The Troutmans are people who feel like family as soon as you meet them. They are fun, kind-hearted, and joyful. They radiate the love of Christ in a very tangible way. And photographing them was such a gift!
We met at Blackacre Conservancy and Nature Preserve for a fall mini session. The leaves were bright and beautiful, and the last hint of autumn color made a perfect backdrop. We had the best time kicking up and tossing leaves, while documenting their family bond. All was going great, until I began to toss leaves in the air as well…
I didn’t know it at the time, but as I was tossing leaves, my wedding ring flew off my hand and landed in a pile of leaves behind me. I realized it was missing about five minutes later, after we had moved locations. Normally this wouldn’t be a huge ordeal. On a sunny day, a shiny ring should be easy to spot. But it was fall. The ground was covered in several inches of leaves. The sun was sinking. And I was standing in the middle of a leaf pile the size of a living room.
When I didn’t find my ring immediately, I realized that this could turn out to be an impossible task. The sun was setting, and there was no way that I could comb through all those leaves by hand even with an entire day to do so. Thankfully, the Troutmans were wonderful and went out of their way to connect me with a friend who had a metal detector. I returned to Blackacre the next morning with it in hand. I spent a couple of hours retracing my steps with no luck.
Two sweet people from Blackacre even jumped in to help me search, kicking up leaves right beside me. And then, just when hope was starting to fade, one of the staff members reached out to a man who frequents Blackacre with his own metal detector. He showed up, took a quick sweep, and within 15 minutes held up the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen — my ring! I may have shed a few tears of relief.
In the middle of all this, I kept thinking about the parable of the lost coin in Luke 15:8–10.
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
I’ve never lost something so precious and irreplaceable, and while I tried to stay hopeful, the longer it was missing, the more distressed I became. When the ring was finally back in my hands, the relief and joy were overwhelming. It was a powerful reminder: If I felt that much love and celebration over something made of metal, how much more does God rejoice over us?
We are infinitely more precious and cherished than gold or silver, and His joy over us is immeasurably greater than anything we could imagine. What a beautiful picture of His love. Even though it was a stressful moment, God surrounded me with the right people at the right time. People who went above and beyond to show kindness. I am thankful for this reminder as we close out the year. God desires to know us intimately and walk with us through everything we face. Nothing is too small to escape his notice – even a wedding ring.
And through all that chaos, we still captured the sweetest fall images of the Troutman family!
Ready to Schedule Your 2025 Fall Mini Session?
If you’d love family photos at Blackacre next fall, or anywhere in the Louisville area, I’d love to photograph you! My 2025 fall mini sessions will open soon! Join my email list to be the first to grab a spot!
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