Jacey & Preston's tropical wedding~

When I first met Jacey & Preston, I found them to be a young, laid-back, enjoy-life kind of couple. We took engagment photos out on their family farm and had an amazing time. They let me do whatever I wanted. They had their dog and some drinks. We drove around in the back of the pickup truck in the heat and would jump out when the location was right.
When I heard they were getting married in St. Croix, USVI, I jokingly told them that if they couldn't find a photographer there....to let me know. I would be happy to go. :) Who wouldn't? Since I had told them I had never done a wedding before, I laughed when I said it and went on my way. I wouldn't know what to do! I would be a mess! There is no way they would ask me! It is St. Croix....people get married there all the time and I am sure the photographers are amazing there! Well.....
A few weeks later, I get a message from Jacey. "If you would....we would love for you to come and take our wedding photos in St. Croix"! I listened to it again! "WHAT"!!! They want me to come? I was shocked and excited at the same time.
I looked at it two ways....I can say, "NO" and regret it forever because I feel unprepared....or I can say, "YES" and work extremely hard the next two months to get better at this craft. I chose "YES! I met with Sara Barnes (an amazing photographer) almost every week for one-on-0ne instructions on camera, lenses, lighting, flash, etc. I was determined to do this right....crash coursing it!
The wedding was 2 weeks ago and it was such an amazing experinece! What a great group of people to spend the weekend with. I will always have a special place for Jacey & Preston because they gave me a chance to grow in this business.

I still feel I have a long way to go, but these pics will always mean a lot to me. Thanks J & P! You guys are fabulous! Best wishes for a full and happy life together!

New Beginnings.....

So, I know we have all hadnew beginnings in our life, a crossroads of a sort....it is always hard to explain the feelings....excitement, concern, tiring, challenging, along with so many other emotions. But, If you are like me....that is what you like about it. It brings out feelings you don't always experience during your day to day life. Like most new beginnings, you have to overcome some doubt as well. While learning to climb mountains with my husband, we both felt some doubt that we weren't good enough, or strong enough. What I am learning through these experiences is that it doesn't matter what your limitations are, or what other people have accomplished in that field of expertise.... it's what you get out of the experience that matters. When we climb, we go the highest we can, we learn the skills we want, and we enjoy the moments we have. Now that I realize this, I look forward to ever moment, even the difficult ones..... where we feel like we can't take another step, take another deep breath, or lift another backpack....and we enjoy that moment! That is what matters.
Well, here I am at the beginning of something else...my nature photography business. I have the same "new" doubts, fears, and thoughts. Can I do this? Am I good enough? Will I be able to do it? As I begin my online courses this week, I am excited to learn from the professionals. And, I wonder what is in store for me again. Good news is....I know that no matter what happens...I will go as far as I can, learn the skills I want, and enjoy every moment of it. I am so excited to learn something new and challenge myself. I hope to have some new skills to soon share with my friends and family. And that is what will make me happy!

Nature as viewed by me......

Not only a way of documenting the world around me, or people in my life, photography gives me a way of communicating to others the true appreciation I have for our natural world and the people in it. Most of the time, words do no justice to describe what is around us. Honestly, I am realizing that less words, means more. It is my hope to use my camera as a way of showing what I truly love about nature around us. As much as I love photographing people, my true love for traveling, sightseeing, and learning about nature and the Earthscapes will be my focus. I want to preserve what we most often forget about or have taken for granted. I want to capture Earthscapes in their unspoiled state. By doing this, I hope to remind the viewer of the beauty of the landscapes around us and in turn, increase their interest in protecting them. Traveling most of the summer gives me many opportunities to pursue my landscape photography business. I, in turn, can use this to better myself as a science teacher throughout the rest of the year.

Being such a new photographer, I feel, is just increasing all my senses and it makes me ready to explore as many photgraphic opportunities as I can. I am self-taught and have no formal training, but I hope that this will be a trait that only strengthens my individual style. I hope to learn from other professionals by doing some online courses, but will really strive to "keep my individual style". I started many years ago with a 35 mm film camera and then enjoyed a black and white "garage" darkroom set up by myself and my friend/roommate, Laura. We would go into a closet to take the 35mm film out to process. We would have to place a towel at the bottom of the door to prevent light from coming in. I also spent time in college developing film in a photo lab, and retouching for a professional photographer. This was before computer based retouch programs. This was all by hand. With the wonderful age of DSLR cameras today, most anyone can take a great photo. My hope is that I continue to enjoy what I see through my lens, and I find my personal photographic style. I then hope it is powerful enough to move others.

My hope is to remind others ... what they may have forgotten. . . somewhere on the backroads.

I would love to share with you the new photos I will be taking this summer from wherever I may be. I would also love to hear of places you think I need to explore and photograph. I think we all want that one AMAZING photo on our wall of our favorite place. Let me know about yours.