A week and a half ago I had an opportunity to cover a community event, "The Education Equation, A Community Conversation," hosted by our local public radio station, 88.5 WFDD. I’m a huge fan of NPR so when I found out the topic was the high school graduation rate in our community my ears perked up. Our daughter will start high school this fall and given the number of choices we have for private school versus public high school in our local community, this conversation definitely piqued my interest.
I went that night with an open mind and was encouraged by what I learned. The crowd of people that slowly filled the chairs of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts
www.rhodesartscenter.org/ weren’t just parents who care about our children and their education, they were teachers, principles, and superintendants who care a great deal as well and have made the high school dropout rate in our local community their priority and focus. The personal testimonies of two students who have faced all kinds of barriers and obstacles, was the inspiration of the night, and evidence of the positive impact we as parents, school officials, and government leaders can make on a child’s life.
As parents, I think it’s so important to stay informed of current events especially as they pertain to our children and local community. I really felt like it was a privilege to be invited by WFDD to take part in this event and I encourage you to listen to 88.5 and visit their page for the most current information on news in our community and around the world at
www.wfdd.org/home.php. You may click on the link, Education Equation, to listen to an excerpt from this event.
When I say I love my job, I really mean it. As photographers we are given so many opportunities to experience the world. Our clients let us in for a brief time and we have the privilege of observing all those family dynamics. The images we create become mile markers and stepping stones and then memories when the years fade. It becomes the heartbeat of our existence. That is what inspires me and calls me back to the camera every day. Thank you K family for letting me in your world to share the afternoon.
Last weekend I had the privilege of covering an awesome event to raise money for Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test. Blastin' for Boobs was hosted by Trish Naylor and MJ Taylor of Seek the Triad in conjunction with Friends and took place at Shane’s Sporting Clays in Summerfield early Saturday morning. Admittedly, the title got my attention long before I knew what it was all about and I’m so glad I had the chance to get involved and meet so many amazing people. These woman aren’t just survivors, they’re fighters!
Throughout the day I witnessed the fellowship and friendship these ladies share and it was incredible the stories they shared. Some are survivors, some are relatives or close friends of survivors, and some are volunteers with a really big heart. No matter who you were or who you came with, they all had one thing in common, to raise money for an awesome cause.
I enjoyed watching the teams compete and I have to say, everyone brought their game! But then, I think every single person who has been affected by breast cancer either directly or indirectly, brought their game before Saturday, and Blastin’ for Boobs is far from the last round in their fight. They are all superheroes in my book.
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I didn’t grow up with brothers. I’m the oldest of three girls so I don’t know what it’s like to climb trees, or fish all day till dark, or drive a four wheeler. I’ve never shot a rifle and I hate bugs. But these guys changed my mind the day I came out to the farm to shoot their family portraits.
I met their mom, Rinda, a few months ago when she so graciously allowed me to use their place for another shoot and we talked then about doing their family portraits in the fall. She made it clear up front they were not a traditional family and didn’t want anything too posed. When clients tell me they don’t want traditional it’s like speaking my language! I couldn’t wait to meet the rest of her family.
As it turns out, the weather held out for us that day and the leaves were just enough golden to give us beautiful color. The whole family came out and they even brought the family pets. I had a great time photographing their oldest son and his girlfriend, and they were up for anything even when I suggested J climb a tree only to find out she's afraid of heights! And no, we couldn’t leave out the horses or the four-wheelers, but I don’t want to give away all the surprise so I’m only sharing a few from our session. Okay, maybe more than a few ;-)
Sometimes the pictures just speak for themselves 
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Newborn sessions are my favorite sessions. I’ve had the privilege of photographing lots of beautiful babies in my career, and little ‘L’ was no exception. From her gorgeous head of hair to her perfect skin and sweet little face, she takes your breath away. But there’s something extra special about ‘L.’ She’s the little sister of an angel in heaven. Fifteen months ago I photographed her big sister “M” who was born with a disease that was non-compatible with life. Her parents knew ahead of time and they celebrated their time with ‘M’ by doing all the things you normally do when you’re expecting a baby. They bought special clothes for her, picked out a special stuffed animal, read books to mom’s belly, and invited me to shoot their maternity session to capture all of it. On the day ‘M’ was born I was there, documenting her birth and the two and a half minutes she lived before she grew her wings. The time I spent with her family that morning shooting all of her firsts was heart wrenching and beautiful. Her parents gave her the middle name, Grace.
When mom told me she was expecting again and it was a little girl I was over the moon for them! Little ‘M’ would be a big sister and my heart was filled with so much anticipation and hope for this family. You can imagine how exciting it was for me the first time I met little ‘L’ and held her in my arms the same way I’d held her sister and photographed her a little over a year ago. It was bittersweet and awe inspiring at the same time. Little ‘L’ looks just like her sister! I must have said it over and over again our whole session and when I walked into her nursery and saw the beautiful wall display with ‘M’s outfit she wore the day she was born, and the books mom read to her, and the photographs I had taken that mom and dad had so carefully and proudly displayed I was moved in such a way words can’t even really describe. Nine months of hoping and praying, a year and a half of missing and longing, their journey as sisters had come full circle. It seemed so perfect why little ‘L’s parents gave her the middle name, Hope. And so from now to eternity where there’s Grace, there’s Hope.
A week ago I was asked to photograph an event and during the luncheon each person was asked to stand up and give a 60 second commercial. Now, normally I don’t mind being in front of a crowd, in fact those who know me well would say I enjoy an audience and they’d probably be right, but an impromptu speech about myself?? That sent the butterflies turning.
I have struggled with labeling myself as a certain kind of photographer for years, mostly because I was still figuring that out for myself. For a long time I thought the more specialized I was the less opportunity to make myself available to learn and grow. Did I call myself a children’s photographer because that’s what I enjoyed most? Or did I call myself a wedding photographer because I liked the challenge? Was I an ‘everything’ shooter? This business is really competitive and one of the hardest things is setting yourself apart.
One of my favorite quotes is, “Not all who wander are lost.” I think there’s a lot of truth in that. Sometimes we wander out of curiosity. Sometimes we wander because we know where we’re going, we’re just scared. And sometimes we wander just to enjoy the ride. My journey has led me to some incredible people, some have become my dearest friends. I’ve learned a lot about myself and the kind of person I want to be, the kind of photographer I am. I can say with confidence now that I am a children and family portrait photographer but no matter what title you give yourself, at the end of the day it’s about the feeling you get when you look at a picture. The relationships that are immortalized in time. A look, an expression, a smile, a frown. That’s how we’re remembered, and to a loved one, that’s all that really matters.
