Katie SwiftPHOTOGRAPHER
Two decades, one marriage, and a Jeep Rubicon rental later… we found ourselves in the Colorado Rockies, slightly winded but still wildly in love. Just us, our matching hiking boots, and the quiet reminder that the best view really does come after the hardest climbs. Here’s to 20 years of walking side by side—and to...
Because when your mom and your daughter hit monumental birthdays just a week apart- Sexy Seventy and Sweet Sixteen, you throw a party. Well actually, your mom throws the party, because that’s what mom does best. But you show up with flowers (that match the color scheme, of course) and pretty cakes and a camera...
On Sunday, we played our first true ‘listening room’ at Dayton’s beloved Vagabond Studio & Gallery. It was a cold and dreary day in March after a week of blessed sunshine and spring weather. A winter’s last-ditch effort kind of day to keep us all in pajamas & binging on PBS Masterpiece forever. So I...
This morning, while walking the dog, I hear the hawk screech overhead she cries out like a mother circling in the silky sad sky, ’round and ’round, the sun brightening her wings as she angles and glides in the wind she’s following us- I swear she is! us trekking up the cul-de-sac hill and back...
This year is a very special treat- all three of our chitlins’ are high schoolers which means Homecoming dance for all! You’d think I would’ve thought to get a picture of all three of them together but by the time I got everyone dressed, ticketed and to the park for snap shots, I had little...
Summer nights are my favorite. There’s something about the warm dusk that calls me out of my cozy comforts of home and into the soft, shadowy, twilight air. It’s a type of soul soothing that can only be experienced, not explained. So when a festival promises to get me beneath the setting summer sun, I...
Last month Josh and I were blessed to take a short trip to Florida. It was our first visit to the Space Coast in almost 10 years. I have a wonderful family in Melbourne with whom a visit was waaay overdue. We met for dinner at Captain Hiram’s Resort in Sebastian and I brought my...
David went to prom this spring with a few good friends and a fistful of bling to the kid at the restaurant who called my son a fag i know your life is a mediocre drag but i hope and i pray and heap burning coals on you that maybe someday you’ll find the courage...
Last Saturday we gathered with Josh’s family in Hillsboro to celebrate Grandma Pat’s 86 years of blessed life. Grandma had 8 kids, 22 grandkids, 33 great grandchildren and one big, fluffy dog named Ellie. She lived out in the country on her children’s land and was an artist, an adventurer and a devout Christian. She...
This Thanksgiving we had the most glorious feast with family down in Tennessee. Of course, it helps to have a Chef in the bunch but I also attribute our meal success to the fact that in this here family, we looove to eat… Jonah even tried to steal the mashed potatoes! Oh yes, and Josh...
When you’re the middle child and you grow up watching your big brother hit all those milestones first, it can be a little intimidating… So you learn to play it cool… You never wear dress shoes… And you let your mom take a few pics… But just a few…
‘Cause when you go to your nephew’s football game… you’ll want him to see that you’re there… cheering him on… along with everyone else… Knowing soon you’ll forget the scoreboard, but never that sunset sky… And you’ll want to thank him and his entire team for the miracle they make every Friday night underneath the lights…...
‘Tis the season for gift giving! For someone who loves to give and receive gifts, you’d think I’d be excited for Christmas. Instead, what I find, year after year, is that I’m increasingly overwhelmed and stressed by it all. Maybe it’s my perfectionism- wanting to find the perfect, most incredibly thoughtful gift for everyone on my...
My niece and nephew Bailey and Ezekiel are a bright ball of fuzzy, fun, light in my nowadays moody, teenaged home. I’m grateful for every buzzing moment I get with them. Thanks Bailee, for all the hugs and I love yous. Thanks Ezekiel for always taking care of your little sister. You teach us all...
Because when your firstborn son goes to his first homecoming dance with his rock star girlfriend, you drive them. On the way you stop at a sunset field… then proceed to take too many pictures. And when you notice your boy, who is wearing a fancy suit and a watch, is also wearing a...
When I asked Savannah what she wanted to do for her 12th birthday she said a small party at home with a few close friends. She also asked for pizza, Dad’s famous ice cream cake, and a dress-up photoshoot with the girls. I’m happy to abide these simple requests not only for the ease but...
When your sister in-law turns 40 you take her damn picture. Because everyone needs to know what 40 looks like: (like you’re preparing to go down a steep waterslide) but you’re not afraid cause you know you’re not alone… You’ve got daughters to fix your hair, sisters to snuggle (and brothers to play UB40 tracks...
Yesterday makes 2 years since Bobby was taken from us. So much has changed and yet the most important thing has not- Bobby is still gone. Last year our family (even the dogs) met together at his grave with gifts, a poem and a song. This year, we tried something different. We gave each other space...
Because all we need are dogs, kids, a rope and some grass to roll around in. Grateful for these summer evenings…
The other night we were bored at soccer practice so Savannah I looked at some old blog posts. We ran across an interview I did with my niece Caylee Jo a few years ago, and Savannah was inspired. Here’s a sweet lil’ glimpse of Savannah at age 9: What’s your favorite color? Teal What’s your...
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