It was such a blast documenting this family reunion in Park City, Utah. This family is all about togetherness, good food, good conversation (usually about food) and some good adventures.
One of my favorite things about doing photography is seeing the artwork I create printed in books and albums, and framed on my client's walls. I love knowing that they have a constant reminder of how much they love their families every time they look at their photos throughout their house. I can't imagine in ten years from now, all of us sitting around our computers looking at our family photos.
This really hit home for me when I finally had photos of my three year old's first week after being born printed in a photo book. I watch as he pulls the book off the end table and takes it to his dad. As he climbs into his lap he asks if he will look at the book with him. It just warms my heart (cheesy, I know!!) as I watch his face as his dad tells him about every photo and how much we love him. It is a beautiful reminder to all of us the love that grew in our family when he was born, and a reminder of that special and crazy season of our lives.
All this to say that I am thrilled to be offering this photo album to my clients so they can have the same experience that I have every time I watch my little guy climb into my husband's lap and peel open the book.
I love the timeless design of this album, knowing that over the years it will live beyond the trends of our time and will be a legacy that will be passed on for generations. This album is handmade so you know it is built to stand the test of time. I love the thick sturdy pages that are coated for protection and will withstand the many years of tiny hands as the stories in the book are told. I love the lay flat pages and square format so nothing detracts from the images that tell your family's story. But my most favorite thing about this album is the classic linen cover and I am in love with all the colors it comes in. It just takes me back to the days I spent at the book store with my dad. Something about holding that linen cover book just says "this is special" and that is what I want my clients and my own family to feel every time they hold their album, "you are special."
I am so excited to share this slideshow of a family reunion I was able to document this summer. Basically, I got to tag along with the awesome Forrest family for their entire reunion. It was awesome. :) I was there at 8am for pancakes, went with them on all their adventures, and partied until the sun went down. When I get to spend this much time with a family I start to feel like I am just a part of the family. And they definitely made me feel that way. I love being there for all the best moments, that you don't normally get to have photographs of, like the kids wresting on the couch, cooking dinner together, and all the snuggles. Oh, how I love me some good snuggles.....
Hi! I'm Meili, photographer and owner of Meili Dayton Photography. I am a mom with a big laugh and a heart that seeks deep conversations and any place to lay in the sun. Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs, where I share the beautiful families I get to photograph and what love, life, and connection looks like for them. I transform the way families think about and look at their family photos through documenting them in a new and thoughtful way. I help people see the beauty in their everyday life, and help people preserve their memories.
My photo journey began many years ago in high school and the desire to make it my career really grew in my undergraduate studies at the University of Utah, where I was a painting and drawing major and quickly realized I like people and being outdoors way too much to spend my days painting in a studio. It wasn't until becoming a mom to a newborn baby and the loss of my father that I realized the images I wanted of my own life were the everyday moments, the quiet snuggles with my boy as I rocked him to sleep, the image of my father looking up at me from studying at his desk.
Those are the simple and real life images I strive to capture in my client’s lives. My client knows that although this season of life is full and hectic, she cherishes the in-between moments. she doesn't want to forget comforting a tearful child, reading bedtime stories, or those Saturday morning snuggles in bed. She wants those moments preserved and remembered, and she wants proof that she actually existed in her children's lives.
I would love to talk to you about what a documentary session with me will look like for your family.
This is the family that reads together. Everywhere you turn there are piles of books, halloween books on display, and children piled on laps hearing a book being read. It was a dream. I've always wanted my children to love reading and this grandma shows the way- have books all over the house and read to children often. This family came together to celebrate some special birthdays. The kids put on a little show complete with a short play and music, and then they went around the room and everyone took turns telling each birthday person what made them special. The best part of my job is being able to witness these traditions and document them for my clients, oh, and bank them away in my brain for my family. The kids then spent the rest of the evening playing in the back yard with their beloved and favorite uncle. I'm not actually sure he is the favorite but it was clear they all adore him and he was so good with them. It was everything you would dream that Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house would be, complete with gifted pumpkins at the front porch and cuddles on the couch with a good book.
I'm finally getting to editing some of my earliest documentary photos, the ones where I would just bring my camera everywhere with me and ask people if I could hijack their family experiences.
These dear friends of mine were gracious enough to save their sweet baby's first bath at home until I was there with my camera. I will be forever grateful to all the friends and family who have supported me in my silly photo schemes.
This handsome little man was so fun to photograph! And he has the cutest little cry. Ugh, the way his little chin crinkled and his little bottle lip puckered out.... My heart aches just thinking about it!
Watching these two bathe their baby James with such care brought back all those familiar new parent feelings. Sleep deprivation, love, overwhelm and the sense that the whole world of this new little soul rests on your inexperienced shoulders, and that feeling of "we did it!" after each thing you face as new parents. Maybe it was the exhaustion or the roller coaster of emotions, but I distinctly remember my husband and I nitpicking about how to do it the "right way" as we gave our baby boy one if his first baths. Of course we both thought our way was the "right way." hahah! Ok it was mostly me... We all know my husband doesn't nitpick, and I'm the one that thinks there is a "right way" to do everything In my feelings of inadequacy, I was trying so hard to do everything just so. And now, a year later, I realize I will always feel inadequate, just trying to do the best that I know how, feeling like the whole world of this little soul rests on my incapable shoulders. Isn't being a parent grand!?
I love photographing these moments! Thank you Sheridan and Brian for letting me into your home and your world for that brief moment.
