A little bit about me...

Hi everyone! Thank you for reading my blog and being here. This post gives you a little bit of information about me and how I started this journey. I am a Charlottesville, Virginia native and grew up here almost my entire life. I went to James Madison University for my undergraduate degree then quickly moved to Miami, Florida thereafter. I lived my glory days there, and took that time to really find myself before moving back to Charlottesville. Once I returned, I met my husband and now have two beautiful girls. Charlottesville has always been home to me and where my family still resides. There is something special about this town, even as it keeps growing around me.

I spend my week days working remotely for a small biotech company. Photography has always been an admiration of mine. I have always had a strong appreciation for local photographers in my area and the work they put into making their photos look unique, yet candid. For the longest time, I believed I could never do what they do, so I never tried. Then one afternoon as I sat on my back porch after a long, stressful day and I thought about what I could do for myself that I am passionate about. I was a great mother, a great wife, a good colleague, but what was I doing for myself that gave me complete fulfillment? Of course my family gives me fulfillment, but I wanted to challenge myself and dive into something other than just being Mom. Then it dawned on me, photography. DUH! I thought, what am I sitting here for? why am I taking photos of my children with my phone? WHY have I not gone out and bought myself a camera yet? That afternoon, I walked into a vintage camera shop and asked the store manager how I could get started. Where do I start? As I looked at the cameras in the store, I thought, how will I know which is the best one to choose? The manager guided me and gave me some ideas. I went home that night and did some research on my own as well.

By the next time, I bought myself a starter camera to mess with until I could master my manual settings. I was shocked with how quickly I could pick up on the settings. I took it a step further and immediately signed up for online courses that I could take on my own down time (what down time?). A few months went by, and I had already captured family portraits for friends and neighbors and got honest, inspiring feedback. I decided to invest in a true photographers camera, and it was worth every penny. A few more months went by, word of mouth kept me busy, and I decided to start my own business. I invested in a great lens that I knew I could hold onto for years to come, and took it from there. Every day is a new lesson, a new adventure. Every day I find ways to improve in my photography journey. The key to all of it, is being present. Being present in the moment, feel the room, let things flow, and the true magic comes from the unplanned moments. I can't wait to keep learning, to keep trying, and to continue freezing moments in time for all the wonderful families and friends that I meet.