A few weeks into the start of my photography adventure, I started to inundate my weekends with workshop after workshop. Every Saturday morning I’d leave the house at the break of dawn, kissing Tommy goodbye to tell him I’d be gone for a few hours for a workshop. Sometimes he’d blink through his sleep and just nod his head in between dreams of his pseudo NBA career dunking on Michael Jordan and the perfect Philly cheesesteak sandwich, I’m sure. Other times he’d sit up in bed and give me his best impression of my 4th grade English teacher … who, what, when, where, why … and sometimes how. After about three or four consecutive Saturdays of “bye, I’m going to a photography workshop” the husband went smart ass on me and coined the phrase “you’re cheating on me with photography.” LOL 😉 Yes, I was a photography workshop fein.

Tommy and I celebrating my birthday at a club with some family and friends ... please ignore my smudged makeup and his attempt to look gangsta, LOL.

And while these workshops were like gold to me — a new, doe-eyed, totally clueless newbie photographer — I kept hearing recurring suggestions from other incredibly gifted photographers … 1) keep your personal photos and personal blogs off your professional blog — especially the older photographs when you’re still learning and your photos look sophomoric, and 2) don’t showcase portrait sessions on your blogsite if you really just want to focus on doing weddings.

After hearing these same two suggestions over and over again, I almost pulled the plug and deleted all my personal posts and old “still learning” photographs from my blog. I even considered not blogging family sessions or even doing them so I could focus solely on trying to be a wedding photographer. I thought about it. I considered it. I almost did it. … But like the 15-year-old girl who didn’t listen to her parents when they told her she had too much makeup on and looked like clown … I was stubborn and didn’t listen.

Because my blog is me.

It’s a reflection of what is on my mind, in my heart, and in the depth of my bones. Every nervous jitter, every deliciously excited screech, every totally embarrassing moment that I really shouldn’t share but it’s just too damn funny not to. My words are a reflection of me, my photographs are a reflection of me, and I write what I feel, think, hope, and dream. I do this because I want every single one of my clients to know what type of person they’re inviting to their Wedding Day, what type of person they’ve hired to document their first family session, and what kind of person they’re welcoming into their home to photograph their child’s first few days of life.

I know it sounds strange and perhaps it’s not what Bill Gates or Steve Jobs would do, but I want to do business with people who honestly feel like our friends. I truly believe I do a better job in documenting life’s most important moments when I know …  what happened on your first date, why your daughter doesn’t like to walk in the sand, and how you you plan to celebrate your child’s 3rd birthday. And in return, I want you to know me … what makes me tick, that I usually cry behind my camera during the wedding ceremony, and that I’m addicted to cake. Very much.

As for the early days of my photography adventure when my photographs looked … terrible, LOL. These are part of me as well, they’re part of my photography journey and I hope I don’t get judged based on what my work looked like when I first started, but rather on the way my images have changed, progressed, and dare I say it improved 🙂 And believe me you, I’m NOT done yet!!! I strive to get better each time I pick up my camera and yes, those workshops I go to on the weekends? I still fit em in when my schedule permits me. I will always continue to learn and I will always make it a point to get better.

And if you’ve ever perused through my blog, I’m sure you’ll see that while I LOVE to shoot weddings, engagements and all things love, bridals and weddings, I still blog and do other types of sessions … families, portraits, events, newborns, maternity, you name it ~ it’s here on my blog. Why? Because these kinds of sessions continue to challenge me and I absolutely LOVE these clients. I love interacting with families, I love laughing with children, and I love watching an expectant mother touch her baby bump and seeing the sparkle in her eyes. These sessions are important to me, it’s just as simple as that 😉

And if you don’t believe me, this is how Tommy and I spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon … Yes, this. makes. me. happy.

I love that they're not standing perfectly with Maelia's leg sticking out ... in the words of my mom "It gives the photo character."

P.S. Many more teasers of this beautiful family session at the beach coming later this week 😀