An End To A Good Year

I won't be taking anymore bookings for 2009 due to the holidays. It's a busy time of year, of course, and Jon has A LOT of time off, so we are going to spend some much needed family time with the kids. I've been so busy this past month that I feel I have neglected my babies with Mommy time. I'm so blessed that I can be at home with them and still do what I am doing; however, I don't want them to grow up and say, "Mom was always on the computer." They grow up to quickly and I can't allow myself to miss out on them doing just that.

This year has been amazing to me and I wanted to take a minute to thank all of the families that allowed me to be their photographer. It has been rewarding for me in many different ways as I have learned so much and have grown quite a bit.


I have always loved photography and my family can vouch for that. I started out when I begged for one of those old school Polaroids where you have to purchase the film by the packs of 10. It didn't get much use since it would have been expensive to supply them for me; and, as a youngster, I wasn't in a position to afford them on my own. I still have it as part of my collection of cameras. My family were my loyal subjects for many years, and I can still see my sister getting upset with me when I would take a silly candid that she wasn't prepared for. Most of the time my mom and sister would just hide themselves by putting their hands up in front of their face. No matter--I was always able to sneak some in there.


Move several years down the road when I was pregnant with my first baby, Lana. I was determined to capture every moment that I could with her, and since digital was in and was growing more and more popular, THAT was what I was going to get. I researched a bit on the subject, familiarizing myself with digital photography and I ended up with a Kodak. It wasn't until my new subject was born, my daughter, that I was at it non-stop and since I was now digital, I could take as many as I wanted. I could always delete! I would try to create a back drop and adjust the lighting as much as I could. The camera served me well for a couple of years but I wasn't satisfied, I wanted more control over the settings instead of auto. That's where my canon power shot came into play and after 2 years with it, I still wasn't content.

Now, with two children, and 4 years after my first digital camera, my heart was set on an affordable DSLR and I knew that I wanted Nikon. I had studied and read Nikon vs. Canon and even though BOTH are excellent brands, my opinion came to be that Nikon was supreme. I can't describe the feeling as I opened the box, I was like a little kid on Christmas. I sat and held the box just looking at it, anticipating exactly what was inside, savoring each minute until my husband interrupted my glorious moment with, "Uh, aren't you going to open it? Open it up and let's see it." I slowly began to lift to the lid and the Styrofoam and there it was--my very own. I continued to do the same with the lens and each item the camera came with and after about 30 minutes, it was put together and in action!

Fast forward through the many months to follow in 2009, and all the families, couples, and children that I was able to capture in their element, their moment. It has been an amazing journey for me and I am grateful to the Lord for this. All these years as I was growing up, I never knew what my talent was. I searched for it, I tried MANY things. I knew what others were good at and would envy that they had something special of their own they could do; but, now I know too. Even if I only ever do it for my family, capturing the life of my babies, I will be alright knowing that this is my passion.


Just a few thoughts on custom photography. Some have told me that I should do this as a business but that's not the way I want to roll. It's a hobby, it started that way and that is the way I plan on it staying. I don't know anything about business or acting business-like. So please understand that this is just something I LOVE to do and enjoy doing it for others. I was frustrated with a certain instance and my mom (gotta love Mothers!) said something to me where I had an ,"ah-ha" moment. The Lord gives us talents to bless the lives of others and he can also take it away. No amount of money can justify or compensate my time that I spend at the computer and away from my babies. However, I can still bless others with what I do at affordable prices so they can also have the opportunity to own nice pictures of their family which is very important to me as well. Just to get an understanding of what goes into it, an average shoot takes me anywhere from 8-10 hours. It isn't just the 1-2 hour shoot where you see me. There is always work that goes in behind the scenes to make the show great. In a production there is lighting, props, script, make-up, dress, music, etc. For me, there is editing, corresponding, uploading time, maybe more editing ,getting orders prepared, and if there is a damaged order, there is more corresponding and reordering, etc. You get the idea. I just wanted those of you who follow my blog to know my stand point on custom photography as well as this being something that I enjoy doing.


With all that said, thanks again to everyone for giving me greater opportunities to grow. I will be revamping my website and my pricing, so stay tuned and I hope to see you all again in 2010! Happy Holidays!


And what would a post be without a picture? Here is some of my work from 4 years ago of my baby who is quickly approaching 5! I cropped and lightened it a bit for the web but this is straight out of camera back in 2003.