Hello friends!
Disclaimer: I do not know how to blog. Seriously. I've pondered it before, wondered if I should be doing it, decided against it, reconsidered, and here I am. So bear with me. I absolutely LOVED creative writing in school, but now that I sit here in front of my MacBook, all words escape me. Ugh.
Anywhooooo, let's give this blogging thing a shot, eh?
I suppose I'll start by telling you about myself. (don't hit the snooze button just yet. Some of this is borderline interesting!) I am a mother of 3 beautiful grown daughters, I have 2 perfect grandchildren: Lilly, age 4 and Justin (Dodo), age 3, and I've got the MOST amazing boyfriend. Photography is not my full-time gig (yet!). I manage the Customer Service department and website for 6 New Balance shoe stores. I am a Starbucks junkie, a Netflix-aholic, & craft beer snob. I also love love love adventure, traveling and hiking. When I'm not editing, you can find me chilling at home, visiting wineries or breweries or out with my boyfriend, adventuring and living our best life.
I have been in love with photography for many years. I started out with a crappy cell phone, shooting nature and whatever I found interesting and posting said photos to fb and IG, often with bad filters or heavy vignetting. So much cringe. In 2018, after a year that was not the best personally (putting it lightly), I received my first DSLR as a gift. A Nikon D5500. I was so excited, but to be honest I was completely afraid and intimidated. I actually let it sit in the box on the floor of my bedroom for a couple of weeks before even opening it. It seemed so complicated and I wasn't sure where to begin. Finally I got it out, snapped a couple of photos and I was OBSESSED. Shooting photos was beyond cathartic for me, and truly healed my soul and spirit. Yes, I'm aware of how dramatic that sounds. Lol. But seriously, photography has been life changing for me. I started taking my camera exploring with me, on walks, to family functions..... literally EVERYWHERE. My Nikon became the one accessory (other than my phone) that I never left the house without. I am certain that I annoyed my family and friends to death by stopping every few feet to shoot something. That hasn't changed, only gotten worse. Hehe.
When I received my first camera, I joined several photography pages on fb, and started networking and making friends. And let me tell you, there are truly no friends like photography friends! Although I am completely self-taught, getting out and shooting with other photogs has been amazingly helpful. I now have a close-knit group of folks who are always ready to lend advice, loan lenses/equipment/props, or get together to shoot and collaborate.
In 2019, I upgraded to the Nikon D750 and WOWZA! The difference that a full-frame camera makes is really incredible. So at this point I have a brand new camera, a kit lens (24-120mm), and I get asked to take senior photos. EEEEK. My first thought was "I'm not ready! I've never photographed a person before!" Granted, it was my best friend's daughter, and they're the sweetest people on Earth, but still. Taking money for my photography? Yikes. So I found a gorgeous location (Rockwood Reservations, which is stunning in the fall) and I rented a couple of lenses: the Nikon 85mm and Nikon 50mm. The lenses were amazing (that 85mm 1.4 - SWOON), and once I started shooting, I realized "I CAN DO THIS!". The session turned out beautifully, mom and daughter were thrilled, and I've been doing portraits ever since. I am SO glad that they took a chance on me, and that I believed in myself enough to try.
Fast forward to today, I have upgraded nearly every piece of equipment that I own, and now I am the proud owner of a MacBook Pro 16", Nikon 85mm 1.4, Nikon 50mm 1.4, Tokina 100mm, Nikon 24-120mm and TONS of props and lighting equipment. I am one blessed girl and I have grown so much as a photographer. I am consistently busy these days, and steadily picking up work. I couldn't be happier.
Well, that's all about me - there is so much more, but if you're still awake and/or reading this, I applaud you for getting this far. Thank you for enduring my rambling. Hopefully I'll get this blogging thing down, and I'll learn to be more concise, and less wordy. Oh, but I love words. So no promises. :)