03/13/2026
This session was especially significant for me. The Shields family has supported me in more ways than I could ever truly describe. When I first saw the text asking if I would take Alina’s senior pictures and family photos, I couldn’t stop smiling.. and honestly, I’m still smiling as I type this.
I babysat Alina when I was a senior myself. She wasn’t even in preschool yet, and now she’s a senior. Wild. And yes… I realize I’m aging myself a little! 🫣
This babysitting job was extra special because that season of my life was really difficult. I didn’t even have a driver’s license at the time, but her mom, Deanna, would pick me up and drop me off every time I came to babysit. During those car rides we had so many great talks. She listened when I needed to vent, gave advice, and honestly helped me through some really hard times. She also made sure I was paid well, especially when she knew I could really use the extra cash. Those gestures meant more to me than she probably ever realized.
Fast forward a few years. I made a Facebook post saying I was getting married in three weeks. It wasn’t originally planned that way.. my husband and I had been wanting to get married for a while, we just didn’t have the money to make it happen. When his grandfather was nearing the end of his life, his dying wish was to see us married, so we decided to make it happen in just three weeks. We were young, had a baby, and honestly didn’t have much money to our name… especially not enough to plan a wedding in that short amount of time.
Then I received a message from Chris and Deanna. They’re photographers themselves, and they offered to photograph our wedding completely free of charge. On top of that, they asked if we wanted a horse and carriage for the wedding, which they also provided. It felt truly magical. Even to this day, people still talk about how amazing our wedding was.
Now, many years later, I received another message asking if I could take Alina’s senior photos and capture some family pictures too. I couldn’t have been more honored.
This session was so much fun. It was wonderful seeing them again, catching up, and realizing how full circle everything has come. I’m incredibly grateful for this family and the kindness they’ve shown me over the years. 💛 Deanna Shields
