Through the Eye of My Lense

It was 10 am. I was at the park awaiting my next clients for a photoshoot. It was quiet, crisp, and foggy. I had a lot on my mind all that week, and it was strange to sit in the quiet for a moment...something I don't take enough time to do. I looked around, and with no one in sight I picked up my camera and photographed nature. A shock I know. I love photographing people more than anything, but as I captured nature that day, I was reminded of how calming it can be. Just to stop and focus on the little things does something for me. I was reminded of where I was 6 years ago and where my passion all began.

I first fell in love with photography many years ago. Actually, I was 21 to be exact. I was going through a very hard time in my life and taking pictures was therapuetic so to speak. I wasn't necessarily very good at it. In fact, it was an old Kodak point and shoot I saved my money for. I didn't care if I was very good, I just wanted to capture beauty. Capturing nature was something that reminded me that there was a God, a magnificent God. One that was creative and detailed. I would think to myself, "A God who could create such beauty and take the time to put each detail and finishing touches on even the littlest of things must care about me at least a little. A God that could create such beauty and resurrect what would seem dull and lifeless could possibly even create beauty from the pit up ashes I am in."

Snap, snap. I would take pictures in the Fall, when everything was being transformed into a magnificent vibrance of color. Much like it is right now.

Snap, snap. I would take pictures of the winter, where it would seem cold and dark. Lifeless. I related most to that time of year back then.

Snap, snap. I would take pictures of the spring, where the earth was beckoning to come back to life. Blossoming with hope.

Snap, snap. I would take pictures in the summer...water, sun, freedom.

Therepuetic it was. I took pictures of my family and friends as well, but for some reason nature spoke a bit differently to me at that time. Seeing how the seasons came and went...I felt as though my life paralleled these seasons just the same. More or less, focusing on nature and the small things...things we don't always notice at first glance, somehow refocused my head admist all the rubel and chaos. God taught me a lot through the eye of my lense.

Over the years, my love for photography has blossomed. The progression went from photographing nature, to capturing my neice and nephews growing up, to photographing my husband's passion....music. I loved documenting every family event, every little detail I didn't want to forget. Something to hold onto that wouldn't be taken away. Even though I was a novice, I didn't care. It was healing. Snap snap.

Fast forward 3 years. I was then married. I purchased my first DSLR camera. It rocked my world. My thirst to learn more grew. That's when I had my first though, "Wouldn't it be cool to do this for a living?" Snap. Snap.

Fast forward another year and a half, and I was holding the most precious gift in my arms. My son. The most beautiful thing God could've created in my mind...especially since I was told 5 years earlier it was next to impossibe to have a child. A miracle. My camera was pretty much an attachment at this point. Think...extra limb. It followed me everywhere. I didn't want to forget my son that little, I didn't want to miss a moment. I wanted cherish every moment and hold onto it forever. My ferver to grow in my passion grew by leaps and bounds at that point. Snap. Snap.

Today, I am not only documenting my life and my family's life to remember forever, but I get the honor to photograph these moments for many other families. Capturing memories that will last a lifetime. Pictures speak a thousand words, and what a wonderful gift to give to others!

Today, photography is just as therepuetic as it was the day I picked up my little Kodak point and shoot. It doesn't matter if I'm happy or sad; God teaches me so much through the eye of my lense. It's as if the world stops and I am reminded of God's love for us through His creation.