Photo Journals – Milli Stephania Photo

Stratford, CT, you really said “vamos a bailar“, and wow, you really meant it!

Yesterday I finally experienced the Latin Festival everyone keeps raving about—and wow, you weren’t exaggerating. The Stratford Hispanic Heritage Committee threw down for their 20th Anniversary Latin Music Festival, and let me tell you, this town knows how to celebrate. With Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15–Oct 25) officially underway, the timing couldn’t have been better.

Yesterday was my very first time attending, and let me just say… I get it now. I came prepared like a pro festival-goer: packed chairs, snacks, and picked the perfect shady spot under a tree. (Did I need snacks? Nope. With all those food vendors, I should’ve come hungry.)

From the first performance, it was pure magic—local dance schools absolutely brought the energy, and the crowd was eating it up. But the Peruvian dancers? They stole the whole show. The colors of their traditional outfits were so vibrant they could have powered the stage lights themselves. And the way they hyped up the crowd? Unreal. Stratford was basically one big dance floor for a minute.

Of course, I couldn’t resist snapping photos. It wasn’t official—just me, my camera, and a soft spot for families having a blast. I’ve already shared the gallery with Stratford residents so they can find their own smiling faces, just like I did back in June with the Stratford Festival. (You can read that blog post here, and find the gallery here) There’s nothing better than capturing real, unscripted joy.

After a year and a half of living here, I’m still blown away by how much community Stratford has. People show up for each other, they celebrate loudly, and they make you feel like you’re part of something bigger. My heart is full, and you can bet I’ll be back next year, front row, camera in hand, dancing, and loving every second.

Go on, click through the gallery and see if you can find your dance moves or your abuela’s best twirl. 😉 Relive the fun right here!”

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Moving into a new neighborhood is always a gamble. You hope for friendly faces, maybe a neighbor who’ll wave hello… but finding people who feel like family? That’s rare. Lucky for me, my family hit the neighbor jackpot.

In the short year we’ve lived here, these neighbors have become our honorary family. The kind of people who invite you in, offer you food (multiple times, whether you’re hungry or not), and make your kids feel like their backyard is a second home. So, when their oldest was graduating high school, there was no way I wasn’t showing up to help document their celebration.

It was everything a graduation party should be: a backyard BBQ, a pool full of happy, splashing kids, and a grill that didn’t quit. And let me tell you about the food. There were bacon-wrapped mushrooms that quite literally stole my heart. I mean, if you didn’t strategically position yourself near the appetizer table, were you even at a party?

While I worked my camera, capturing every laugh, cannonball, and plate piled high, my own kids were just living their best lives. One was running wild in the backyard like it was her personal kingdom, while the other got passed from relative to relative, collecting kisses and snacks along the way. It was chaos, the sweet, heartwarming kind that fills a home with life.

As a photographer, these are my favorite kinds of events. Not the ones where everything’s staged and stiff, but the ones where life is just happening, and I get to freeze those little in-between moments that people don’t even realize they’ll miss.

It’s wild how life surprises you sometimes. I never expected to have a Ukrainian family that feels like my own, but here we are. And I’m so grateful.

If you’ve got a milestone coming up and you want someone who’ll show up not just with a camera, but with heart (and an extra appetite), I’d be honored to be there. These moments are fleeting—but the memories don’t have to be.