I’ve been fascinated with taking pictures since I was a child. I remember our family’s first Polaroid, but Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me just explore taking pictures with the cost of film. I remember my first camera – the kind that actually had film inside and you had to choose what ISO film to buy. I must have taken 100s of photos of the Candy the dog, Tom the cat, and an assortment of flowers. If I had a scanner, I would scan some, and you would laugh.

In high school I had a camera that was slightly more advanced, but not a “real” camera with interchangeable lens, that was a dream. On September 6, 2002, Jeremy and I had spent an exhausting few hours looking at digital cameras since we would have our first child in just a couple of weeks. We were pretty sure what we wanted – the Sony Cyber-shot 3.2 mega pixel P71 that retailed for $350. Since it was a big investment for our budget, we went home to sleep on it. As I loaded dishes in the dishwasher that night, my water broke, so it was the 8th before we bought the camera. I took thousands of pictures with that camera, and it still works today!

While Hudson was cooking, I dreamed of getting a “real” DSLR. DSLRs were still waaaay expensive in 2004 for an amateur who just wanted to learn. Over the years I would save up my money, but the money would have to go for other things. In December of 2007, some dear friends of ours used their card points to get my my first “real” DSLR – a D200. I cried over it more than once – such a precious, precious gift!

Since 2007 I’ve read the manual over and over and read more web sites and studied more photographer’s images, FAQ pages, and tutorials than I can even begin to remember. In April of 2009, I officially opened my business with a DBA trip to the Granbury County Clerk and Sales Tax License from the State of Texas. I knew I still wasn’t THERE, but it was time to continue to grow and hone my craft, and I needed people to capture & income to continue to feed my education and equipment.

In 2008 I stumbled upon two photographers by the name of Kelley Ryden and Tracy Raver, sisters who work together in Nebraska to capture newborns. Amazing work that just takes your breath away. I saw they also offered a class for photographers! Needless to say, I set my sights on the class, and started saving every penny I made to go toward the class. Early this year I saw they were coming to Oklahoma City to team up with Beth Jansen. I quickly did the math of what I could save on airfare (not to mention travelling alone on a plane and then getting a rental car to drive around Nebraska alone!), and I immediately signed up.

I have to admit, my true desire was to see Kelley and Tracy. I saw Beth as an added bonus that could teach me a new style (if you look at their web sites, you’ll see Ryder/Raver & Jansen have different styles) and push me out of my box. WOW! I could not have prepared myself for where Beth took me! I’ve been naturally drawn to newborns since the beginning. For children & senior portraits, I’ve had this picture in my mind, but I couldn’t quite get there on my own knowledge base. Beth did it! She completely inspired me, taught me, and grew me. I have a clear vision for my children & senior sessions!

Photographers, and those aspiring to such, I want to encourage you to find other photographers who offer classes and mentoring and allow them to teach you and inspire you! It’s worth the cost. With excitement, I want to share a few images (okay, many) that I shot with Beth. Beth coordinated the outfits for her clients, chose the location, and set up the shot. [upon reviewing, blogger has shifted the colors to have a slightly more red cast, quite disappointing]

Yeah, I wish I looked like that in that dress, too , and yes, that’s her son.

 Yes, I had to go out and find this umbrella. Eureka!

I cannot wait to put what I learned from Beth into practice! School’s almost out for the summer, so be ready!