My Joseph

This is Joseph. My Joseph.  My nephew.  This picture was taken during my first organized photo session nearly three years ago.  The camera was my old Fujifilm Finepix digital camera that my husband bought me for our anniversary five years ago.  Joseph smiled 90% of the time, which made my job a whole lot easier.  It's amazing to see how he's grown over the years, and I'm blessed to have been able to be a part of it.

Special!

Special Through February 28th!

Book a photo session and receive a free 5x7 print of your choice. 

If you purchase a package (see Pricing tab) then the print will be in addition to what is already included in the package.

Winter

This is the view from my back porch during the winter months. I've always thought winter brought with it a sort of eeriness.  The naked trees always remind me of "The Fall of the House of Usher." I do enjoy the break from the constant heat of Mississippi summers, but I long for the first little white flowers to pop up in my yard to let me know that spring is on its way!

And the Winner is...

Congratulations to MRS. DEBBIE WILSON of Gillsburg, Mississippi for winning the free photo session giveaway!  Mrs. Wilson will receive a free one-hour photo shoot as well as a free proof sheet of all images and free photo editing on the images she chooses to purchase.  I'm looking forward to the shoot!  Be on the lookout for more specials and giveaways soon!



Should auld aquaintance be forgot...

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Happy New Year to Everyone!  You may be wondering how this picture has any relation to the new year.  The young man pictured is Caiden, the son of one of my high school classmates.  I was privileged enough to be able to have a photo shoot with Caiden and his younger brother, Sawyer, a few months ago.  It was the first time that I had seen their mother, Alisha, since we graduated from high school.  I always enjoy seeing my old classmates, even the ones that weren't in my closest circle of friends.  We're adults now, you know, well, most of us are.  It's almost funny to look back now and think about the labels and drama associated with high school.  What's even funnier is how little you really know about most of your classmates.  I'm not talking about the obvious stuff like hair color and height, but about the "real" them.  It's probably because most of us are still trying to figure ourselves out in high school - what's important to us, what we want to do with our life, where we stand on the "big issues."  I'm not really sure what view my classmates had of me, but I'm pretty sure it's not an entirely accurate one.  There are things about me that have changed since high school, and there are things about me that are exactly the same.  Although I was much closer to some of my classmates than others, I consider them all friends because we share that common experience of attending the same school with the same teachers.  We went to the same dances and football games, and we all walked the same stage on graduation day.  I wonder about what the other 63 members of my class are doing now, and how they are fairing in life - not of some misguided ulterior motive - but of a genuine curiosity and concern.  These are the "auld aquaintances" of my life, in addition to some others, and I'm not likely to forget them.

The Road of Life

Every year as December nears its end I start thinking about what this year has brought me.  Then, I suppose as a natural progression of thought, I begin to think about what each year of my life has brought me, and, therefore, my life in general.  I can honestly and very thankfully say, that I have lived, and am living, a very blessed life.  I have a family that is loving, supportive, and just slightly nutty.  I've been through a few rough times, but times just don't seem as rough when you have someone by your side.  The older I get, the more I treasure the people that have been there and will be there until God, Himself, chooses to take them away.  It's never bothered me to get older.  In my mind, I'm still 14.  I haven't felt any differently on a birthday since I turned 14.  And then, I think it was only because there was a boy that was actively pursuing me (fast forward 12 years and he still is), making me feel more "adult."  Ha.  Adult.  What exactly does that mean, and why was I in such a hurry to get there.  Now, I've been married for six years, have a two-year old daughter, bills, responsibilites, and a few....okay, more than a few, extra pounds.  What blows my mind is how quickly I got here.  I mean, I honestly don't remember portions of the last 12 years.  As my sister and I have discussed, we know we were there because there are pictures as proof that we were present, but, for the life of us, we can't remember being there.  Now I know what all the "old folk" meant when they said that the years move by faster the older you get.  I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.  I can definitely say that, other than a few not-so-fun moments in the past several years, it has been a lot of fun.  I'm looking forward to the future, to the new year and beyond.  And since I don't feel any older than 14, I think it's perfectly acceptable that I still act 14 every now and then, especially with that boy.

a blog about photog

As a work-from-home mom, I started this blog to help grow my photography business.  Photography has always been something I enjoyed, from the time my parents bought me my first Polaroid camera.  I would go outside and take random pictures of flowers, leaves, insects...whatever I could find, and couldn't wait for the few minutes it took for the picture to develop to see what I had captured.  I remember the first digital camera that I had (my husband bought it for our 1-year anniversary) was a Fugifilm Finepix.  It had a macro setting on it, so I went outside our home and got up-close and personal with our azaleas while the morning dew was still clinging to their petals.  Digital was wonderful for me, because, honestly, I'm not that patient of a person, and being able to see what I captured the moment I captured it without having to wait for development was a very, very good thing.  I'm getting better, I suppose - having a child makes patience more of a necessity.  Then a year or so ago, my father passed down his old school Konica Minolta 35 mm SLR camera.  I was in love.  The freedom and ability to adjust the aperture and shutter speed to create the effect that I wanted on top of being able to focus on my subject manually was wonderful.  It took me a few rolls of film to get the hang of my new "old" camera, but it was worth it.  The only downfall was that I had to wait, sometimes for more than an hour (ugh) to see the images I managed to snag.  (I told you patience wasn't my strong suit.)  It was like the days before Christmas every time I took a roll to be developed.  I had finally grown accustomed to waiting for shots when my family did the unthinkable. 

I had been saving for a Digital SLR camera for a while, but, anyone that has children and a life, in general, knows that things come up.  Medical bills and unexpected expenses take precedence over cameras.  So, imagine my surprise on my 26th birthday when I opened my present to find a Canon EOS Rebel with lens and gadgets galore from my family...all of them!  I may have shed a tear or two - it's all a little fuzzy now.  I was just so thankful that they came together to do that for me.  It meant, and still means, more than words can ever express.  You see, it's more than just a camera.  It's an escape, a vacation from the pressures of life when I look through the lens.  There's just something about taking pictures that I find relaxing.  Maybe it's because it allows me to "focus" on one thing and zone out all the other white noise around me.  I don't know.  All I know is I love it.

I get excited every time someone calls or emails to set up a shoot.  I'm keeping my prices low right now because I want the practice and, frankly, because I enjoy taking pictures for people.  I think it's important to capture life's moments in a tangible form for posterity.  There are few things I like more than flipping through my Gram's old photo albums and seeing life through their eyes for a moment.  Now, if I could just get on top of actually putting pictures into albums...