Why I Learned to Use My Camera

Like almost every parent, I love taking photos of my kids. I have been taking photos of my life since my mom bought me a camera when I was in elementary school. I remember getting those flash attachments that popped. I remember getting film and couldn't wait until the photos were developed. Through school, college, and before kids I was taking photos...and doing a crappy job at it, but I still enjoyed it. Once I had children the focus of course was turned on them. I have hundreds of photos of them that I love (I mean, they are my kids so how could I not love them!?). However, they still are not high-quality photos by any stretch of the imagination.

What I really wanted was a nice Canon Rebel DSLR. It took a couple years of convincing my husband to get that as our 'couples Christmas gift' from my parents (it was way less practical than the new dishwasher we had gotten the year previous!) but literally the day before my 3rd son was born I FINALLY had a nice camera. ​Luckily I packed it for my normal check-up appointment that turned into an immediate c-section!

However, a nice camera set in auto does not mean my photos were instantly better. Sure, they were better, but not consistently, and still not where I wanted my photos to be. Focus was questionable. Composition? Never heard of it. Manual settings? Nope.

What I did know is that I wanted to take 'nice' photos of my children. Actually, I wanted beautiful photos of our life. I was set on mastering the camera so that my photos weren't just snapshots and kinda-blurry photos of my kids. So I got a private lesson on shooting in manual mode and from there I took a couple online 4-week classes to get me started. I practiced all the time and finally found something I was good at doing!

Most importantly, after really working on my photography for four years now, I know the reason I keep working on my photography hasn't changed. I do it for the love of my family. I want to preserve all these moments- the big and the small. I know I won't remember all of this as I get older. I barely remember what I did last week! But I can look back at these photos and I am reminded of what it is like to live with 3 precious boys, an amazing husband, and wonderful extended family nearby. When I flip through photos I literally have a smile across my face the whole time. I want to be able to pass down these memories to the boys when they are older and married and have their own families. I am so glad I invested in myself to learn to use my camera (and upgraded along the way even when I hadn't started a business yet!) because it makes me extremely happy and I am proud of myself for the hard work I have put into it. 

I have read comments by full-time photographers who end up realizing they take more photos of client and don't have the want to take photos of their children at the end of the day. Seeing those comments reinforces my decision that I first and foremost am a mom with a camera. This is why I feel so passionately about teaching other moms how to use their camera to document their lives with my Mom & Her Camera class. No one understands your family like you do. I couldn't possibly come into your home and capture the EXACT personalities, quirks, and favorite aspects of your children. I can do a good job of making the photos pretty and capture loving moments like I did with Tracy's family, but only YOU can truly document your family perfectly. Luckily, you also have access to your family all the time, where as photographers photograph you in extremely limited time frames. If you value pretty photos of your family in real life, then please check into my class! I would love to teach you how to get started on your own journey of capturing memories of your family!

Perhaps taking photos isn't your thing. That is perfectly fine! I have a list a mile long of things that I don't want to learn to do on my own but I still appreciate. I can't decorate my home to save my life, but I appreciate my sister helping me make the house look pulled together with her interior design skills. If you are in the camp of appreciating photography but only if someone else did it for you, then I would be honored to help capture some of your memories for you! Whether going on big adventures or staying in your own living room, let's preserve what life is like right now with your loved ones! Fill out a contact form to get booked!