Painting my son Wyatt was easy when he was little, but then the tween years came, and he wouldn't let me.

I waited eight long years to create a new portrait painting of my son. When he came home from college one weekend, I asked if I could photograph him. He said yes, and while photographing him, he told me the story about his biology professor. He was in college during COVID-19, and when he finally returned to his studies, this professor used the pandemic to teach the course. His approach blew my son's mind. I could see that, for the first time, he had made a connection between his major, biology, and the real world. He immediately knew that his major was the right choice and got very excited, and this was precisely the moment I photographed him. His joy is apparent. What else can a mom ask for?