Co-Creative Style

Documenting Life with Molly M. Peterson

My preferred lighting is natural and uncomfortable posing is not high on the priority list. It is best to invite me to be a part of a normal event in your life and ask me to do what I do best: stand in the background with minimal input and capture the essence of you. This is a co creation between you and I: you trust me to be there and I trust you to allow yourself the gift of being present.

I like bold colors, sun flares and simple black and whites, too. I like movement and capturing from across the room that moment when two of your wedding guests are deep in a conversation and their faces light up with laughter or watching your toddler splash in a mud puddle with drops flying and a smile from ear to ear with exhilaration. I'm not a fan of the new wedding trends to de-saturate the greens and yellows of life, nor will you see me putting babies in buckets in the middle of a field. I'm okay with pushing the ISO for grainy ambiance shots and super HD gives me the heebie jeebies. I'll chuckle along with you when I'm asked "you'll Photoshop me, right?" but I won't likely... a blemish on your wedding day? Yes, yes, I will likely help you out but I love laugh lines and crows feet and any other kind of wrinkle that shows up because you're alive - you are living and I hope you have laugh lines from living your life. I'll be a calm presence at your wedding, with your kids (or pets) or birth setting so you can take a deep breath and be present in your moment.

I'm available for image consultations to help you plan your next steps after receiving your images. Albums? Yes! Your story is best presented in an heirloom-quality album to cherish for years to come. Prints? Absolutely! Your images aren't happy simply living on a hard drive or on a social media page: they're made to be shared and enjoyed each time you pass by it on the wall. Not sure where to start with what to print? I can help with that, too. We'll talk about your goals together and make a plan from there.

I want to get real here for a minute because our society often wants fast & cheap…so let’s think of your investment this way: If you spend, say, five thousand on your wedding photography (shoot time, albums, prints, travel, talent, shipping) and then at your 20th wedding anniversary, or even let’s say your 50th wedding anniversary, and you're sharing your album or your favorite wedding photo with your grandchildren or great-grandchildren then what do those photos mean to you? What’s your investment in those memories? If you want to look at it monetarily then it would be about $100/year. To me, it means so much more than that. Here’s an example: I have an enlarged photo of my Great-Grandparents on my wall from their wedding day - that was nearly 88 years ago. Shortly after their 69th wedding anniversary, my Great Grandfather passed and just two months later, my seemingly physically healthy Great Grandmother did, too…of a broken heart: a true love story. I get to see them every day in my living room and it brings back my Great Grandmother's raspy, soft voice and my Great Grandfather's whistle and the memory that he loved butter pecan ice cream. 

Far too often these days social media takes hold and priority of our family memories. Don't get me wrong, social media has been an incredible tool to connect with family and friends near and far.....however, technology will change and evolve so then the question is: what stays? 

Don't think of today. Think 10, 20, 50 or more years down the road. Don't shop for the impulse, shop for the long term, the family heirloom. 

By hiring me, you are asking me to be a small part of your life for a moment in time. I'm here to help you write your story. Payments plans are available or consider signing up with Zola* through their make-your-own cash funds for your wedding, bridal or baby shower, or holiday & birthday gifts to ask your loved ones to help you preserve these memories.

Birth Sessions:

Documenting the birth of your child - whether the first or the fifth - is something I can guarantee will be something you cherish forever.

Birth photography allows you and your partner to focus on your child.

That's where I come in. I remain quiet and unobtrusive and capture images from afar. Most mothers do not even realize I'm in the room. I also find that capturing this moment in time gives a woman a visual reminder of just how strong, capable, and beautiful she is.

I am available for home, hospital, and birth center births. Please arrange for a pre-booking meeting prior to your delivery month (recommended 3-4 months in advance) so you are comfortable with me and we can talk about all of the details of your baby's upcoming birth. Birth photography is an investment in the story of the first breaths of life: they are not like typical portrait sessions and, therefore, are priced as such.

I work from my heart so I can assure you that your images will not be made public without your permission. I have not put very many birth images on this site out of respect for this intimate time. I have more images and references available upon request. I am also available for maternity, newborn, & nursing portraits.

With Sincerity,

Molly M. Peterson