cabanillas family photos // yucatan, mexico

Abigail, what’s your favorite thing about your mom?
“She is so beautiful, she takes care of me all the time, she plays with me all the time, and she loves me the most!”
What’s your favorite thing about your dad?
“He makes me laugh, he plays with me, and he loves me soooooo much.”

I had the most unreal privilege of going on vacation with this family—-Adele, Pablo, their most imaginative & smart daughter Abigail, and some of their family members from both South Africa & Guatemala—to document their time together in Mexico. When they hired me, Adele (who is an incredible photographer) expressed that she wanted me there so that she could fully enjoy her vacation without always being the one taking photos, and also actually getting the chance to be in the photos with her family. Such genius, really!

I will later share much more of our photos from when we were exploring around Mexico together, but one of the things they really wanted me to photograph while we were all there was the three of them together, upon waking up in the morning. Adele had told me that sometimes when they are all in bed together, she & Pablo just look at each other with tears in their eyes, because they can’t believe how lucky in love they are, with each other & with Abigail, who is their world. She told me that their favorite time together is first thing in the morning, and her telling me this was a turning point in my relationship with them, because I can relate to that on the most heartfelt level. I remember since Madeline being a small child—and she was never a very snuggly or needy child—the few times that she would snuggle on to me, I would find myself closing my eyes, and trying with all of my might to breathe in that moment, for it to live inside of my veins forever & ever. Those times are fewer & fewer anymore, as she quickly approaches adulthood against all the wishes I hold out for her to be my little baby girl forever, and I still find myself longing for the memories of us together, warm & cuddly, in each other’s arms just barely outside of our dream state. I am quite pleased with the photos that came of my morning session with Adele, Pablo & Abigail, and so very honored that I was given access to document those small fleeting memories of the simple things we do with the ones we love… like waking up together, and being in love.

Photographing families is my life’s dream, and having the good fortune enough to travel to one of my favorite places on earth (Mexico!) is not just a realization of several of my life’s dreams together, but also I believe that it’s actually a cosmic, karmic sign of what’s to come… I’m just feeling so thankful & so in love! Let’s ride this feeling together, you & I; I’d love to document your family in love too, wherever it is that you wake up together everyday.

Thank you, Adele, Pablo, Abigail & your wonderful families, for trusting me, for having me a long for the ride, and for being an inspiration to me to live a life of love & laughter. We’ll always have Mexico!

{originally posted at CALIMA Portraits}