My Why

Wow is there a lot of pressure to come up the very first blog post!  I mean the first post has to be beyond good – – like I want to come back here good.  With such a broad blog (life, family, photography and everything in between) where do I begin?

I guess I want to start with my “why” . . . why after seven years of running a successful newborn photography business do I want to add one more thing to my plate?  Am I a glutton for punishment . . . am I bored . . . am I having a mid-life crisis?  Yes, no, maybe.

After doing some deep soul searching I have come up with “I had it upside down”.

When I was first getting into photography I found it ridiculously confusing.  I remember sitting at my computer wanting to research how to take better images but I didn’t even know what to ask.  I mean, can they make it any more confusing??  Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus modes, focal lengths, RAW, sRGB etc.

Then, after years of researching, learning and practicing I “got it”.  I understood how all the pieces fit together.  I knew how to look for light or shoot in the shadows.  I found out how to connect with my subjects and give them images they would treasure for years.  But then after a few more years of that it hit me, while I was doing all of this for others I realized my own walls were empty, my own kids would ask to play and I had to tell them I was working or I would be up late editing and didn’t have the energy for them the next day.

I found myself realizing I had it all upside down.  I was working so hard to give my kids what I thought they need but maybe what they needed was me.  Maybe, working so hard to make it as a photographer should not have been the goal.  Maybe, the goal should be being there . . . like really being there.  Not like when your body is there but your mind is somewhere else (as mine often is /was).

In order to help you learn from my mistakes I want to help you cut down on the very steep learning curve – – because photography is fun and should be fun while you are learning.  The less time you are in front of your computer trying to learn this crazy hobby/profession the more time you can be with those who matter.

I also want to help you use all of the fabulous images you capture in your home so you can be surrounded by images of the people you love.  Having beautiful images on your hard drive is not the end game!  They should be printed and hung or displayed or shared in different ways so they can be there to continue to tell the story of your family.

I don’t have it totally right at all – – I don’t want to pretend that I do.  I am a work in progress.  I hope this blog gives me the accountability to help you learn from my mistakes – – so we can all be figuring out our “why” together.