Behind the lens, there is just me! Ok, so not an exciting story but I have a real passion for telling your story.  So I thought I should share just a small piece of mine.

You have heard the saying "A picture says a thousand words" right?  Well if you believe that then you understand why I love photography.  I can take one image and it will tell a beautiful story, to you and many others for many years to come. Call me cheesy, I do not mind, I believe there is pure joy to be found when looking back on old photographs and reminiscing about happy times, remembering past loved one or reliving a moment in time is priceless. This simple truth is the reason that I love photography so much.

It is also for that reason that I understand that all types of portraits are and should be personal. It is certainly personal to me. Becoming a photographer had never actually crossed my mind when I was planning my future but my love for photography had always been there. I just didn’t realize how deep that passion was until much later. In grade school, one of my most prized possession was my talking polaroid camera, yes it talked! What?! I know too cool. Ok, maybe I am a geek, I am good with it.

In high school, I had applied for the photography program but it was hard to get into, spots in the class were very limited and often went to people who worked on the school paper. Not getting into the class was no big deal at the time but looking back I sure wish I had pursued that a little harder.

It wasn’t until my husband purchased my first DSLR for me that I really started to feel a connection to photography. It was like a light bulb went on in one of the old cartoons and I was like “WOW” why didn’t I think about this before? Once I started to learn and grow as a photographer I found unexpected encouragement and support from friends, family & coworkers. I shared this passion with just a few people but before I knew it I was shooting weddings and capturing moments for people that I didn’t even know. I found it to be fun, creative and an amazing way to give to others.  

What a spectacular feeling to find your passion and have the support to pursue it. If only I could be brave enough to go after it.

When I first had the idea that I might like to pursue this as a full-time career I was working with a hotel company as a general manager, for which I wasn’t overly excited about it anymore. Even though it allowed me more time with my family then my previous VP of Operations position had it drained me. The part I did like about it was mentoring up and coming industry leaders and helping my team members to grow in whatever direction they wanted to go. The job was demanding and took a lot of my time. I was also trying to teach myself a new skill while balancing this demanding job and my family. I often felt selfish and considered giving it up. Despite the fact that it was not an easy journey it was fun and I loved it.

I also felt strongly that it is important for our kids to see me work hard to achieve my goals. I want them to know that the road may not always be straight or smooth and you may not be sure where it leads but it is ok to follow your dreams. This is something I had learned from my mom. She had passed away a few years before I started this journey but I recall how many dreams she had that she did not live to see through. I believe she would have, if only she had more time and so she became a driving force for me, to succeed. As a matter of fact, my ladybug logo is a nod to her and the love and support she always gave me.

When I first put myself out there as a professional photographer I was shooting a lot of genres: weddings, events, newborns, pre-school, school portraits, headshots, family, seniors even some food and architecture. I thought it was wonderful to be so diverse and it was. It was also a mass overload and often made it hard to focus my time, energy and self-education. I have, in recent years, tried to narrow my focus to one or two genres, which is harder than it sounds. Try answering questions like - “what moves you?” “where do you want this to take you?”. Some questions were easier to answer than others but one thing rang clear is that I want a quality of life that allows for family time and travel. I want to create a career that I don’t need a vacation from and yet affords me and my family that privilege.

After moving to Colorado I took a lot of time to decide if I wanted to continue with my photography and if so, in which direction. I knew that I could not keep going in all directions and expect to be successful or sane for that matter. This led me to the decision to focus my skills (and marketing) on weddings & events. Thinking that was my passion and if I was being honest with myself knowing that there is real money to be made in event photography.

It wasn’t long into 2019 however that I discovered that I enjoyed business photography and I found that I was not really pushing for events anymore. Now here I am offering amazing branding imagery and unique headshots that help my clients build their business, increase their visibility and boost their first impressions. And guess what, I am loving every moment of it. It may not appear to fall into the same personal passion as family for which I started this fantastic journey but I am prepared to disagree with anyone with says it isn’t personal. Business photography not only allows me to capture a part of your story but also helps you be successful and these are two things that I love to be a part of.

Capturing the moments that capture you is what I do.