a little more about me...

so, everyone's got a story. mine centers around a few events that have changed the course of my life. if you're interested, i'd like to share them with you, so you can get a better idea of where i'm coming from.

when i was young, about 10 or so, we had a family friend who practiced photography as a hobby. he was a single income guy with no kids...which meant he had tons of disposable income to purchase backdrops, lighting, enlargers, and the highest high techy equipment on the market at the time. the only problem was that he needed subjects to photograph. so, i became one of his models at a whopping $5/hour! which was big bucks to me at the time. my mom would come and assist him. she has always been great at catching the little details.

anywho, i continued modeling for him for several years. and as i got a little older, he let me step behind the camera. he introduced me to all different types and sizes of cameras. so instinctively, without a second thought, i took photography courses all throughout high school, and there i met my next influential character: my photography teacher! she was amazing, and really taught me to step outside the box, change my perspective, and look at things from different angles. after high school, i met my husband...fell in love...gushy, mushy, gush, and eventually we decided to get married. naturally, i asked my family friend to photograph our wedding. i mean, who else would i trust? but, much to my chagrin, as i looked through our photos, i noticed many...well...mistakes. and the end result is a wedding album filled with blurred, dark, and grainy photos, none of which are very frame-worthy.

cut to a couple years and two beautiful children later, my hubby and i look through our wedding photos as we unpack into our new house. i sigh, and jokingly say, "i wish i could have taken our wedding photos". my husband, and his quick-witted, entrepreneur's spirit said "do it! start a business!" now, usually this is my husbands response to anything! and i mean anything. if you can do something, he'll encourage you to start a business.

and, for some reason, when he said that something inside my head just CLICKED! and i had this intense moment of clarity. i immediately hopped online and began researching. at that time i only had a film slr, and it was clear that film would not allow me the versatility i needed! so i bought the best digital camera i could afford...which is now the cheapest digital slr on the market, and began with my very first wedding...my brother's wedding in FL. they had already hired a photographer, but when i told him i wanted to practice to see if i'd be any good at this, they seemed just as excited as me. long story short, they LOVED my photos (even more than their hired photographer's), and it wasn't long before i was booking wedding after wedding solely based on those photos. then, with the addition of my mother as a second photographer/assistant, it seemed that being able to create a business built from my own passions and misfortunes was becoming a reality.

so far, i have been in business a little under 2 years, and have already photographed over 15 weddings, engagements, and events, with more booked for this coming year. and the beauty of it all, is that i am still able to be at home with my 2 kids (who just so happen to be the best kids in the universe.) i still dream of opening my own studio, or even leasing some office space, but i'd like to wait until the kids are in school, because although i love being a photographer, my kids are only young once, and i'd like to enjoy them as much as i can. and i can't wait for the day when i can add them to my crew, and photograph weddings with my daughter and son by my side! i'll have to post some photos of my kids to prove my claims of their renowned cuteness!

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