Ray & Janice hired me to celebrate Ha-Joon’s 1st birthday with a family session at the Rollins College campus

I allow my clients to choose a preferred editing style for their photos. This family chose my bright and fresh style.

Baby Ha-Joon’s family traveled from New York to celebrate his first birthday with their family and they booked a family session with me while they were in town. Janice and I went back and forth over email for quite some time working through ideas to find the perfect location to capture them in their hanboks to celebrate the Korean part of their family story.

I so very much appreciate that Rollins College allows their campus to be accessible for photography and this opens a vital opportunity for people to experience a stunning historic landmark in the Central Florida area.

The heritage of Rollins College made it an elegant location to celebrate an important tradition in Korean heritage: the doljanchi. A hangover from a time where infant mortality rates made reaching one’s first birthday a huge milestone, this long-held Korean tradition is a time to wish the baby a long and prosperous life.

Janice said she chose me because she loved the diversity of my clients and how I photographed, and edited, people of color. This makes me so happy because the part of my business that makes me the most proud is that people of all life experiences can find something that reflects their perspective.

As a person-centered photographer, I want people of any race, religion, identity, or orientation to feel safe working with me. I cherished the opportunity to learn more about Korean traditions and to tell this family’s story.

Janice and Ray, thank you for having me. And happy first birthday, Ha-Joon!