The thing about photographing young girls is that I tend to remember what I was like at that age. I try and see things through those young eyes. More often than not, I can’t. It hasn’t been THAT long but it’s been long enough.

Haley lives on the same street as I do. Her mother cracks me up and is as down to Earth as anyone I ever met. Before I ever really got to know Haley I can remember thinking what a great job her mother had done with her. She’s sweet, polite and responsible. On top of that … she’s just plain beautiful. Maybe I’ve grown up too much or maybe it’s just because I am a mom who seems frighteningly close seeing her baby graduate high school but I couldn’t channel my teenage years. I could definitely see this beauty through her mom’s eyes. She’s becoming a woman. Soon she’ll be out in the world. Her last baby is all grown up. When her mother started to cry, my tears started to come too. Congratulations Haley!