There’s a football in my family that has been loved for more than twenty years..
It started with my brother, who carried it into countless University of Alabama summer camps as a kid. Somewhere along the way, he had it signed by Nick Saban himself. That alone could have made it precious. But what makes it priceless isn’t the autograph—it’s the way it has stayed.
The ball is slightly deflated, on purpose. It was easier for my brother to catch that way when he was younger. Easier for my own kids to grip years later when they chased it barefoot across the yard. That small adjustment—the kind no one notices unless you’re the one holding it—meant the ball kept being played with instead of being put away on a shelf.
My brother is thirty-two now. He’s moved through childhood, college, career, and adulthood. But that same football has followed us all, gathering fingerprints from different hands and laughter from different seasons. It has soaked up humid Alabama evenings and sandy Florida mornings. It has been loved by more than one generation..
That’s what makes it an heirloom. Not because it’s perfect, but because it was part of our life together.
And that’s exactly why I love family photography.
On 30A, I meet families who want more than a posed photo—they want their stories told. They want the evidence of love that shows up in the way a toddler grips a parent’s hand, the way a teenager laughs at an inside joke, the way grandparents lean in close as if time itself is speeding up. They want something that feels like that football: worn in, real, and passed down.
When I photograph families here on the beaches, I think about the legacy being built in those frames. The salty air, the soft light, the way the Gulf catches color—it all becomes part of a memory that will last long after the season has passed. Just like a slightly deflated football, these photographs become the things that stay.
Because years from now, when children are grown, what will matter most are the reminders that you lived these days fully and together. The laughter, the light, the stories you’ll tell again and again.
For my family, it’s the ball that stayed.
For yours, it might be the photographs we make on these beaches.
Ready to Create Your Own Heirlooms?
If you’re visiting 30A and want family photos that feel timeless, natural, and true to your story, I’d love to photograph you. My sessions are designed to capture both the beauty of the beach and the small in-between moments that matter most.
You can explore my packages [link to pricing/packages] or get in touch directly [link to contact page] to reserve your date. Let’s create the kind of images your family will hold onto for generations—the photographs that stay.