A little validation goes a long way.

I am new at this whole photography thing. Actually, I should clarify. I have been taking pictures for a long time. I am new at taking others' pictures and doing the whole business thing. I am still a work in progress, still carving my path, still figuring out if this is truly meant to be.

Ask my family and friends and they'll tell you that I don't have much confidence in myself right now. I think it is just a defense mechanism, so I won't be disappointed if someone isn't happy with my work. The truth is, though, that I am not half bad, and I know that.

Yesterday, through email, I got the most amazing message. It really made me feel great and feel like I certainly can do this. I photographed a small wedding a few weeks ago and it was the bride emailing me about her pictures. And she was insanely happy, and said that I managed to bring her to tears. Tears of joy. And that she will gladly recommend me to anyone.

This one email did so much for me. It made me feel so great. I am excited to continue on this journey and have a renewed sense of confidence about it all. That little bit of validation held so much power.

Thank you, M.W.!

I heart Faces - "Play"

This week at iheartfaces the challenge theme is Play. I have a ton of photos of Collin playing but it was hard to choose. I finally came upon the one I knew I had to use. This is a few months old, but it is one of my favorite photos of him. He's playing in a firetruck, put the hat on himself, and just looks incredibly adorable, if I do say so myself.

Visit iheartfaces to link up your own picture that represents "play" or just to check out some amazing photography!

"C" and Family

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to meet with "C" and her family, who is going to be growing any time now. They are expecting a little boy! I had the privilege of photographing the family of three and really had a great time doing it. Here is a sneak peek.

Before and After Blog Hop

Every Thursday Monica, from Pixel Perfect, hosts the before and after blog hop, where we get to show off our editing skills by posting a picture SOOC and post-processing. If you'd like to join in visit Pixel Perfect to link up!





SOOC:

Edited:

I took this photo with my Canon XSi (450D) and edited in PSE7.

The "M" Family

Jessica, a military wife and knit-hat maker extraordinaire, contacted me to get some photos of her girls and their family. They are local to me now, but will soon be relocating and traveling across the country. I fell in love with these girls instantly, as the middle daughter, J, started striking a pose before I had even introduced myself to her. Such a beautiful family, I was honored to have the opportunity to work with them. Here is a sneak peek:

Thank you, M family, and best wishes to you!

Before and After - A new subject

Time to join in for the Before and After blog hop with Monica over at Pixel Perfect! Usually my subject is my son, or something or someone I see or do with my son. This week, though, I have more stuff to work with. Last weekend I had a whole slew of photo sessions, so I am very excited to share.






This is "R." What a fun girl! R's mom contacted me about doing some maternity photos (R is going to have a little brother any day now!) as well as some family photos, so we did some last week and I am loving them.We had a great session, and this is just a little peek at one of the photos:

SOOC:

Edited:

This picture was taken with a Canon Rebel 450D and edited in PSE3.

{Marissa}

I finally have some pictures to share from one of the photo shoots I've done recently. I've had a wide range of subjects to photograph, which is fantastic, and I am so excited to post a few from each session for you to see.

This is Marissa. She contacted me about taking some photographs for her to have in addition to the professional head shots she got done for a pageant she is in! She was fun to work with and I am very happy with the results. Our shoot started off a little rocky due to some major road paving, but it ended up being a great morning. We did some walking around and found some great open shade to use.