Walking For A Cure

As my business continues to grow, I continue to work part-time in the evenings to supplement my income. My boss is the owner of Elements Therapeutic Massage in Murfreesboro, TN. (DISCLAIMER: Random selfless promotion! Elements has THE best licensed massage therapists! The staff is incredibly skilled, caring, helpful and able to meet your body’s needs. […]

One More Mama Taking Photos of Her Kid

Since moving to Tennessee, I have tried to photograph my daughter each year on her birthday. I was successful for years 13 and 14 but came up short when she turned 15. It’s never easy to get her in front of the camera willingly (Who am I fooling? It isn’t easy to get me in front of […]

Photoshop: Friend or Foe?

I’ve spent the past two days immersed in learning about business. In that learning, I realized that there are things in my life that I do every day. I do them because I love them and value them. One of those things is to walk. I really enjoy walking. If it wasn’t 40 degrees out […]

Behind-the-Scenes: Life and Work

Live. Laugh. Love. My daughter has this expression all throughout her room. I love that she is thinking about filling her life with laughter, love and a hunger for life. That is a passion that I hope she never loses. It’s a passion that moves along the highway of my life. Sometimes it is a […]

Shouldn’t You At Least Just Try?

It seems that there has been a recurring theme in my life lately: “Shouldn’t you at least just try?” I spent yesterday with a good friend as we talked about all of the exciting endeavors we both are embarking on. And as we continued to talk about her life and her goals, it became clear […]

Time Flies

I got up this morning and realized that it has been almost a month since my last blog! Where does the time go??

This time I think I know the answer to that question. Time has gone by doing a few mother/daughter photo sessions (Yes! So fun!!), purchasing my new iMac (Yes! I’m pretty stoked!!), attempting to learn some video editing skills (Yes! BIG learning curve!!), preparing for a photo shoot in California this weekend (Yes! Excited to be a part of Amber’s graduation from UCR!), trying to find a house to move to (Yes!!!!) and helping to finalize plans on a 50th wedding anniversary party (Yes! 50 years!!).

And in between all of those wonderful things, much of my time is spent at my computer. This is just a glimpse of what I worked on yesterday.

Needless to say, life is very full and I’m loving every crazy minute of it. And though I wish I could sit longer and write some wonderfully funny and entertaining anecdote, I must walk away from the computer and hit the gym. The day is starting early today.

Have a great day everyone!

To Love, Honor and Cherish

There are times when people walk into my life, either for life or for just a season, and leave an indelible mark on my heart and mind. I love when these interactions happen because they are always a surprise (btw, I LOVE surprises, if you can pull one off!)  and their impressions reveal themselves at different times, in different ways.

I had the honor of photographing a wedding last week. For those who know me, weddings are not my genre. I am not one for big crowds and big parties. I enjoy the connection that happens when I photograph someone one on one.  But this couple has such a beautiful and special love that I was drawn to and that I identified with. I didn’t want to walk away from accepting the invitation to photograph their wedding day.

It was a beautiful day at Union Station and a beautiful ceremony. I really did feel honored to witness it. And as I have begun the process of culling and processing their photographs, the emotions that I experienced as I listened to their vows…the joy, happiness, gratefulness… rise up within me. That has really taken me by surprise. I assumed that I would sit in front of my computer and work with a sense of “getting work done” but it has been more than that.

It is wonderfully refreshing to see a couple who genuinely honor and respect one another. It’s how I want to live my life in my relationships. So, “Thank you, Murphy’s” for reminding me of the great love that I have and to honor and respect it as the special gift it is.

All Work and No Play? Never!

I can’t explain it but there is definitely something stirring within me. It’s a hunger… a force that is propelling me to keep working, keep growing and keep trying new things- even if they end up a flop. As a wonderful photographer and mentor said recently, “There is no failure only learning experiences.” Thank you Jen Rozenbaum for that encouragement!

With those words etched on the tablet of my heart, I am branching out into things that seemed too far off for a young (in the business) photographer with an up-start business. But I know I can do it… and it isn’t going to take me long. But all work and no play makes Jane a dull girl. So out came the paint for a crazy fun session a few weeks ago.

My Pinterest World

Is it just me or has life become consumed by the wonderful Pinterest world? I can spend hours being inspired by the captivating work of other photographers, the handy dandy tutorials and the plethora of crafty genius ideas that I desperately aspire to some day have enough time to attempt. I work nearly as hard at keeping my Pinterest world as neat and tidy as I do the rest of my world. I almost think I could survive off of Pinterest and water alone…. now that I have given up brownies.

As I was trying to unwind one night earlier this week, I was perusing one of my boards, {words} i love. And it struck me… There is a common thread in much of what I pinned: relationships and using what you have to make the life you want. Those two things really do encapsulate the idea of who I am and what I care about. In fact, those were the driving forces in my life that led me to Tennessee. I always find it interesting and surprising when I see my reflection in things other than a mirror.

I learned a little bit about myself looking at my boards. In the midst of my crazy life of being a mother, a student, a girlfriend, a photographer and a business woman, I have not neglected the parts of me that I am most proud of: my relationships and my dreams.

Come join my Pinterest world and follow me and follow Southern Girl Photography, too.

What are the things that you are most proud of about you?

My Winter Break Joy

It has been a real joy for me to have a break from school (which has been just that- a break from school. The rest of life has been moving at warp speed!). There is something to be said for creativity having the ability to flourish when the confines of structure, deadlines and GPA’s are removed. It seems like out of nowhere growth and clarity surrounding the particular niche of my business has begun to surface.

I love black and white film. It has influenced how I shoot digitally and how I process my images. I love the grain. I love the creaminess of the skin tones. I love the timeless quality about it. It’s classy. You will see a lot more black and whites as I continue in my work.

The other lovely quality about black and white film is that it is forgiving. And forgiveness has become and important quality in my processing as I have come to realize that I really enjoy photographing females. I, for one, appreciate photographs of me that don’t show EVERY wrinkle… I’m guessing I may not be the only woman who feels that way.;)

What I found that enjoy so much about photographing women is that I get to learn about their unique story. Every woman has a story of who they are and what has brought them to this particular moment in life. That’s the journey for me as a photographer- to tell the story of who they are. That’s what I am striving for. The women I photograph inspire me.

What inspires you?

  

 

A Family Who Plays Ball Together, Stays Together (almost 50 Years!)

Every family has a thing they do. It’s often the thing they do less of as the kids get older; nevertheless, it is a lasting characteristic of their family unit. Some families share the kitchen together. Others run races. This family plays ball and has been for almost 50 years of marriage. It was a joy for me to be able to watch this family play a little catch over their Christmas visit…. Memory making moments…

  

 

 

Cookies For Santa

It’s Christmas Eve morning, and I am looking forward to a fun day of photo shoots and family fun. Our holidays in Tennessee aren’t without traditions; and so seeing the wonderfully, spectacular display of holiday lights at the Opryland Hotel is on the must-do list for tonight. And if my daughter has her way, there will be some presents getting opened, too.

I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I hope that this holiday season is spent enjoying the precious moments together with friends and family. Grab your camera, your iPhone, your tablet…and capture those memory-making moments that happen only once in this season of life: First Christmases, children’s laughter, the love of a newly engaged couple, rip-roaring laughter amongst family that doesn’t get much time together….. To say it as Aaron Siskind has, “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

Merry Christmas!

I Heart Film

There seems to be quite a debate amongst old school photographers who were weaned with a film camera in their hand and who now enjoy the digital age. As I prepared to take my first film class this past semester, I heard numerous times how pointless it is to take a film class. “No one shoots professionally with film cameras anymore.” “Any thing that was done with film can be captured digitally. The same principles apply.” Both of those statements may be true to one person and untrue to another. But, either way, it is irrelevant to me.

Film lives. Film teaches. Film mandates patience. Film breeds creativity. Film challenges. Film searches for growth. It isn’t instantaneous and isn’t happenstance. Film is delibearte, difficult and demanding. It is fussy and unforgiving when mishandled. And for all of these qualities, I heart film!

In the beginning, the needs for this class proved challenging. The first two rolls of film that were due ended up being a big zero for me. Nothing like having to anxiously wait a week thinking you might possibly have something great only to find out you have nothing! The first roll of film I tore as I rewound it. (Note to self: press the release buttom on the bottom of the camera BEFORE rewinding!) The second was blank. Not exposed, but blank. Through a series of tests and trials, I came to learn the camera wasn’t advancing properly. After mastering this particular camera’s nuances, shooting another two rolls and then going in to the darkroom on my own time in order to get caught up with the class, I processed the film….only to learn the camera had a light leak.

Difficult. Demanding. Fussy. Unforgiving. Welcome to BW Film 101.

At this point I was beginning to wonder if I was gearing up for an extremely frustrating 18 weeks. And then the agitation in the developing tray began.

There is a wonderment about watching an image come to life in the darkroom. I never grew tired of staring into the tray for those 60 seconds as I watched the details of an image awaken. The next 15 seconds in the stop bath was manageable but the last 60 seconds in the fixer seemed like an eternity! I waited all week to see how I captured light on the film amd once I got a glimpse of it, I wanted to look at it in the light where I could really see (Patience isn’t my strong suit. I was the kid who had to pay the premium price at Thrifty’s One Hour photo lab because I just couldn’t wait 2-3 days like everyone else.).

Once I finally was able to take the photograph into the light, I had to really examine it. Film teaches. I had to learn how to see tones and shades of gray. I had to learn to understand how adding or subtracting contrast would affect the image, BEFORE I re-printed. Each print came at a cost. Film is deliberate. As time went on and as I shot more rolls and printed more images, I began to shoot differently. Learning to process, develop and critique my images changed my approach and how I looked at items and situations to photograph. I began to think less literally and more artistically. I began to think about what I wanted from the image before I pressed the shutter release. Film breeds creativity.

Today if I found myself overhearing the ramblings of film naysayers, I would retort, “You have benefited from the knowledge of film. Though you may not use it as your medium of choice, film informs your digital work. The foundation of understanding was laid so long ago that you can no longer distinguish between that which comes from film and that which comes from the digital era. But I, having known photography with and without the understanding of film, can definitively say, that working with film makes one a better photographer: a more patient photographer, one who can wait for the defining moment; a more artistic photographer who releases the shutter mindful of what the finished image will be;  a more deliberate photographer who doesn’t rely on quantity in order to get quality. Film has a place in our digital world and should be a part of the foundation from which our skills develop from.”

There is no question that this semester was a grind… a lot of work in each of my classes. But the pay off was measurable. I am grateful for a program that incorporates digital and film from a commercial and fine art perspective.

I heart film.