Last month I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the Loeschers. They were interested in family portraits to celebrate this monumental time for their family. Talk about a big year!

After multiple treatments, Frank finally beat the cancer that he had been fighting. He continues to be an advocate for other people suffering from this specific cancer found in Vietnam veterans due to Agent Orange. The way he looks at his family, you can feel his love for them. You can see that he was faced with the fear of losing them too soon, and that they are his pride and joy. Even though he’d been dealing with this very serious stress, he was hilarious and a blast to work with. A lot of those big smiles you will see below were caused by him.

Along with Frank, Claire was another comedic relief in the family. Her quick wit and willingness to play and laugh at herself made the process super fun. She is about to graduate from high school and preparing to move away for college to continue her pursuit in screenwriting. Along with screenwriting, she plays the clarinet and ukulele!

Kristie, a professor at UT, is clearly the rock of the family. Her strength appears to hold this family together. She works full time with hundreds of college students, volunteers at the local theater, makes time for Claire’s band performances, and I’m sure much more that we didn’t get to talk about! When she speaks about all of these things her face lights up, and you can tell that she really enjoys life.

The love that this family has for each other is apparent. And I love the idea of family portraits as a celebration of life, because that is exactly what it is about! Thank you so much for allowing me into your lives, Kristie, Frank, and Claire!

The only family that I’ve had a “blooper reel” for..

Mama Bear sweeping away bugs for Claire.