As the world opens back up, our normal has to be different. Lives are depending on it

June 10, 2020

I haven’t been sleeping.

Yesterday I laid in my bed for a long time, just looking at the wall. Unable to put my thoughts into words when Matt asked me if I was okay.

“No, I’m not okay” is what my entire body wanted to say, but I just shook my head and whispered, “yes.”

I don’t want to keep putting this depression on him. He’s right there fighting beside me, so I don’t need to then put my own sadness back on him.

People told me this is what was going to happen when I finally stepped out of my own privilege and woke up to what was really happening around me. I truly believe I’m going through the grieving process.

Black Lives Matter so let's work on being Anti-Racist

June 03, 2020

It’s definitely important that we do things behind the scenes and put the hard work in. But, it’s also important that I speak out so that people know where I stand and feel represented. I have had/have black clients and if I expect them to feel comfortable with giving their business to me, I need to be very clear on where I stand; I stand with them.

People are watching. If you are afraid of losing followers or clients because you post things like BLM or that you fight for injustice, black people are going to take notice. If I’m going to give my money to a company then I want to know that company is someone who would stand up for me and with me.

Just like you’re seeing a lot these days, it’s not enough to be non-racist, we need to be anti-racist. For white people, this is going to take a lot of hard work. You’re going to get really uncomfortable. That’s a good thing. That means you’re learning.

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Why I choose a lifestyle approach for family sessions

May 27, 2020 in family

It comes down to something so fundamentally simple; you have a story to tell and I’m here to help tell it through photographs.

Lifestyle sessions let everyone breathe easier. I had a session where the child didn't want to be in any of the photos. The mom was stressed and kept apologizing. I told her to breathe and that this was a time in their lives. It's so natural for kids to not want to be in photos, or to be over it within a few moments. This is how her son was feeling at this time and that's okay. We thought of ways that would be fun and natural for him. I had dad pick him up and hold him upside down. I had mom spin him and tickle him. Brother played with toy trucks with him. These are the moments that we remember. We remember storytime, bathtime, putting baby to bed, nursing, playing airplane (where you are on your back and you fly your child through the air using your feet), pillow fights, and just being a family.

Lifestyle sessions allow me to be a quiet presence in your family’s life. They allow me to capture moments that you are never going to want to forget. There are no rules when I show up to a session. I just want to tell your story perfectly.

Finding a New Normal

May 20, 2020 in family, boudoir, headshots, maternity, newborn, Seniors, travel, weddings, engagement

The world is beginning to open back up and I’m feeling…sad.

I know, that sounds crazy, but hear me out.

Let me start by saying that I know how privileged this statement is. People have been without income, not able to see family, sick, dying, working overtime, caring for the sick and dying, living with their abusers, missing their senior year or school, and living in their depression.

I have been able to work and still provide services to my clients (past and new) through this quarantine. I don’t take that lightly.

Let's Finally Get Those Photographs onto Your Walls

May 06, 2020 in products

How long have you been saying, “I really need to print these photographs and put them up”?

Be honest. You know it’s been a while, probably entirely too long.

Do you know why you haven’t done it yet? It’s too overwhelming. Let’s look at some possible reasons as to why you haven’t done it:

You don’t have the time.
You don’t know which photos will look good next to each other.
You don’t know where to have your photographs printed.
You don’t know where to purchase museum quality frames.
You don’t know where the digital files are.
You don’t know how to put a gallery wall together.
You don’t know how to get custom sized prints and frames for your unique space.
You don’t know where to start.

That's where a professional comes in. When I first started photography I just wanted to photograph the session, hand over the digital files, and be done with it. I started to notice that a lot of my couples, families, and boudoir clients had no clue what to do with these files. I would talk to them a year later and the files would still be sitting on their computer. This broke my heart and it was my job to come up with a solution. It's not fair to call myself a professional photographer if I'm not putting in the work.