And my heart sings.

This evening, I had a lovely evening maternity/couple photo shoot. Amanda is a friend from high school, I was excited to meet her man and see her after over a decade. They are a down to earth couple, and Steve is a true gentleman. Those things warm my heart. Our session lasted just shy of two hours, simply because I enjoyed talking with them. I love it. Photography has given back to me what I missed about being a server. Treating people special and giving them an experience. I hope they had as good of a time as I. When I got home, and uploaded the pictures, my heart sang. They are beautiful. I caught a couple of sweet moments, and I knocked it out of the ball park!
My heart sings.
God has given me something I didn't know I needed.
My heart sings.
When I make a connection with another person. When I deliver the goods.
My heart sings.
The creative aspect is fun, challenging and humbling. But being with people is really what moves me. To get to know them, to laugh with them, to make them feel at ease and comfortable. To be chosen to be the one to capture these fleeting moments. I'm in love.

A couple perspectives on what Photographers think of Pinterest

I just started following this photographer from seeing a friend post the link. He does impeccable work, and I like his writing style. Read for yourself what his point of view is about Pinterest, and my two cents will follow....
http://blog.troygrover.com/a-photographers-perspective-on-pinterest/


My response (As if he was asking me)
Pinterest opens an entire world of art and perspective. Our clients are saturated with beautiful wedding and family photos each day. We see their pins, and get sweaty palms because we are into this six months, have no props and haven't invested in a great piece of glass yet. Instead of getting scared, feel challenged....
Ask your client why she likes a certain pin. Get her into the conversation. Very likely, she doesn't know about ISO, composition, lighting, shutter speed. What she will tell you she sees is going to be about how the photograph makes her FEEL. This will give you insight on how she thinks, what she thinks is beautiful. We have the creative talent, but we need to funnel their perspective through our lens. They are buying it, they must be happy. Not only will you get a better handle of who she or her family are, but you will have a lifelong client. Spend time with them, talk to them. Make it an EXPERIENCE, and you will win every time.

I close with this. Pinterest is here. It isn't disappearing any time soon. Use it to your advantage. What do her pins tell you? Is she a reader? Does he like to listen to music? Take these little bits of information and use it to give them a unique session. Better yet, text the clients and compliment their style, and start a conversation. It will build trust, and give a truly tailored experience that will keep them coming back for years to come. As a new photographer, I have so much to learn, I am decent, but I have so many places to grow. One thing I can guarantee is, my clients get the best catered service in the world. That keeps them coming back. It's me, it's how I treat them, it is the experience they walk away having.

Pizza Roll Burnout

 Everyone, it seems is blogging these days, with amazing perspectives and eloquent voices. Here, I throw out my voice among the throngs.
   
 Today was a day out of rhythm. Everything was off. The kids and I didn't jive, my coffee was cold, I forgot to wash my favorite pants. Tomorrow is Jairus' birthday, and I am just a mom dragging her feet to bedtime. We picked up our niece Jaya for a sleepover, and went to the store. Usually I take pride in one of my nieces or nephew coming over. I make a great dinner, pop popcorn, all of it. Not this day.

This is all I had left in me.

I felt like a failure, just grabbing the bag.... Then the wine. It is all I had left.

And I messed that up too.

Really, it wasn't the ruined pizza rolls. Or more true, the pizza rolls were the topping of my failure Sundae. Lately, Failure is my name. But you can call me Nita. 30 years old, married for over 11 years, with two kids and two English mastiffs. I am a homeschooling photographer, wife to a cop. I am witty, off the cuff, and a little sarcastic. I neither confirm nor deny accusations I have an inappropriate sense of humor. I love Jesus, but I don't go to church (we can save that for another day). Today, all I feel is chunky, lame, lazy, failure. After the kids were done eating, they shuffled into Jairus' room to watch a movie. I felt defeated and drained. I'm a terrible example, then  Jaya hugged me and said, "Thanks Auntie, I haven't had Pizza Rolls in a long time."