Some stories don’t come easy. Some take years of hoping, praying, and waiting, holding onto something you can’t quite see yet but refusing to let it go anyway. And then one day, it shifts. That’s exactly what happened when I met Kate. I felt it instantly, her energy, her heart, the way she had dreamed about this season long before it was here. So when she became my very first First Year Collective client, I knew this wasn’t just another session. This was the beginning of everything.

What Is the First Year Collective?

The First Year Collective is a yearlong storytelling journey I offer for growing families here in Sarasota, Florida. It starts with an announcement or maternity session and carries all the way through a newborn session, a one year session, and one more milestone session of the family’s choosing along the way. At the end of that first year, we sit down together for a reveal and build an heirloom album that holds the favorites from every session, start to finish. It’s one continuous story instead of a handful of disconnected ones, and getting to walk through Kate and Warren’s first year with them means more to me than I can really put into words.

A Pregnancy Announcement at Tom Bennett Park

Kate and Warren’s announcement session felt like the universe finally exhaling. We met at Tom Bennett Park in Ellenton, Florida, and the golden light showed up right on time. Their laughter didn’t need any direction, it was the kind of joy that only exists after you’ve walked through the hard parts to get here.

A Golden Hour Maternity Session at Celery Fields

By the time we met up for their maternity session at Celery Fields in Sarasota, so much had changed. The baby shower was behind them, tiny clothes were filling the closet, the nursery was almost finished, and Kate was glowing. And that sunset. I was absolutely losing my mind behind the camera. I left this session feeling so inspired. The light, the location, the two of them, it all came together, and I’m completely obsessed with what we created that evening.

Why I Love Documenting More Than One Moment

Knowing I get to keep documenting all of this through Kate and Warren’s First Year Collective makes it even sweeter. I don’t just get to photograph this baby’s arrival, I get to witness a dream that refused to give up, one chapter at a time. Some stories don’t arrive easily, but when they do, they land exactly where they’re meant to.

If you’re expecting and thinking about documenting this season of your own, from the announcement all the way through that first year, I’d love to talk with you about it. Keep an eye out for Kate and Warren’s newborn session soon, it’s the next chapter in this story. And if you’re searching for a Sarasota pregnancy announcement photographer or a maternity photographer who’ll be with you for more than just one session, reach out and let’s start your story too.