The Beauty of the In-Between: Why Imperfections Make the Most Memorable Photos
There’s something about the way the wind picks up at the Delaware beaches.
How it tangles your hair. How little hands clutch shells and sandy buckets, leaving trails behind in the dunes. How the tide surprises us, rushing higher than expected, and suddenly we’re running barefoot and laughing, soaking hems and rolling jeans.
This is the magic.
It’s never been about perfection. It’s about the in-between. The crooked toddler smiles. The salt-streaked curls. The freckles the sun brings out every July. The way your partner’s hand rests on your back without even realizing it. Because one day, these are the things you’ll want to remember.
Why Imperfections Tell the Real Story
Over the years, I’ve photographed hundreds of families, couples, and weddings across Rehoboth, Bethany, Lewes, and beyond. And here’s the truth:
The moments you love most, the ones that make you pause, breathe, and feel something are rarely the ones we plan. It’s the way your child’s nose scrunches when they laugh. The way Grandma wipes away a quiet tear during vows at Winterthur. The way the marsh grass catches the last warm light, perfectly imperfect and wildly beautiful.
These tiny details, the things you don’t script, hold your story.
Textures That Feel Like Home
Authentic photography isn’t smooth, polished, and perfect. It’s layered. It’s textured.
It’s barefoot feet on sun-warmed docks in Lewes, the grit of sand clinging to fingertips, the gentle blur of motion when your kids run faster than we imagined. I photograph the imperfections because they’re proof of life. Because your family’s story is better when it feels real. And because sometimes, the wind, the salt, and the chaos give us more than we could have ever planned.
If You’re Looking for Perfect…
If you want everyone standing in a perfect line, hands folded, smiles identical, I might not be your photographer. But if you want to feel your story years from now, to hear the waves, taste the salt, and remember the way this exact season of life felt, you’re in the right place.
Here’s to the windblown, the untamed, the beautifully imperfect. Because when we stop chasing perfection, we make room for what’s real.
www.MariaDeForrest.com | Follow along on Instagram @mariadeforrest