A picture is more than just an image...

"A picture is worth a 1,000 words." This is a quote we all have come to know at one point or another. As a photographer it is my job to capture a moment in a way that a viewer would not just see an image, but feel the emotion in that moment and as if they were there.

Having a toddler and baby at home myself I have a special place in my heart for photographing young people. When taking a picture of an infant or child, my challenge is to capture their innocence. In my own experience of taking my family to get photos done at studios in the mall or shopping centers, I felt each encounter to be impersonal and cold. I felt the photographer was more trying to get the shoot done and over with than trying to capture the beauty and innocence of a growing family or newborn baby. Our end results were a few nice shots of us together, but I don't feel any emotion when I look at the photos.

I've done a few sessions with my own girls and one with a baby girl who was born the same day as my youngest. I'm learning that in order to get the right shot, it takes time and patience. Young people whether infants or toddlers or children don't like to be in one place for long, aren't fond of bright lights in their face and need time to eat and calm down, even nap. I as the photographer need to create a calm environment and be patient with my subject. An infant isn't going to like being moved around in so many different ways and may not be comfortable in each spot or pose I'd like to get them in. I have to ensure that little person is happy and comfortable otherwise the emotion I capture won't be ideal.





This past weekend I did my first engagement shoot. I'm shy to admit this was also my first experience shooting people older than 2. I was nervous for many reasons going into the shoot but as soon as I took out my magic wand (the camera), the enchantment began. The drive came from within my soul and with my wand I captured the couples love. I was extremely surprised in editing that there were minimal adjustments needed. I was incredibly proud of myself that I had truly captured the emotions I saw.

As a photographer I challenge myself to go above and beyond. I don't want to get the shot over and done with, collect my money and move on as I find is done in most big name studios. I want to capture the raw emotions of the moment.

Finding beauty in the world around you

A big reason why I've always concentrated on my artistic side is because I love to create beauty. I've battled different types of depression in the last few years, post-partum being the most difficult to overcome. I've been determined to overcome the darkness of my mind with the beauty of the world. There is nothing more satisfying to me than to take time and work hard on something and have the end result be something new and beautiful in the world.

Depression can sink a person into a bottomless hole in which that person feels there is no way out. Emptiness and sadness can consume a person. As a photographer one is asked to make beautiful images, to find beauty in the world. When I hold the camera in my hands I feel as if I hold a magic wand. The darkness in my mind is clouded by a sheet of happiness as I search for priceless moments that need to be captured. As I edit the pictures I feel as if I come alive and work my magic.

I am in the very early stages of what I foresee to be a live-long journey. I've never been one who enjoyed school or studying, but learning every aspect of this trade sparks a light within my soul. My first lesson in my course was all about how to think like a photographer. In my opinion in order to think like a photographer, you have to be able to see beauty in things others wouldn't. To think of an example, I bring to your attention the simple dandelion.

Make something beautiful out of something ordinary. To a gardener a dandelion is a weed, a menace meant to be plucked and tossed. When the weeds began to overtake my own yard I became annoyed. Then I took my daughter outside to play one day and all she could do was pluck and play with these weeds. I then saw the beauty in something ordinary. I immediately took out my camera and with my magic wand I captured that beauty. With a few clicks in editing, the picture was ready for the world.

Make others see the beauty in what is ordinary. I received compliments on the picture I took of the annoying weed. I had accomplished my task as a photographer. I made something that one would normally overlook or look at with annoyance into something someone looked at and appreciated.

The beginning of something great...

It's probably because I consider myself an "artist" of sorts that I am so vocal about my feelings and thoughts. I've always had depth in my feelings and been very open about them, no matter what the subject matter is. I am 25 years old and I am beginning my own journey to becoming a professional photographer. Though this is the start of this journey in particular, it is not the start to the search for my "niche."

At 18 years old I found myself graduated from high school with not a clue as to what to do next. I took a year off from school only to realize I was not at all ready or prepared for the "real world" of bill paying and serving others. I then attended Buffalo State College for a year. There I was introduced to many different things in the adult world and I didn't do much studying or going to class. I look back on that one year in my life as my "party" year. I think everyone is entitled to at least one of those. I got it out of my system and learned a lot all at once.

After Buffalo State I moved into an apartment and started my first "grown up" job. For the next four years I worked at jobs that allowed me to pay the bills, but I was not ever happy with my work. At such a young age I found myself in the same situation so many others get into... I was racking up the monthly bills and debt and working my butt off at a desk job I hated just to be able to afford to live. I started gaining weight, I was a smoker and I dove into depression pretty hard.

I married and had my first daughter and for once life seemed pretty amazing. A year later I was about to have my second daughter and I was laid off from my second job in a year. The work just wasn't there, the jobs just weren't around. After giving birth to my second daughter I was heavily engrossed in post-partum depression. Something about my life had to change.

I didn't want to go back to a job I knew I would hate. Just the thought of getting yelled at by unhappy people on the phones all day made me shiver. I wanted to find something that I could be happy in. I wanted to find something that the people I work with are happy. But what?

I battled through my post-partum depression with the love and support of my husband and mother. I attempted to medicate myself but that only lasted a few days. During this time I was also searching for my niche. Finally one day it hit me. I had dabbled into dreaming it before, but why not take the initiative and make it a reality? I wanted to become a professional photographer.

My husband was the first to be right on board with this idea. Now my husband is usually the first to say I need to get a job and we desperately need the money so for him to tell me to go for this dream was a huge eye opener for me. If he believes in me then I must be able to do it! Next my mother and then following was my father. Both encouraged me and even helped me get into classes and onto the path of having a business.

Now I am full fledged into my course work with the New York Institute of Photography and on a great start to creating my business, Devoted Touch Photography. I am a stay at home mother during the day. My husband is usually gone for 10-11 hours a day Monday-Friday. When my girls nap or when my husband is home I study, work on my courses or work on my business. It is hectic and busy but I am absolutely loving every single minute of it.

Gone are the days of feeling lost in a world of meaningless jobs. I am now my own boss. My success and income are determined solely on the hard work I put in. I've created this blog (I have many) so that I can document my journey to success. That may sound a bit much to say now because I am literally starting at scratch, and I know I will be a success. I believe in myself.

I invite you to follow along on my journey.