Little delights

Family session details | The Photo Fuel Retreat

Yesterday was rainy and soppy in Virginia… and usually those kinds of days put me in the dumps. But then -

Aaron sang from the back seat all the way home from school drop-off - “raaaaainy day, its Raaaaain-ning” and his little voice felt sweeter than anything else I could possible want to listen to.

I savored 2 of the most delicious little sea salt caramel chocolates with my afternoon coffee.

Aaron agreeably conceded to a nap. (Praise be).

My Thriftbooks order arrived with three new used books and in some mysterious way, their dog-eared pages make me feel connected to the people who held them last, even though I don't know who they are. I feel giddy to crack them open.

Gavin's Transformers Halloween costume arrived and now he's running around making slicing sounds and turning into a truck (re: spontaneously curling into a ball on the floor and a lot of swooshing sound effects) and I can't help but giggle when I turn around to see Optimus Prime in the kitchen eating a waffle.

The feeling of seeing my grad school friends last weekend is still settled deep in my bones with gratitude. We rendezvoused in a sleepy VA town over wine and pizzas and stories that made our stomachs hurt from laughter and our hearts break with pain and those kinds of friendships feel so damn precious.

I love October. It feels full of creative work and family traditions, equal parts cozy + energizing, gathering with people and places and perfect sweater weather…

I love the smell of crisp fall mornings and making my daughters birthday cake from scratch.

I love soups and leather boots and the crunch of leaves through my neighborhood.

I love that these little delights feel so tangible, like fall is the time when beauty likes to shove itself in every one of our senses and say JUST TRY TO IGNORE THIS.

The world is heavy.

You can say that and see that and know that and still…

it's the noticing of beauty that keeps us alive and awake and hopeful.

I love witnessing the humanness of family and noticing the little things your people must adore about you. And it's hard to explain, but when I experience little delights in my life and notice them and name them - it allows me to also carry them into the way I photograph.

It sharpens my compass for even more little delights - the stroke of a hand, the sparkle in an eye, the steadiness of a character, the softness in a word.

If you'd like to make photos together that carry both the warmth of your family and the depth of little delights, please reach out.

I have 2-3 more opportunities for sessions in late 2025 and am booking into spring 2026.

And if you're a lifestyle family photographer who wants to learn more about your inner perspective and how to bring that light to your community through your work, I would love to invite you to The Photo Fuel Retreat and Mastermind.

We'll dig into the vision, art, and business of making family photographs that hold depth, and a business that doesn't chase trends or conform to hustle, but sustains through clarity and confidence.

Folks are already getting excited about this and it's making me even more excited about it, too! I'm still sorting the logistics of this into busy season so hang on tight while I work through the back-end details before opening up spots to reserve. The wait list will be the first to know when it's ready :-)

// new + noteworthy //

When Thriftbooks arrive, it's a good mail day. If you're purchasing books, this is a great alternative to Amazon that still supports independent sellers and is easier on the wallet.

This is my family's very very soup and it gets devoured everytime I make it. I lighten it up a little without the cream cheese and just milk instead of cream because those are two things we rarely keep in stock - still tastes incredible. Add some crusty bread and some roasted brussels on the side… 👩‍🍳💋

Things I saved lately on IG:

• This Cleo Wade poem
• These vocals that will make your day
• This Wicked vocal training that was seriously fascinating to me - everything is learnable 😍
• This meme round up from Tonic that nails it
• A beautifully true clip from an interview with the legend Sally Mann on photography and writing

CREATIVITY | FAMILY | SIMPLE JOYS

On instagram @leahoconnell.photo