And so it began...
My best friend from college, Beckie, introduced me to this art process. She invited me out for a photoshoot just for fun. Just two college girls and a film camera. Everything quirky, fancy, and "cool" out of our closets, and a handful of interesting props. We wandered around an older part of Poplar Bluff, Missouri. This was home to Three Rivers Community College and our alma mater where we commuted together every day. Camera in hand we styled and posed each other as we went. "Wear this scarf." "Chin up!" "Try these red shoes for a pop of color." "I'm gonna climb that tree...." It was cold. So cold that there was still snow on the ground. So cold that the camera picked up the pink in our cheeks and the occasional, vapored breath. There was snow on the ground, snow in the Black River, and snow on a beautiful tree that had the perfect branch to sit on. It was on that day that my love for photography began.
While in college I had another friend named BJ who was an amazing videographer. Watching him imagine a film from beginning to end, prep, shoot, and edit it was fascinating. The end result was magical. My love of the lens grew.
James, my husband, and I got married in 2009. We moved to Kansas City where we were on our own for the very first time. He worked and I finished up school. My mom knew I was much like her in that I must have an artistic outlet for my self-care and sanity, so she bought me my first camera. Since then I've taken that love seriously...and not so seriously. I started with the odd senior, working and growing my craft. Mostly just having fun. Then I went on to other art forms.
I was a floral designer for eight years, pouring myself into the shapes and lines created by so many stems. I worked with their natural forms and shaped them to my own whim or that of my customer....basically helping pay the bills and enjoying myself while I did it. That job got me hooked on smiles. I love sitting down with a customer, dreaming something up, and then making it with my own two hands and using a beautiful medium.
About three years before my son was born I started getting more seriously involved in photography. I loved capturing of moments and the delicate touch of editing. Working with colors, textures, and shapes was something I was well accustomed to. The customer service etiquette I learned in the flower shop translated nicely to my budding business. Since then I have met so many amazing teenagers, families, and couples and even dogs! I travel and see locations through the eye of a photographer and appreciated light in a way I had never before. My network of regular customers is substantial, the list of different locations in which I've shot is long, and the potential for the future is endless. I have grown a love for this business from the ground up. I continue to shoot every day, finding wonder in the mundane. Join me on this journey as I blog about my clients, their photoshoots, and all the fun we experience.
