This past weekend was a trip to the beach... it was vacation, but also had some photo shoots worked into the time there. For me, there is nothing more relaxing than being behind my lens anyway... hopefully taking photos that will make someone smile, cry or something - but capture some special moments nonetheless. It is always such an honor to get to do photos of a new baby...each day they are changing so much, and to have the chance to be there in those early days and weeks when everything is so new is so precious. My entire being goes into capturing each shot - knowing in my mind what it is I'm after, and doing whatever I can to get it! And the satisfaction when I sit down in front of my computer and begin editing, and it's there!
Often someone will comment "this is such a great hobby," and while I don't take great offense to the remark, I do want to say "This is SO much more than a hobby!" Years have been put into taking photos to develop more skill...time and money (lots of both) have been put into learning, developing, equipment, practice, etc. It was a hobby years ago when I would pull out my camera, shoot on jpeg/auto, and that was the extent of it - often hearing that I took great pictures. But then there was that line-crossing -- throwing everything into it and going for something more.
There are so many photographers out there... I can get lost on facebook looking at all of the photography pages (and often do!) And I love to see a photographer's true style by looking at their work - some are so true to their own style that you would almost KNOW that it was their work if you saw one of the photos they shot somewhere. And then there are those who haven't found their style yet - or aren't comfortable enough with it to make it the best it can be. My style is definitely lifestyle... I love capturing those moments that just happen right there before my eyes. One of the photo shoots I had this weekend was a new family...I had done the new baby a few days earlier, and now was doing family photos on the beach. My favorite photos of the shoot are the ones that almost feel too intimate to look at for too long... they are so sweet. The husband is looking at his wife... she is so beautiful, and has given him the sweetest gift in the world - this baby! Sometimes I feel like I need to look away - like I'm in the middle of their moment. But THOSE are the moments I want to capture... the photos I want them to look back at in 20 years and be able to remember that feeling as if they were taken back in time. It simply overwhelms me sometimes that what I am offering to someone is a moment captured - that will live forever. That is so much more than a hobby....
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