I’m Not Normal | Personal Alert

I am a creative soul. At 9 I remember going to the beach with my family and recounting in my head as I ran through the tall grass the ways in which I could possibly write that particular moment into a short story or a novel. Think “And as she ran through the tall marsh grass in the milky sunlight, she had visions of a happy unaffected childhood and endless summer days.” Yes I really thought like that. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t have a “normal”  childhood and things were not all peaches and rainbows that I did have to create happy ending versions for myself quite often. I often dreamed of life with a mother and father in a very Joan Cleaver kind of way where I came home to home made chocolate chip cookies and a dad that sat and read the paper and inquired thoughtfully and meaningfully into whatever adventures that particular day held for me. In reality my father was a bipolar addict (of many varieties) and my mother had to bust her tail to make ends meet for me and my two siblings. I am however not a victim of my circumstances. I grew up to be a loving mother, a happy committed wife and a very creative individual so I totally embrace my childhood for what it is. It made me the strong woman I am today. I am sure you are sitting at home thinking “wow” did she really just say all that?! LOL. I admit that this is a bit raw and against the norm for a blog post on a professional photographer’s blog,  but it is important for my clients especially to understand my vision, especially creatively, and to know that they are not getting a typical photography experience when they book with me. Their images are not going to be generic or provoked. They are not going to be posed. They are not going to be “typical”. They are most likely going to be unconventional, creative, and a bit whimsical. A lot of it stems not only from who I am now but how I saw things as a child. I often created these beautiful magical places as a child to give me a means of “coping” or escape. Not really a bad thing, just the truth. And now that I am older I have manged to marry this into my career. One that I count myself EXTREMELY blessed to have. I really don’t know how I ended up SO lucky. I am married to my high school sweetheart and have four amazing children of my own among other things. I have been blessed with the ability to see beyond a smile or expression. I seem to see much deeper when I photograph. Especially with children. I love to photograph moments, bonds, connections, personalities, love. It all inspires me. Why I am writing this all, I am honestly unsure. I just want to admit openly that I am not perfect but when and if you book with me  you are going to get a very unique experience and some very unconventional family keepsakes.  I really want people to look back in ten years and remember their child’s personality. Not just their smile but their whole being. I want them to remember how they were feeling that day, that month. I want them to have something special. And because I am a photographer I thought I would share a few favorite images. 🙂 And if YOU are a photographer I want you to know that its okay to be YOU. To put yourself into your work. To deliver something incredibly special and unique to your clients and that photography doesn’t have to be all about sitting and smiling and posing. Its okay to be different. Unperfect. Spontaneous.