It’s About More Than Photography
Palm City Family Portraits at Home—With Heart, History, and Their Dog
A Portrait Session That Meant So Much More
This story comes from a portrait session right in my client’s own backyard—under the mossy oaks and wide-open skies of Palm City Farms. Stephanie Carney is raising her three grandchildren at their home here in Palm City, and when she asked me to create portraits of her family, I knew we were doing more than making pretty pictures.
We were documenting love. We were holding space for joy and struggle to live side by side. We were telling the truth about what it looks like to build something beautiful out of something hard.
This is what I care about most in my work. Helping families see themselves with tenderness. Giving children a sense of security and belonging. Creating portraits that are not just lovely to look at—but deeply felt.
In Her Words: Stephanie’s Story
Stephanie shared this reflection after receiving her wall portraits, gallery canvas, and family album. Her words brought me to tears. I hope they move you, too.
“Anyone walking into our home notices Diane’s portraits of our family because they are gorgeous works of art. “Oh, WOW! That’s amazing!” is the usual comment, and what the children said when they saw the first installation over the fireplace. This was followed by more oohs and aahs and big smiles over the second canvas on the wall and the collection in the bound family album.
I see the beauty, of course. I appreciate the quality of the photography and the success with which the photos capture the unique and different qualities of each child. But when I look at them, I see so much more than that. They touch me on a deeply personal level and evoke all the many emotions I feel about the children as individuals and as a family together in spite of difficult circumstances that led to their home with me.
These are my children, yet not my children. I didn’t bear them, but I raise them. I am at once a grandmother and a single mother, yet fully neither one. It’s not easy, even with help. I commissioned these photos because I wanted to preserve this moment in the children’s lives in a gallery quality work of art, but every time I look at them they also remind me why I’m doing this job.
The girls may have just moments before screamed at each other and slammed doors, Jax may have just burst into tears because his sister knocked over his Lego creation, but at the end of the day they are truly what the photos show, bonded and united in love, relaxed and happy in what has become their own backyard.
I may have just collapsed into bed at 10pm after a day of packing three kids off to two different schools, shuttling to carefully coordinated after school activities, resolving countless inter-sibling disputes, working through three loads of laundry, cooking dinner, packing lunches, assisting with homework, getting everyone bathed and to bed on time….but before I escape into Netflix, I make sure I take a moment to take in their peaceful, joyful faces surrounding the adored family dog in Diane’s portraits and it reminds me that I’m lucky to share this time with these special children.”
The Power of Everyday Beauty
The portraits we created that day—right at their home in Palm City Farms—were natural and deeply personal. The kids played with their dog under the trees, snuggled together on the porch swing, and simply were themselves. These are the moments I live for as a photographer.
When I look at the finished wall art now—especially the large gallery canvas hanging above their fireplace—I don’t just see the technical details. I see meaning. I see memory. I see a family that’s choosing love over and over again.
Want to Tell Your Family’s Story?
If you’re looking for family portraits that truly reflect your life and your heart, I’d love to help.
Let’s start with a simple, friendly call.
Click here to schedule yours.
