Room To Breathe.

I have had so much on my heart the last few days...business things, personal things, the boston bombings, the explosion in texas...just so so much.

I am taking a moment, after a root canal this morning, to slow down and reflect. I just finished re-editing a session I did in November for a family who lost their patriarch. I am drawn to one though that keeps flooding my head as I write this.

Stop wasting your moments. Stop complaining about how much time you do or don't have. 

Everyone has "stuff." Everyone has life. everyone has commitments and people who need them. Everybody needs somebody and everybody wishes they had more time.

 It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.

It's completely true. At the end of last year, I won't lie--I found myself utterly exhausted and facing burn out. I over worked myself and over committed to way too many people. Sure my business was growing but I wasn't proud of me. My heart was full for everyone else but me. I gave up my Sundays off rule in order to accommodate others. I loved the time I spent with those families but I missed my own family. I missed my friends. I missed my dogs. I really really missed an afternoon spent on my couch curled up with a movie. 

It's easy to lose sight of the big picture when you're in the middle of the storm. You are just focused on getting through it. I'll never forget calling my mom and breaking down one Sunday afternoon. I had just done two large families back to back and was off to meet another large group and a family of three after. I spent the entire car ride back from Brillion brainstorming...how and where I could find extra time. It was tough....but I got through it. The light at the end of the tunnel came and I vowed to never do that to myself again.

When January came, I couldn't even process the slower time. it was so necessary that I spent a week or two on a giant hiatus--I didn't answer phone calls, emails or messages. I just needed to take some deep breaths. reallly really deep breaths.  

I changed my scheduling a lot this year. Sundays off are really Sundays off aside from a few exceptions that I choose. Wedding Saturdays are weddings only and not 3 shoots on top of it in the morning. No more than 5 sessions on a weekend and 2 during the week. Boundaries. Parameters.

It means that I've, unfortunately, had to turn away some interested clients. It breaks my heart to do that but I am a better photographer for those who have booked because of it. I am a more balanced and content person because of it. I am more available to myself, to all of you, and to continuing to grow as a photographer and person because of it. 

I have learned, much like everyone else, that there is no time quite like the present and my tomorrow may not come someday. This moment....today....that's what I'm guaranteed. 

It is entirely true that creating a solid business means working your butt off and I'm not afraid of work--you've all seen how hard I can work--but the other part of this business....MY business especially...is done with my heart. I don't want to come in your life for a short moment and leave. I want to learn about your families and I want to invest in your lives...not because you ask me to but because every storyteller needs to be invested....every person needs to feel connected. Those are hours and time I cannot build into a day or even think to put a price tag on. That, my friends, is genuine love. 

As I move into the busy season, I'm vowing to love more....to give more without sacrificing myself or my personal time...to give what I can and be honest when I can't....to bow out gracefully if the opportunity just doesn't suit my needs...and to hope that people continue to support this love and passion I have for capturing your life and telling your stories. 

I am so blessed. I am thankful......but I am not too busy. 

Here are some of my favorites moments from my own life this winter. I have always believed in being transparent and sharing my life....you should, after all, know what you're getting into when you're choosing someone....:)

So take a giant deep breath, step back and take a long look at what is important...set your priorities and stick to them. Your babies will continue to grow and someday they will even outgrow your lap. Your relationships will change shape...I just hope you're there when that square becomes a triangle. Your self worth is determined by who you are as a person and not how booked or not booked you are....what you do for a living or where you hang your hat at the end of the day. What really matters is whether or not you loved and did your heart become a home for someone else....that's what's important.

In the end, this life is pretty fantastic....but you only get it once......so make your moments count. Reach out to someone if you need to...say thank you...let go of whatever is holding you back...and find your balance.

xoxo,

Miss Oh!

2,029

Sooooo, here it is...the unveiling of my biggest giveaway yet. First, I need to spend moments telling you how ridiculously blessed I am. I woke up, less than a week ago, to see my Facebook page had hit 2000 "likes" and while that is small in the grand scheme of things...for me, it is ginormous. I had no idea that my heart would be so well received and, even more, so LOVED through my lens. It is undeniably true that I would not be here if it weren't for all of you and I certainly wouldn't be here without my beautiful clients. It is seriously crazy to me that I have such beautiful people in my life every day.

Second, I need to just say out loud that I can not believe my business has taken off in the way that it has...that I flourished when the economy was, to be honest, a hot mess. Somehow all of you have still chosen your memories and moments over that big screen tv, that new lawn mower, or whatever it is that could have been upgraded. This is part of why I am so in love with the people who contact me...your priorities are in line and your lives--well, they're just beautiful. 

It is entirely true that I do not have many photos of my family together....and most of the dearest memories I hold in my heart...but that is part of the reason why this giveaway means so much. I am certain that you will not be printing the 100+ photos that we will be collecting over the next year....but I am even more certain that someday, you can pull out a shoe box full of memories with me and show someone in ten minutes or ten years...and that makes me so happy. 

So many of you know my story...that this dream started in a place in my life that needed some good old fashioned love. The other day I was flipping through photos of my husband and I on our honeymoon and found so many with him and his Canon camera strap hanging around his neck. I could have never known then that I would carry that torch and that his love of photography would become one of my greatest gifts. I am, though, proud to carry my own Canon now and to have learned about exposures and the golden hour from him. 

You see the problem is that we think we have time..we think there will be another month or another year and that we don't need photos all the time. (I can just hear some of my favorite client's husbands saying that) I also agree-they are not a necessity...they will not make you live any longer and-by all means-provide first and foremost--but the beautiful thing about photos is they will prove that you lived. 

To be honest, I have always done my very best to be accessible to anyone which means I provide sessions on the house, no questions asked and that is another reason why these giveaways come very rarely. I am hopeful that people will continue to come to me with their stories, their needs, and their hopes so I can continue to provide one of the few tangibles that moves people now....and 50 years from now. 

I am fully aware of the fact that you could go anywhere for your photos...there are many other photographers out there....but i am BEYOND GRATEFUL that all 2029 of you have chosen to follow me....and that you allow me to come into your lives and share these stories. If I could, I would have given each of you this prize....but my accountant would kill me. 

So, finally, thank you...for allowing me the privilege to be your photographer for the next year. For entering this contest and giving me the opportunity to share my love and passion with you. Congratulations, Chris Herzog.....I will be seeing a whole lot of your family this year. I hope you're ready.

And, to everyone who entered--there will be many more to come. It has been one heck of a ride and I cannot wait to see where God takes this dream of mine. I only hope to meet you all along the way.

Good night, friends...Happy Easter.

xoxo,
Miss Oh!

life.

Every once in a while I get to take a break from my every day life and leave for a weekend....I am extremely blessed that I have friends in lots of different places so I will often travel and feel like I'm going home. This weekend is one of those weekends....one of my favorite people had a birthday last week and, in the spirit of friendship and birthdays, I came for the weekend to celebrate. She and her husband (who was working during these photos) just purchased a new home and she took me through it with their beautiful little boy. The following are a collection of my most favorite moments today. I wish you knew how much I love these photos but I hope you see and feel the same things I did. 

life.

crazy beautiful life. 

First ice cube at the new house ^^^^

.Three Years.

"Successful people are those who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at them" - Brinkley

I read that quote last night as I opened a wedding to edit...I carefully began the process of choosing the best and most beautiful moments and quietly reflected on that very sentiment above. 

This blog, friends, is not an easy one to write. If I'm being completely honest, I'll tell you that I've been trampled on, plowed over, thrown under the bus and run over a few times, hurt, leveled, and disappointed in this business. 

That's the price that no one tells you about when you've invested your heart and soul into a business like this....that it comes with a cost. 

Speaking of prices, I also want to touch briefly on the fact that this business isn't as much of a "money-maker" as people think. If I had a dollar for the number of times that people tell me I must be "rolling in it" because of the amount of images they see posted or how booked I am then I wouldn't have to work at all. Truth is, digital photography has a price, too. I've invested in cameras, multiple lenses, photo editing software, flashes, liability insurance, newborn blankets, boxes, headbands, and various other props, chairs, business cards, custom print releases on quality paper, custom packaging, workshops to improve my skills, external hard drives to store your precious memories, and, by the end of the year, plan to add yet another camera and upgrade my computer. Let's also not forget that I pay taxes so 1/3 of everything that comes in goes right back to the government, regardless of expenses. My feeling is that if I'm going to make a business page on Facebook, I should be a business. 

So, no, digital photography isn't free. 

I have spent the last year truly reflecting on my place in this business. I have been knocked around and I've gotten back up. Some will tell you that if people attack you it means you're doing something right. Unfortunately, that doesn't make my heart feel any better. I have mostly taken every attack and done just what that quote says--used it to build this oh! so strong foundation. I won't lie, some still sting and others--well, they're just bullies. It's amazing, I thought I'd become an adult where we could talk about our feelings but it's true, bullies still exist and some people are still just plain mean. If there is one thing I wish I would have known when I started all of this three solid years ago today, it is that. 

Now, all of that is the ugly truth....but it is not the ONLY truth.

Here's the good stuff.

In the last three years, I have met the most beautiful people and they have left lasting impressions. I have traveled because of this business and I have found myself in the most beautiful places. I've discovered the things that make me happiest both professionally and personally and I have witnessed miracles. I have watched newborns grow and have witnessed their milestones. I've opened my heart wider and I've seen my dreams come to life. I've watched couples become parents and they've come back to me--again and again. The amount of support I've received both professionally and personally has been amazing. I've done some of the hard stuff too--last photos for families, final moments and memories...and there have been distinct defining moments that I'll never forget....one being my first baby that I saw from newborn to 1 year, some girls begging me to jump on the trampoline in their dresses, my first wedding, the wedding reception where the couple laughed more than they could be directed, my first photo booth, and-more recently-a hot pink photo booth.

If you ask me if all of the good stuff is worth all of the other hard stuff, this is what I would tell you everytime:

yes.

Not because it's easy....but because it's worth it. 

I have loved every solid minute with each person who has come in front of my lens...and some of those very people feel like family. There isn't a single thing in the world I would trade for that. I have played with your children, laughed with your family, and celebrated your life with you. I have given each of you a piece of myself that I won't get back and I am proud of that. 

I know who I am in this business....and I happen to love her.

So, today marks three years for this business. Three years of ups and downs and beautiful solid ground....three years of a foundation that won't be burdened or cracked by another because my foundation lies primarily on my heart. While it has been through so much, I know with more certainty than a lot of other things that it is resilient. 

If you ask me how I got here, I'll tell you simply that it is because of all of you. The fact that you choose me is remarkable. It still amazes me. 

from the bottom of my heart, thank you....for fueling my passion....for making me dig deeper....for believing  in this dream....and for loving this heart of mine.


cheers.

and, here it is, the family and the shot that started it all.....virginia style. 

Commodore's ball

I realized I never blogged this when I was going through 2012 folders this weekend. There is no time like the present so here's a bit of the fun I had at the Maritime Museum's Commodore's Ball. They had a beautiful Italian theme and both the food and guests were fantastic. 


Enjoy!