My Story....

I started my interest in photography 6 years ago when I had my 2nd baby girl. I knew I couldn't afford to take my girls to a photographer all the time, so I decided to try to take their photos myself. Little did I know then what all the job of a photographer entailed. I used my mother in laws digital Canon Rebel and started snapping like a fool. MAN! I was a photographer! I could take all the photos I wanted in automatic just like a pro! So now I am a photographer! I have a dSLR and know how to shoot in automatic! People will pay me big bucks for this! I am seriously being sarcastic. But this is really how I felt at that moment in time. I was, in reality, a photography junkie with a dSLR that wasn't even mine. Even better, I didn't have a clue even how to use it. ISO, f-stop, bracketing---who needs that! I have AUTOMATIC! I had the misconception that most people with really nice cameras have, owning a really expensive dSLR made me a photographer. Just because I spent $989.97 on a camera didn't "make me a photographer." It meant I spent $989.97 on a camera that I didn't even know how to use! I was by know means a photographer. But, back to the story. So, I was using my mother in laws camera and there just so happened to be a photography class starting in Poplar Bluff at our community college. GREAT! I will learn everything I need to know. So, my mother in law and I enrolled. First night of class, I realized I was in a different league. Most people in the class were older with point and shoots. They barely knew how to turn them on and wanted the teacher to explain to them how to operate their camera. Bummer. Didn't learn a thing. BUT the teacher knew that I wanted a studio, so she gave me a lighting kit. It was a little home set up, and some props. I was in it! Broke it out the next day! Now I really was a pro. Dressed my daughter up really cute, hooked up the lights to the best I could figure out how, and I was off. Odd, my photos didn't even look like the professional ones I had been seeing. I turned all the buttons on the camera 5 million different ways. What gives. This camera was almost a grand! I should know how to take the photos for me!!! I was frustrated. But it wasn't my fault. it was this faulty home lighting set-up. Yep. Totally not me. I turned all the buttons and the lights just wouldn't work like I was telling the camera to do it. (Cough, Cough…fool.)
A few days later, someone came across an ad on Channel 13 about some photography equipment for sale. I jumped on it. These junk home lights were holding me back. So, I called the man. Come to find out they belonged to Paul Ripley. A professional photographer from our town who was ready to retire. I went to check them out. He wanted $400 for them. Probably priced way to high, but I was buying something that I couldn't get with purchasing new lighting. His knowledge. He told me that if I bought the lights that he would be my mentor and teach me all he could. He also told me that my competition had also called and came over and checked them out. Yeh, you guessed it. I wrote him a check right then and there. Loaded them up, took them back to my sign store, and busted them out. Well, now I have professional lighting, but my images SUCKED!! What gives? Little did I know it was me. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Around this same time I was asked to do soccer photos. GREAT! Getting paid money to take photos! Well, since I knew that I was totally not the problem, I decided to go and purchase my own camera. This would fix everything because my mother in laws was a year old and outdated. So, I go to Best Buy and purchase a Nikon d80 kit. I was in it! I had 3 days to learn a new camera before doing 300 soccer players photos. But, heck, I didn't have to learn it! That is what the green box is for! And I also must mention, it was my birthday. Great present to me huh! So, I rush home to charge the battery and get all ready to figure this puppy out.
TOO BE CONTINUED…..

Another great Senior session to share! Congrats Colten!

Here is a video of a super sweet girl! Congrats on your Senior year Mercedes! Hope it is all you could ever dream of :)

You never know what could happen....

Today, I was doing a senior session with a pretty young girl. All was good. We were having a good time and decided to take a few shots down in the creek. Well, you have to cross a bridge on foot, and wade some water to get where I wanted. We were walking along and suddenly heard a cracking noise. It was a huge limb breaking from a tree. GUESS WHAT! I was right under it. Not knowing where to go or what to do. The first things that popped in my head was I was dead, then do I protect my head or my camera, don't get the camera wet. Yeh. A lot of conversation for about 2 seconds to get out of the way. I ended up falling in the weeds and the limb crashed just a few steps away. No one was hurt. Just took awhile for my heart to go back into my chest and to stop shaking. Thank you God for that guardian Angel today. And everyday for that matter. Well, enough about that. lol. Here is a sample of her pics. Thanks Arika!

Shootin a Senior today

Super hot day today. Had an appt at 2pm...95 degrees. But it was wonderful! Didn't really even realize how hot I was. I love doing seniors and making them feel beautiful and special. Their own special little day. I especially love meeting new people and being a part of something so big in their life. Senior portraits are a big deal. They will show you for the rest of your life. TRUST ME. I just had to pull mine out for our class reunion. YIKES. Can't believe I have been out for 10 years. But looking back. I have accomplished so much. Been a crazy ride, but wouldn't trade it for anything. And here is Brittany's video from her shoot today. Can't wait to finish the rest of the shoot next month.

Kaci and Phil

A little slide show of some of Phil and Kaci's wedding pictures.

So, I have been doing a lot of thinking on my photography. I always want to pull off something cool or something unique. And then I got to thinking about what I am shooting. Am I really getting what I want? I recently shot a wedding and the images were fantastic. Everyone raved about them when they seen me. But why was I so secretly unhappy with them? The exposure was correct. The lighting was good. But why am I not happy with them? Then it came to me on the way home from a delivery shoot. I was soo geared up and excited about the delivery. Why? Cause of the emotion. When a new baby comes, it is so exciting seeing their face for the first time and the anticipation of their arrival...the tears in the momma's eyes as she catches that first glimpse, the dad's hand shaking as he cuts the cord....I could go on. (this is a type of session I have sooo grown to love, must be the mom in me). Then it hit me. That is why I wasn't in love with my wedding photos. I want that emotion in my wedding photos. I want that desire, the passion, the excitement, the love. I want you to feel it as you look thru them. I want you to experience it as you are there. So, from now on, if you book me as your wedding photographer, that is what I will capture. I will find it. I will make you feel that moment as you lay eyes on each other for the first time in your tux and gown, the first time he touches your cheek with his hand as he he is shaking from excitement and holding back tears. Yes this may seem like a fairy tail, but along this journey I am learning about who I am and what I desire from my work. I am finally finding myself that I had lost for so long. I am not worried about the locations anymore. They will come and go and grow old along the way. Emotion will not. In 15 years of your marriage, it is my desire for you to be able to look back at your wedding photographs and relive that moment, find that love, the passion, the desire in each other. Wow. I really didn't know I had this in me. I can't wait until the wedding I have booked on the 31st. I have just lit a fire in myself by finally putting this in black and white. Thank you all for being supportive. You will never truly know how much each and everyone of you mean to me. God bless and have a great day.