How'd we get here?

Hey, Hi, Hello

Remember last May when I put out a blog and said I was going to write more? Yeah whoops, that clearly didn’t happen. A lot has changed since then, I’m a full-time photographer now and much to my dismay blogging is part of the gig. I’ve always loved to write, I used to even dream about being a published author, but my issues with writer's block comes charging in as soon as I become in any way part of the subject matter. Like a lot of introverts, I don’t like the attention. I became a photographer in part because it's not about me. That being said, I thought maybe a wee bit of my photo-taking origin might be nice to start with

My journey with photography started by accident. I had been in front of the camera several times before, and while I enjoyed it, I never felt like I belonged there. I had done a handful of boudoir shoots (which was amazing),and posed for some creative friends who needed help making a vision they had come to life. I didn’t get behind the lens until a trip to the mountains with some friends and their cameras. We went out to take photos of each other with a creative theme in mind. One friend lent me a camera and I had a bit of an “ah ha!” moment while shooting. Taking the artistic seat gave me a sense of confidence I didn’t have before.

SO many people come to life and find their power while in front of the camera, they (YOU) are the art. I came to life while behind it. I loved being an artist so much that I borrowed my mom's camera and made a hobby out of it, which snowballed very quickly into starting a side business. I bought my own camera and started doing shoots whenever I could, while dreams of one day being able to quit my day job always sat the back of my mind.

Then Covid happened, and all the aspirations I had of doing photography full time came to a screeching halt. I was able to keep my business limping along between lockdowns, and eventually I started picking up a bit of steam again. Cut to Spring 2022; I’d been tired of feeling like I was half-assing my day job and my photography. I was stressed out and miserable working during the week; and happy on the weekends when I was able to get some shoots in. I quickly started becoming anxious and burnt out juggling both.  After tons of conversations with my husband about what the future holds for us; we both concluded that it was time for me to “full-ass one thing” (Thank you Ron Swanson for the sentiment).

          So here we are!  I’ve been a full time photographer since July 2022. It's amazing and frankly still doesn’t feel real. I still wake up at 5 some mornings in a panic thinking I’ve been missing work for the last 2 months and boy am I going to catch shit for it. Then I wake up fully, (usually to my puppy trying to share my pillow with me) and remember that my new boss is cool with me sleeping in a little. This whole thing is pretty bananas; I’m my own boss, I decide how my days are spent and most days I don’t have to wear pants to the office. It is not lost on me how much of a privilege this whole situation is either. None of this would be possible without all the various types of support I’ve been given. I’m excited to see where this goes, and how I will be able to give back and offer greater support for the important things in our world. Thanks for reading! xox