It’s a humbling thing to be asked to photograph any season of life, but I think that there’s something so genuinely precious about having the opportunity document a little one. Baby Aaron was born just a week before father’s day this year to the sweetest parents, Jenna and Andrew who both wanted images that truly reflected this season of their lives. So, photographing this little family of three in their beautiful, light-filled, Atlanta home made sense! The love Jenna and Andrew had for their little one was so evident and a sweet testimony to love being incredibly much more than words. It was a joy to see firsthand the countless ways that Aaron was so deeply cared for…through the intricate pieces in the nursery pointing back to the family history, the thought put into choosing his name, the tunes Andrew would play to him, the hearty smiles, soft whispers, and the way his momma held him close, Aaron was so wonerfully loved. I could not be more grateful to have had this opportunity to create images that hold meaning for the years to come, while meeting and making new friends in the process. 

From his darling momma…
Andrew and I had planned to take a day trip to the North Georgia mountains one Saturday in early October. I found out that I was pregnant the morning before we left and kept quiet until we were sitting in front of a waterfall we hiked to. We had recently decided we wanted to start a family, so we were thrilled to find out we were expecting! We later shared the news with our parents by giving them some of our favorite books from childhood. 

I wanted our nursery to be a place of calm and peace. I’m naturally drawn to light, airy colors- shades of whites and greys, so from the beginning this is the vision I had in mind. I also wanted to keep it simple, in hopes that it would be a relaxing place for us to spend time together, for me to nurse him, and for him to get some good sleep! The framed art on the walls are all from international locations. The metal work is from Haiti, where Andrew and I have studied and lived for some time. There are vintage post cards I found while in Paris with friends, and the print of the deer is from an artist in Camden Market, which I picked up while visiting my sister in London (and 6 months pregnant with Aaron). This ties in with the map above his crib, as we have a love for traveling and hope to instill in Aaron a curiosity and appreciation for the beauty of the world!

During my whole pregnancy, we had a totally different first name in mind than the one we ended up choosing- one I had chosen for my “future child” way back when I was a freshman in college. However, we never felt 100% sure that it was the right name for our baby, so a few weeks before he was born, we threw it all up in the air and started from scratch! We didn’t decide for sure until the day after he was born, though. His middle name, Thomas, is a family name on Andrew’s side and from the beginning, we felt pretty set on continuing the legacy. 

For his first name, we found inspiration from Aaron in the Bible, Moses’s older brother, but were unsure because Aaron doesn’t have a great reputation. If you’re not familiar with the story, Aaron led the Israelites to worship a handmade golden idol immediately after God had just miraculously parted the Red Sea, rescuing them from slavery by the Egyptians. However, God still chose him to be Moses’s spokesperson to Pharaoh, and he was also chosen to be the first High Priest of Israel. The name means “exalted”, and it felt like a testament to God’s grace and how He chooses us and works through us even when we mess up and fall short. After 24 hours of getting to know our baby, he finally became “Aaron Thomas” to us. He is totally laid back and the sweetest baby, and every day we are in awe of how beautiful and precious he is!

sincerely,

hannah forsberg