My path into photograhy has not been a straight street but rather more of a winding journey. When I was young I don’t think I ever said, “I want to be a photographer when I grow up.” I wanted to be a mother and a teacher. However, I have always loved the creative arts including scrapbooking, decorating, coordinating colors, party planning, etc. which helped guide my way into photography. It took a wealth of life experiences, some positive and some challenging, for me to become confident enough and strong enough in character to realize what I wanted to do. I do not believe I would of have ever found my way to where I am now without 10 years in Children’s Ministry, 5 years completing my college education (B.A. of Elementary Education, M.S. of Education), and 5 years teaching high school and middle school in Morrisville. At heart, I will always be a teacher. Now that teaching is no longer my profession, the challenge is to meld teaching into all of the areas of my life including photography.
So I knew that my new profession would be within the realm of creative arts but why photography? My brain is always noticing great locations, incredible light, and color. More importantly, I can use my creativity within photography and within the daily life of running a business while constantly being challenged, learning, and growing. In additon, a large part of today’s digital photography world encompasses graphic design which I love.
Perhaps most importantly, centering my business around families and children allows me to help families create memories together and hopefully capture images that will become family heirlooms contributing to their family’s heritage. What a privilege! Everyday that I head out to photograph a new family, a returning client, or to a new location, I learn an infinite amount within those few hours that couldn’t be better learned any other way. So to my past, current, and future clients, thank you for helping me grow in character and as a photographer.
Brings a SMILE to my face: chocolate of any sort*lots of pink*getaway weekends*the “Got It” moment(s) in every session*Silver Dollar City at Christmas* swimming* my husband’s blue eyes* reading a great book by the pool or anywhere actually* family dinners* Mary Kay mineral make-up* the Olympics* beaded jewelry* candle lit dinners* Stillwaters Resort* our church family at Springhill* eateries&events in Downtown Springfield* meeting new families booked from client referrals*our nieces and nephews* Public Television channel 21-3 CREATE* Fall colors* cooking with herbs&veggies from my own garden* camping* the satisfaction of reaching the end of a challenging hike or bike ride* authors Lori Wick, Jan Karon, and Sharon Creech* singing praise music, especially in the car by myself* completed To-Do Lists* the Springfield library system* the urban look* natural remedies that really work*date nights put together by my husband* great romantic comedies*when the Lord brings everything together just when I thought I couldn’t make it any further
Brings a FROWN to my face: slouchy socks *Monday mornings *emptying the dishwasher *great photographs that are slightly BLURRY *divorce *inappropriate language added to children’s&adolescent literature and film purely for shock value *starting each day with the items from yesterday’s To Do List *cancer *folding clean laundry *the first piece of dirty laundry in the hamper after I was finally all caught up *sitting in traffic *red lights (I’ll take the highway any day, even if it is the long way around) *magazines consumed by advertisements*disrespect for the institution of marriage* waiting for medical results*only doing enough to “just get by”* allergies
In the future, I want to…be a mom to multiple children *build a home-studio that includes an outdoor shooting area *be a spectator at the Olympics *tour Italy *have one week where I manage to keep up with the laundry, dishes, and the checkbook *return to Hawaii *make time for myself and with girlfriends more of a priority *be able to quiet my distracted self before the Lord for more than 30 seconds at a time *consistently run a 5k and swim a 1600 *remodel our bathroom and bedroom *travel across the U.S. hiking, biking, and camping *find more ways to use my creative talents to help others *accomplish common goals with my husband