A behind-the-scenes look into my photography journey

(Preview- It wasn’t always pretty.)

One of my favorite quotes by Eudora Welty says, “A photograph keeps a moment from running away.” You know, it is almost scary how easily the years rob us of remembering the simple treasures of everyday life, such as the way your youngest’s toothless smile looked after he loses his front two teeth, how grown up your daughter looked at her Junior prom, or even how easily your baby fits into Grandpa’s lap as they read her favorite book. When you look down at a photograph, you remember these special times with detail and fondness that would be easily lost without these memories captured perfectly through the lens of a camera.

My Why

People often ask me why I chose to get into photography. When I finally held my oldest daughter in my arms after experiencing years of infertility, I wanted to soak in every last detail of life with her as a newborn. I wanted to remember the tiny toes, the crazy hair after a great nap, and the way she would snuggle into my arms.

The Before

I really wanted great memories of her, so I did what most new moms do: I got out the trusty iPhone. As it turned out though, getting a great picture of the baby wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be! The perfect dimples I thought I would capture really turned out to more closely resemble an Oompa Loompa who swallowed a neon pink highlighter. Case and point:

Yes, it is true…this is a real unedited image I (not-so-proudly) displayed of my one-month-old on the ‘Gram. I had no understanding of how light affects an image. I didn’t get why my daughter’s skin tone would turn pink when I photographed her in a bright pink room in the middle of the night. Who needed to know about the composition of an image or white balance? Posing? Please, what’s posing?

The After

I knew that these could not be the images that I looked back on her childhood with. So, I decided to learn. I put down my iPhone, picked up a professional camera, enrolled in months and months of photography classes, and I practiced. Finally, I was able to get pictures of my baby girl that represented exactly who she was at each stage, and by the time my second daughter was born, I was able to get pictures like this:

Eventually, my daughters stopped resembling Flaming Hot Cheetos in pictures and more like what they truly are: perfect little miracles, both inside and out.

Please send me a message if you would like a reformed Northeast Georgia iPhone-tographer to capture memories of your family today. (And as a guarantee, the only Cheetos at your session will be the ones you bring as a treat for your sweet angels to celebrate a job well done…Promise.)