Welcome Welcome to my blogsite! Here you can find my portfolio and business info, as well as my most recent work!
→ On the right, you can check out my most recent blog posts as well as categorized posts. They include everything from nature to pets to portraits.
↑ Up above you can explore the pages related to my portrait work.
I hope you’ll be inspired by my photos to enjoy every moment, and celebrate what makes you who you are!
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Want to donate to help in Haiti AND finally get around to getting a family portrait taken?
So the other day I told you a little about this thing I want you to be involved in…okay, actually I told you nothing about it. Well, I’m finally going to let you in on it.
I’m going to be doing mini photo sessions as a fundraiser for Haiti, an idea that was a little “what if” by a couple of gals…that has turned into Photographers for Haiti taking place all around the country!
When? Saturday, March 20th, 3-6 PM
What? A 20-30 minute outdoor mini-session. You’ll get 4-6 shots to choose from for prints in an online gallery, and one free 5×7.
How much? $40 (prints are additional)
Where? Outside…TBA 
How does this thing work? Your session fee goes directly to a non-profit working in Haiti right now (your choice between Compassion International and Thirst Relief International). In fact, you write the check directly to them, so it’s tax-deductible for you. In addition, half of the proceeds from print sales will be donated by me to those organizations as well.
So how do I sign up??? Visit my contact page now to reserve your time slot!
Yay, I love it when I get to post portraits! They are my absolute favorite, and I especially love working with teens, seniors, and young people. If you’ve followed my blog for any time, you’ve seen this girl before. As always, we had tons of fun and got some amazing shots! She put up with the cold (hey, it was above freezing, so nobody is allowed to complain) and staring towards the sun (there were no clouds and the shadows were harsh–what do you want?). Also, many thanks to my awesome assistant Liz, a wonderful girl and aspiring photographer. She helped with the lighting and had some great pose ideas as well!
*I’d love to hear your thoughts! Which one(s) would you like to see in Black & White? Which one is your fave? Thanks for stopping by!*
I was beginning to think that moving to a warmer climate might not be such a bad idea. After 3 blizzards (2 of which were in February), record snowfall, and what seemed like a never ending winter, I was reminded of what it felt like to live in Maine. Maybe I could live without the whole changing of seasons thing.
But today, as I started to sit down on my warm front porch to write, I absolutely squealed with joy and ran inside, jumping up and down, to get my camera. Seriously. Until then, I had been wondering what I’d photograph today.
New life emerging from the deadness of winter. The sheer joy of seeing the first flowers after a long, snowy winter. Finally needing to roll the car windows down while driving. The sun warming my face once again. I’ve been reminded of why I love the changing of seasons. It’s fresh, new, and inspiring. Seeing those first flowers push their way up amongst the dead, brown leaves of last year brings new joy and renewed hope.
Take a deep breath today, and enjoy the beauty that’s all around you. Maybe even stick your knees in the mud and take a picture of the first flower you see.
What’s your favorite season, and why?
I’m pretty sure I can’t do this, and I think I must be crazy for even trying. Maybe I’m on a high from being on vacation at home for a week. Maybe I was up too late on Tuesday night, reading too many inspiring photo blogs. I mean, honestly, taking a picture EVERY SINGLE DAY for a year? That’s 365 days. In a row. Consecutive.
Maybe…I’m really serious about wanting to improve my photography skills. And maybe I don’t want to not even try simply because I’m afraid I’ll fail.
So, inspired by Tasra and over 400 photographers who have joined her, I’m taking a year-long journey. In an effort to improve my photography by 300%, I’m going to do the following every day for the next 362 days (nope, I didn’t forget my calendar…I already started!):
-Take 1 photo
-Read 1 page in my camera manual
-Look at the work of other professional photogs
Maybe I’ll fail at capturing 1 image every single day. But I know that if I put at least half the effort I need into this project, I’ll succeed at improving my photography. And hopefully, I’ll succeed at inspiring at least one other person to just get out there and shoot.
*To check out my daily photos, look to the left sidebar or just go straight to my Flickr page.*
For now, here are a few runners-up from today!
*click here for part 1 (Paradigm Shift), part 2 (Cemented Paradigm), part 3 (Building a New Paradigm), and part 4 (Not What, But Who)*
Over the past year, all of these realizations have been solidified by the work of other amazing photographers. Jasmine Star has inspired me to follow my passion, not my fear, and to give–to always be looking for ways to give to others. I’ve been inspired by the folks at Help Portrait to help people change the way they see themselves and hold their heads high in confidence. I’m inspired and excited to be taking part in Photographers for Haiti, a nationwide fundraiser to help with the situation in Haiti. And Tasra Mar totally inspires me in her use of photography to love, encourage, and instill confidence in teen girls.
So I’m coming into my own, inspired with a new outlook on God’s calling, photography, and what it means to serve others, and I’m more excited than I’ve ever been. Photography is no longer in the box of selfish ambitions or careers because it is about who I am as a photographer and how I will use it to serve others.
*This is the end of my “blog therapy” series, as I like to call it. But it’s not the end of my story…I want to keep discovering, growing, becoming inspired, and hopefully, inspiring others. Who have you been inspired by in your life? I’d love to hear your story, too!*
*click here for part 1 (Paradigm Shift), part 2 (Cemented Paradigm), and part 3 (Building a New Paradigm)*
I graduated from college, got married, started working at a bank, and had a plan to go back for my student teaching once my husband graduated; all the while, photography was drawing me. I’m not really sure of the chronology of events over the next couple of years, but bit by bit, God continued chipping away at that old paradigm I was stuck in: if I really wanted to serve Him and help others, I would choose a “noble” profession, which photography was not.
I picked up this somewhat controversial book by a somewhat controversial guy named Shane Claiborne. Just so happens that Shane also attended Eastern and was a co-founder of the Simple Way in Philly. So back to that somewhat controversial book he wrote–The Irresistible Revolution. Reading his words on vocation, on calling, was definitely an epiphany moment, and it came at such a pivotal time in my life. Though I was still too afraid to verbalize it, I was starting to figure out and really accept that I didn’t want to be a teacher. I felt I was disappointing a lot of people, that people looked at me and thought I wasted four years and a lot of money, that people wondered why I didn’t have all my career aspirations figured out yet, and that I had to constantly explain myself.
Shane pointed out that the ways in which people were called to Jesus’ work and ministry were varied. On the one hand, the disciples were called to drop what they were doing and do something completely different. On the other hand, some, such as the tax collector, were called to change the way they had been working. To stay in their career, but to redefine how they did it. He gave modern day examples: massage therapists who wash and massage the tired feet of the homeless; manicurists who visit nursing homes and visit with the ladies who have no visitors or family, enjoying their company and doing their nails; chiropractors who join Shane and his friends on the evenings of marches for peace and justice, to take care of the tired bodies after a long day of marching. These are just a few examples, but, Shane says, the calling is the same: “to love God and our neighbors with our whole lives, careers, and gifts” (p. 138).
During this period of my life, I was really struggling with the idea of calling. It weighed heavily on me that what I was doing was not what I studied, what I studied was not what I wanted to do, and what I thought I wanted to do I was too fearful to admit. For a little over a year, as I was going through all these frustrations, I was attending a small group with some amazing people. God was really transforming my life through this group that met in a little basement in someone’s home. One particular night was a culmination of small epiphany moments I’d been having in regards to calling.
A young man spoke to us that night. He said that we need to stop being so concerned with, “What is God calling me to do?” And start asking, “Who is God calling me to be?” That night, and the days following, a peace filled the spot where anxiety, fear, and worry had resided for so long. I finally had peace, knowing that I was following God’s calling–be a loving wife, a leader and good example for teens, and a servant who pours the love of God into those around me.
*click here for part 5 (Inspired)*
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