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I started out with photography at a very young age, and I've always photographed babies that happen to cross my path.

When I was in 7th Grade I actually owned a Rollieflex. I didn't really know what it was but I bought it for $100 (it turned out to be worth much more than that). A friend of my mother's came over to the house with her 1-year-old baby. I shot a roll of black and white. It was a real turning point for me. I got most of them sharp, the light was good and the photos turned out really well. It was my the first shoot that actually worked well for me.

My mother told me a story recently about that child. Twenty-five years later the child in that photograph is dead. He was in the Marine Corps and in Iraq. He was killed in combat. His mother said that photo I took as a seventh grader has always been special to her. Of all the photos she has of him, that's the one she carries in her wallet.

That story really made me realize how important photos are to us.

Yesterday, I shot this photo of little Sophie. She was at Carrie's mother's house. Her grandfather his holding her up.