The Day Anna Came Home | Cape Town Adoption Story | Professional Adoption Photographer & Videographer

The day you meet your child is one of the most formative and important in your life. Be the day they are born into your family or adopted into your family. Little known fact, I document adoptions from time to time and this is the first time I’ve been able to share one with you. If you don’t have a stack of tissues ready, your sleeves are about to be full of tears and snot. You’ve been warned. Few stories are so compelling and touching as Anna’s homecoming day.

When her mother called me to hire me, she wasn’t sure how this would work out. I was booked solid and the adoption timing was so up in the air. But she was persistent that I had to be with her that day documenting it. I felt such a connection to her and her story, I made a way. And honestly, this was one of the professional highlights of my year. You know who I was shooting for most? Anna! So that one day she could look back and fill in parts of her story. Adoptees contend with such loss. Sure, there are beautiful redemptive moments in their stories but adoption by nature involves profound loss. As a mother through adoption myself, I get it. I understand trying to piece together a story for your child with only fragments. I understand whatever you can give them in terms of photos, details, memories, are gifts. To understand how loved and wanted they were from day one is what I wanted most to convey as I captured her homecoming story in photos and film.

Yes, by the way, I do both. Two expertises, one personalized bespoke service. Full photos collection of her day and a film. It’s a massive creative undertaking and its hard to find someone who does both, but that’s my specialty. Be sure to work through each because they tell the story in a different way.

A few notes on this story. Anna’s adoption details are hers. Not mine to tell. So I am not posting the background to her story on purpose. I believe in that as much as I would not post private medical background from a birth story.

Taryn waited so long for her. The journey to parenting was long and fraught with one disappointment after another. I love in the video she says “What took you so long?” when they finally meet. Isn’t that what it often feels like? How long and how winding it is until our stories intersect. Taryn was supported on this day by her sister and family. I commend her for taking on single parenting. Can there be a harder job? And how beautiful to see her loved and celebrated by a family.

This is also her story of becoming a mother. Nervous, uncertain, but willing. She showed up and leaned into all the feelings. Could courage be more evident?

My thanks to Taryn for hiring me, trusting me, and allowing me to share this story. Be sure to see when I caught up with her 5 months later after she had settled into motherhood for a session in the park. After the emotions and shock of the day, its nice to capture some portraits once bonding has happened.

Special thanks to everyone at Procare for facilitating my presence there in such a professional way.