been like coming home. I was born and raised in the midwest but honestly never though I would call it home again. Sometimes life surprises you and it feels just right. I look forward to building my client base here in Grand Rapids and sharing the beauty of your real lives.
The partially toothless, upside down laughing grin of a seven year old girl. Tickles from dad while he sneaks outside for a twenty minute break from work. Brief moments in an otherwise busy and mundane day. Dad’s mind might still be elsewhere, on his work. But the moment he snuck away to spend with his daughter gifted her a bit of pure love and joy. With this photo, dad can see the love he brings even in those brief encounters.
Two year olds. They require so much of your presence and energy. They are infinitely curious but still need you for your guidance and their safety. I remember the dance of wanting to give them all the independence but also terrified to let them go too far alone. I love the way mama’s fingers are intertwined with her little one’s. Her daughter is brave and ready to go down the tall slide on her own, but mama is there, just in case.
Details. I love making photos of details in your home. Items that may start to feel like clutter are pure treasure to me as a documentary photographer. These are the things that you don’t ever think to photograph, things that will probably end up in the garbage, yet offer such cherished glimpses into a fleeting time of your lives.
Happy 4th Birthday to my daughter, Lulu! She is pictured with all the gifts she received for her birthday. With grandparents’ gifts included, it was honestly like a mini-Christmas, and I think she was overwhelmed by all the stuff! She was having sort of a post-birthday-hype melancholic moment. It was rather darling.
All the mornings! Early mornings are something we come to know quite intimately as parents of little ones. Morning person or not, this has become your reality. I made this photo as a glimpse of simplicity and peace amongst all the chaos the mornings bring.
These sisters dressed up like princesses for breakfast. They are eating in disposable bowls as their entire kitchen is under construction. Mom mentioned that her middle child is her big eater. She is small and often mysteriously reserved, but she can pack it in. Many details in one photo to tell a story of this moment in time.
I also offer documentary newborn photo sessions. (Fresh 48 or within the first week or month.) I can make photos of mom in her element, breastfeeding baby, the dynamic between new baby and any siblings, the details in the nursery or around the home. The best part is you do not need to clean up. You can come just as you are.
Coming out of her hiding spot during a game of hide and seek. A timeless moment.
This is my son, Sebastian. I caught him out in the garage sneaking a bag of Cheetos that I told him he could not have at the moment. I found him just so. Living his best life, Cheetos fingers and all…
For the last photo, I was going between a photo of legos and a photo of a toes. We’ve all seen enough legos in our lives. So here is a photo of toes. Because little tiny toes are the cutest, and we should take as many photos of little tiny toes while we can.
Thank you to all of the families who invited me into your homes to capture a ‘Day in the Life’ in 2022!
xo
Joanna Grossi Photography
A fall morning with the Campbells
A fall morning with the Campbell family: a storytelling photography session in Grand Rapids MI.
The Campbell’s were in the middle of a full kitchen remodel. Mom homeschools her three daughters and almost called off our session because of the exhaustion of it all. I’m so glad she stuck it out and welcomed me into their home so I could show her the beauty in the chaos!
The day started out with the girls wearing princess dresses to breakfast and due to the kitchen remodel, they ate with disposable bowls and spoons. These are some of the tiny details I love about a moment in time. (Remember the chaos of trying to remodel the kitchen and homeschool the three girls all at the same time!?) Phew.
Your ordinary day is such a unique time to photograph. It’s a very distinct season of your life compared to the events we normally photograph like birthdays and adventures. I think this is what makes it so special. These are the challenging, raw, real, yet still beautiful parts of your life.
Dad was able to sneak away from work for 20 minutes to play with the girls. The joy that he brought them in that short time was pretty impressive! This is another reason photos from a normal day are so special. He will be able to see the smiles he brought to his daughters’ faces in a time that may have felt insignificant to him. The little moments can really pack a punch.
Life is full of magical moments.
Let’s connect! I’d love to tell your family’s story.
Ten documentary family photographs from 2019
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” -Dr. Seuss
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
-Dr. Seuss
This quote sums up why I choose to make photos of MOMENTS over POSES. 2019 was the year I came back up for air. My babies turned one and three years old, and I was able to get back out there and photograph some of the families in my community. Here are ten share-worthy photos from the year!
This family was having a slow weekend morning on a sunny fall day. They were making pancakes and hanging out. Mom got to relax in a way that I don’t see moms with babies and toddlers do.
I loved how they subtly occupy this space together yet enjoy the moment each in their own way. This photo really speaks to the age of the kids and the moment in time. It feels relaxing. You can feel the independence, yet there is still closeness.
Baby Frances is only a few months old and spent a lot of the time sleeping on mama during our time together. This was quite literally the last photo I made on the way out the door.
Because we didn’t have as many opportunities to capture dad with baby, I was so happy to make this sweet photo of her falling asleep on his shoulder. Dad is a carpenter so he is a builder, fixer and maker for the family. He is hardworking and busy. But he is also a sweet and loving father. We’ve got the photo to prove it!
I spent a fun-filled morning with this young family in SW Portland. The girls are 2 and 4 and full of energy. They played inside and outside and in every nook and cranny of their home. They built pillow forts, raced and jumped, cuddled and snacked and then some. This was one of the last photos I made of the older daughter. This pose is her response to “It’s nap time!”
This photo makes me laugh because it’s so indicative of a transition! Transitions are hard for kids, and kids are quite honest about it, especially when they’re getting tired.
Crispin (6) and Una (10) ran around and played together all morning. It was after breakfast and Crispin lined up all four toothbrushes for his family. They continued to joke and be playful while brushing their teeth.
This isn’t the most picturesque photo I made for the family (I mean their toilet is in the frame) but the interaction taking place between the kids is just so heartwarming! In just a few years Una will be a teenager and the dynamic of their relationship may begin to change. This felt like a sweet moment to capture and deliver to the parents.
While putting up their Christmas lights on the exterior of the house, mom was directing traffic while also babywearing her sleeping little one. They are going to wheelbarrow some lights to dad at the front of the house.
There’s something about watching moms do so much at once that is very awe-inspiring. This mama climbed ladders, prepared lunch and played some basketball, all while baby napped on her. Her energy was impressive!
I accompanied this family on a visit to the Portland Nursery to replenish their supply of indoor plants. Juniper and her parents were doing equal parts shopping and playing around (as many parents of little ones are forced to do on shopping trips).
I love this photo because of the expression on dad’s face as he chases his daughter through the maze of plants. There are often moments when shopping with kids is NOT carefree, but this moment feels authentically joyful! It’s easy to walk away from outings with kids feeling so bogged down by how difficult it all is and forgetting those moments of pure joy.
Swinging in the backyard on a fall morning.
I simply love the colors, the movement, the joy and the wild hair in this photo. Really nothing more to say!
Claire and Emily are matching socks to turn the chore of laundry into a game. Baby Frances is snuggled up, happy as peach, finishing her bottle.
I love this photo not only for the amazing multi-tasking coming from mom, but also as a portrait of baby. All that is happening around her and then there’s just this sense of ease and contentment coming from her gaze. You can feel that she is safe and peaceful in this moment.
This family was taking a walk to the playground. It was a decent little hike through the neighborhood and with such little legs, Juniper took some turns walking and catching a ride with dad.
I love her big curious, observing eyes in this photo. I like how cozy she is in her dad’s arms. This photo is also a subtle nod to how much work parenting is and how, as observers, we can forget because parents are so good at making it look so easy! ‘No big deal, just carrying around 30 pounds on my walk right now...’
First big boy bed of a 3 year old. A crocheted blanket and a slew of Peppa Pig stickers.
I love to include photos of details and spaces in my documentary family sessions. When I was a kid my sisters and I were constantly rearranging, trading rooms and changing up the decor. It’s part of your family’s story in this moment in time. These are the small things you might easily forget.
Thank you to all of the families who invited me into their homes to capture their ‘Day in the Life’ in 2019!
xo
Joanna Grossi Photography