Hey friend! Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my new website and blog. I’m Erin, a mama of two littles, a full-time math teacher, and the owner and photographer at Erin Thompson Photography. I’m starting this new adventure in the beautiful Albuquerque desert and I’m excited to share it with you!

My Story

Ohio to Montana

While I currently call the 505 home, I’m an Ohio girl at heart. I was born and raised in Cleveland and spent my college years in Cincinnati. I started dating my husband, who is now an Air Force pilot, in high school. We got married six years later, shortly after I graduated from Xavier. We made a quick stop in Albuquerque where he finished up pilot training and then moved to Montana where we spent four wonderful years.

I started my teaching career in a high school and we spent all of our free time exploring Big Sky Country. Having never lived outside of the suburban midwest, it was a sight to behold. I quickly took to landscape and wildlife photography, but my gear limited what I could do. (Getting closeups of moose and bears wasn’t really an option with my little point-and-shoot!) Thankfully, I have been blessed to have the support of my family. They’ve used Christmas and birthdays as opportunities to help build my camera gear collection. I got my first DSLR for Christmas in 2014 and that was the start of my expensive hobby.

After spending a couple summers hiking in national parks and winters skiing in the Rockies, we welcomed our son to the world in 2016. My priorities instantly changed, and I started spending more and more time taking pictures of him. As stunning as the Montana landscapes were, nothing was more beautiful than my new baby boy. But, I thought, what if I put him in those landscapes… now that’s an idea! We continued adventuring in the 406 with our new little buddy in tow and nothing brought me more joy than seeing him experience the world around him.

Flying Baby!

One day when he was about 8 months old, we were driving through Glacier National Park and he was getting pretty grumpy in the back seat. We pulled over on the side of the road to stretch our legs when we heard the sound of a waterfall. I grabbed my camera and saw that it was just a short walk away. The three of us walked down the hill and while my husband showed our son the waterfall, I snapped a few pictures of it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my husband pick him up and start tossing him in the air – something the little guy loved! I hustled over to them and on a whim captured this:

My husband knew I got something good by the look on my face. He immediately walked over to see and was just as amazed by what he saw on the back of the camera. At that moment, we knew that was going to become our thing for as long as our little guy enjoyed flying. Sadly, those days have come and gone, but I have so many epic pictures to help me cherish his joy and little laugh from that time.

Montana to New Mexico

After an incredible four years in a state I never imagined I’d love so much, we got orders to New Mexico. We packed up our life, I said goodbye to the best first teaching job, and we headed south. Within a couple months of moving, we welcomed our daughter into the world. As my little family has grown, shooting moose out of my sunroof in Yellowstone National Park transformed into balancing stuffed moose on my head to get smiles. My kiddos have gone from wearing diapers to doing math problems at the dinner table, and I’ve realized just how much they change every day. Capturing the beautiful chaos of growing up and our daily life as a family has let me enjoy every moment (okay, most moments) knowing I will have these photos and memories forever.

Erin Thompson Photography

There’s no doubt that 2020 was a tough year. I work for an east coast university and needed an outlet to help me get through long days of teleworking with tiny coworkers last year. Photography has always brought me joy and I’ve thought “maybe I can do this for real” for a few years. So, I turned to online photography courses to give me something to help unwind at the end of the day. It didn’t take long before I knew I needed to create Erin Thompson Photography.

In addition to learning about camera settings, natural light, posing, and composition, I’ve spent the last few years learning how to freeze genuine moments with my family. I fill my photos with emotion and make the best out of whatever our tiny humans give us. I want to share this skill with all of you because I believe that every family deserves to have their stories told and their emotions remembered. So let’s do this together!