I am an introvert. (Majorly. The first time I took Myers-Briggs, I was 90% introverted. More recently I was down to 80%!!). For most of my life, I've also been extremely shy. People who knew me well wouldn't believe that, but I would explain that they knew me in an environment where I was extremely comfortable and/or, they'd known me for a long time.

Being an introvert and shy are actually two reasons why photography was so attractive to me.

I am a portrait photographer. That's my specialty.  But I shoot anything and everything. Why? Because that's how you grow.

My family has always done things differently than the average family. As homeschoolers, doing things as a family has been a high priority. I did things "one my own" at a much older age than most of my friends. We just did things all together. I'm not going to make you roll your eyes at me by giving details, but suffice it to say, I've hit some "milestones" in the past two years that most kids do in their teens.

"Could you do it at my son's work?"

That was the email my client sent me. We had been trying to schedule a family session while all her kids were in town and the scheduling was challenging. In an effort to find a time that worked for everyone. She asked if we could do it at her son's work on his lunch break. I looked up where her son worked and my heart sank.

It's VBS week at my church. Growing up, we did Groups VBS and I LOVED IT!!! Scatter (I think that was his name?), you know, that squirrel, was the best. I often wonder if  I would like him as much now that I'm older. I had a ton of fun when I was in VBS and I am glad to help provide the same experience for other kids now.

It was a zillion degrees outside today.

Okay, I'm exaggerating, but, it was in the 90s with real feels even higher and high humidity. You walked outside and it didn't take long to start sweating. Thank goodness for a breeze!!

I had a family session today. It was an extended family, so there were multiple groupings which can be difficult, moving people in and out, but everyone was fabulous and did a great job! We did the session at the grandmother's house, in her backyard. There really was only one place to position everyone, so thankfully, it was good lighting and a decent background! You make do with what you have and get creative if you have to. The challenges are how you grow.

There was nice shade, so the skin tones were smooth and even and no one had to squint in the sun! Despite the heat, everyone did an amazing job and had great smiles. The three year old blew me away with how patiently he stood and smiled and just did whatever I asked of him! His little brother is only one and was not as willing. He screamed most of the time, but you know what? It's okay. It's okay that the only times he wasn't screaming, he looked super serious. You can't ask too much of a baby. And that is the time of life that this family is in.

One great thing is that I found a tool that I think probably all children photographers will want to adopt.

I need a bubble machine.

That was the only thing that got the baby to calm down, was blowing bubbles. Obviously, I can't blow bubbles myself, so, bubble machine. I'm going to have to look into getting one and taking it with me when I do children sessions.

I'm glad we were able to get this session in, after many back and forth emails and a couple changes in plans. Working with so many people, it can be hard to get everyone together, but we did it and things worked out well.

Since I'm a new photographer, I don't have sessions all the time. So what does a photographer do when they're not shooting? I don't know what others do, but I'm trying to learn everything I can.

This year, I'm trying to read at least one business book a month. It's usually not about photography, but that doesn't matter. What I like, is, the books I'm reading are focusing on your work ethic, how you conduct your business, and how you relate to your customers. I think those are important things to learn for business. Obviously, yes, you need to know money and legal stuff, but you won't have to worry about that if you have no clients because you don't have good customer service.

I read all kinds of things about photography. I'm subscribed to Cole's Classroom, dPS (Digital Photography School), and Amy & Jordan Demos. I get emails from them with tips, tricks, and hacks. I can learn about shooting, editing, gear, etc. It's free education and I soak up as much as I can.

Let's not forget webinars. Those are how I found Katelyn James and Amy & Jordan, and I love them! I also have purchased two courses (one from each) and I am going to be saving up for Katelyn's Lighting & Locations course next. I've heard from many sources to invest in your education because you're more likely to implement what you pay for. I don't know that it's especially true for me, but it does get you more deeply committed when you're investing a couple hundred dollars.

I try to take pictures of things I find interesting. I'm constantly observing and thinking about "that would be a cool photo" or "this is how I would frame and compose this shot". I observe light and try to see how a certain place or situation would photograph.

To sum up - when I'm not shooting, I'm thinking about shooting and learning how to make my business better. I have my down time and personal time, but I treat my business like school. I have certain things I have to do for photography. One of those things is hopefully to start blogging more regularly, working up to five days a week. This is my job, after all :)

It can get so frustrating when you know something but can't get it to work.

That was my experience at a recent shoot. I've been learning about lighting and I know in my head what I need, but I was having a really hard time making it work in reality! Then there are the times when I just have no idea why my camera is doing something! These things happen to every photographer, and while it's our job to make sure our clients don't know a thing is going on, it's insanely frustrating for us to deal with.

I am an optimist. I think my nature is inclined to be optimistic, but even so, I have to be diligent and work at maintaining a positive attitude. In every situation, I look for the positives. Obviously, this is easy in a good situation, but when things are looking horrible, there is still always something positive to be found. It might take some digging, but it is there.

Being an optimist, I have been told that I'm naive, that I deny reality, that I'm unrealistic. That's not true. An optimist is someone who looks at the whole situation, good and bad, but chooses to focus on the good. I fully and readily acknowledge when things are crummy. But to dwell on that changes nothing. It only makes me depressed and unhappy. That is not a fun way to be, for me or the people around me. So for my sake and for those who have to interact with me, I need to focus on the good and the positive.

Even optimists have their pessimistic moments. There are times when we just have to complain about the crummy things going on. (I try to do this to my journal and not to other people). Once I've gotten out my anger/sadness/frustration, then I refocus and find the positive.

Optimism is a fight for joy. It's a fight to not let the negative emotions control our lives. If I focused on all the failures I experience as I'm learning photography, I'd probably quit. Almost every time I do a shoot, I come home and I can see things that I could have done better. That doesn't mean I didn't do a good job. My clients love the images I took for them! Just because I can see room for improvement doesn't mean I failed. Yes, it's frustrating, but it means I'm growing and getting better. That's the positive.

It's frustrating when things aren't flowing well or the things you know and learned just aren't translating into your work. Look at what you've done, note the things you want to improve upon, and then keep going. Don't forget to focus on the positives!

Blessings,
Sarah

I have been a reader my whole life. My mom says that her life got so much better once we could read, because then we were quiet!
 
For the majority of my life, I only read fiction. I read mysteries like Nancy Drew, fantasy (with fairies and magic), historical fiction, and just about anything that sounded interesting. Starting in high school, I tried to expand my reading tastes into non-fiction. The thing is, I always equated non-fiction with reading about weather or science-y things. I know, I know, that's silly, but that's what I thought of and it was BORING to me, so I avoided all non-fiction.
 
Then I discovered biographies. They are probably my favorite type of non-fiction, but I'm also really liking WWII books about certain events and people (my brother likes the over-arching ones about broad topics from that time), as well as books by Christian authors. I've found genres of non-fiction that I really like. I'm also reading business books, because I'm trying to start a business!! They aren't fun, per se, but I am able to read them because I know they will help me and I love photography so much that I'll do not-so-fun things in order to further that passion.
 
Wow, I am not getting to my point very quickly! Sorry. I tell you all this about reading to say this - as much as I love to read, it's equally enjoyable, if not slightly more so, to share the books I love with other people. I love recommending books and letting people borrow books that I enjoy and hearing that they love them as much as I do! Just the other day, we had a brother and sister over at our house, and she came to my room and asked if she could look at my books. By the time we were done, she was taking six books home, and had a list of ones to borrow in the future! It's the best!
 
I've just rambled about books for a while, now I'd love to hear from you! Are you a reader? Fiction or non? What is your primary genre, or at least, a genre you're really into right now? Any good book recommendations? Leave me a comment below with your answers!
 
Blessings,
 
Sarah

 
If you scroll through my Instagram feed, you'll see a lot of different photograph styles. You might wonder if all these pictures were really taken by the same photographer. The answer is "yes".
 
I'm learning and growing as a photographer and that comes with a lot of change. Different people have different styles and I'm observing several photographers to see what do I tend to like and not like so much? Do I want to have darker pictures or lighter pictures? What sense do I want to convey?
 
At the end of the day, I want to find a style that is natural for me to shoot, that I love, and that reflects me. I'm not going to pick my style based on my clients. I'm figuring out what my style is and then clients that also love that style will hire me.
 
I have two sticky notes on my computer. They are the guidelines for every business decision I make, as drilled into my head by Amy and Jordan Demos in their Business Course*. The notes say "Is this true to me?" and "Would [my ideal client] like this?". Since I don't exactly have an ideal client yet (but I'm getting there), I have to go with "Is this true to me?"
 
What is true to me? I am an optimist by nature and choice. I try to keep things cheerful and joyful. From that perspective, the "light and airy" style attracts me. It is bright and joyous. But I don't like blown-out whites. It almost hurts my eyes! (: I like rich color, which can be lost a bit with the light and airy style. But I don't like deep and dark shadows, because that isn't joyful to me. It's a different mood, which isn't bad, but just not me.
 
It may seem like I really have no clue what style I'm going for, but I actually do have an idea. It's light and joyful, with good color. I just haven't perfected what exactly that looks like yet.
 
I'm so thankful to the wonderful people who are supporting and encouraging me while I develop my style as a photographer. Even once I pick a style for my professional work, I'm sure I'll still experiment with other things on the side. There's too many different things you can do with photography!
 
Blessings,
 
Sarah


 
*I'm not getting anything back from them for promoting their course. They are just an awesome couple and great teachers!