A Gotcha Day Story | Beginnings

When I received the phonecall the night before, asking if I could go along to document a couple picking up their son, I was beyond thrilled and not a little nervous. A dream I've had for some time now, to use my unique location in China to serve families who are coming to adopt a child by photographing the story of their first day/days together, had suddenly been birthed. I was unsure of what it would be like to step into that emotional, vulnerable moment where, because of the nature of adoption, so many hard things have already and possibly will take place. It's a beautiful, heart wrenching event, the Gotcha Day. And I know it is something families want to remember, regardless of how smooth or difficult it may be. 

This is probably the most amount of photos I have ever posted on here. But I am excited to share this story, with the hope that it can be repeated many times over.

This is a second "story" that only happened in small bits as I was able. They were a sweet couple, adopting for the first time, a little boy, their first son. They had come on their own, with no one but the agency guide to take photos for them, so I tried to grab a few in between documenting the other family. I was so grateful to be able to gift them with about 50 photographs, those first precious moments, glances, touches, tears, and send them on to them the next day as they finished paperwork before heading down to Guangzhou.