THEY ONLY BELIEVE LIKE THIS FOR SO LONG.
And this is nothing like standing in line at the mall.
For one private hour, Santa is theirs.
They’ll check the nice list. Talk about the reindeer. Have milk and cookies. Explore Santa’s workshop. And while they’re completely wrapped up in the magic, I’m quietly photographing the story as it unfolds.
They have no idea there are about 15 different scenes.
They’re not posing for Santa pictures.
They’re living their own Christmas story.
Then my artist and I spend the next two months turning those moments into artwork—often becoming a custom storybook set to poetry, along with a portrait that lives on the wall long after they stop listening for reindeer on the roof.
Just 5 families in Midland.
Just 5 families in Bloomfield Hills.
Because magic takes time.
BEFORE EVERYONE GETS SO BUSY BEING GROWN-UPS.
There is always a reason to wait.
Someone wants to lose ten pounds. Someone's schedule is impossible. One kid is away at college. Another hates having their picture taken.
And somehow another year goes by.
The portraits people treasure most aren't usually the ones made when everything was perfect.
They're the ones that show exactly who belonged together at that moment.
Let's make something beautiful enough to live on your walls—and important enough that someday, nobody would dream of taking it down.
“More than any other photographer I have seen, Kathy Morley captures in her photographs the true character of her subject. You can see it in the naturalness of the smiles, the light in the eyes, and the relaxed pose. The result is portraits with exceptional warmth and beauty.”
— Jan Zanyk