Team O’B Takes on Disney (and Clearwater too!) | Maine Lifestyle Photographer

When we were in the planning phase of our Disney vacation, many people told me to leave the camera at home. “You won’t want to drag it around!” they said. “You have a phone – use that” they said (yeah..that one stung a bit). Not bringing my camera was never in question (and thanks to the FABULOUS Black Rapid Sport Breathe strap, I completed a whopping 9 days of vacation with zero shoulder pain from my camera), and I’m so glad I followed my heart and brought it along to capture our adventure. And while I didn’t shoot constantly, I focused on the moments that meant the most, capturing Molly’s excited reactions to the different parts of the trip, and bringing home memories in the best way I know how.

For my husband and I, big family vacations were something our families were never able to do as they raised us. Over the past several years, my husband and I have pounded the pavement, growing our own two businesses, while managing graduate school, a home, a small child, and at times, two to three jobs EACH on top of everything else. It’s been a hard road over the past six years and to be honest, when we decided to start planning for a Disney vacation, I wasn’t totally convinced we could do it. But we did, and we did it right (with special thanks to Tricia Kohler for the planning assistance!). For the first time ever, we took a vacation without anyone else, and without being on any schedule other than our own. We disconnected from social media and work, and we focused on each other. I feared we’d be so sick of each other by the time we left, but I was incredibly incorrect. Instead we became closer as a family unit, and the tears welled up as we waved goodbye to the palm trees, sun, and our journey that represented so much more than a trip to Florida.

For our 6 year old, big dreams came true as she adventured through all of the Disney parks, meeting her favorite princesses (literally with tears in her eyes), becoming a princess herself at the fabulous Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Magic Kingdom, and traveling to Clearwater to finally meet a dolphin – three of them to be exact – which also happened to be the stars of her favorite movies – the Dolphin Tale series – at the fabulous Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

I’m excited to share our story and these images and hope they inspire a similar adventure for you and your family. Bring your camera (or just bring me – ha!), and create the memories. It was so much more than I expected it would be, and cannot wait for our next adventure.