I have the best clients.  Ever.  Thank you, Carla, for your thoughtfulness in sending me a beautiful (and yummy) bouquet from Edible Arrangements last week.  It really made my day!!!

Wow.  I can’t believe it’s been 8 years.  8 years since Lumuli and I took that step of faith to become husband and wife.  I remember the day very well.  I remember getting so excited that the man that I  had spent the last 5 years away from was now going to be my husband.  I am still excited about him.  Even after 8 years.  Love you, Baby.

Man.  Before I left for this evening’s event, I heard these sweet words from my boy, “I need some lovin’”.  That’s what my kids say when they need a little attention and it warms my heart every time.

He climbed up on my lap and I lightly tickled his back (that’s his favorite).  Then, he reached up with his arms, wrapped them around my neck, curled his long legs onto my lap and placed his head on my chest.  It reminded me of those days just a few years ago, when he was in the NICU, working on staying alive.  I remember spending hours upon hours with him sitting in that hospital chair in Kangaroo Care.  I would hold him the entire time I was at the hospital, never wanting to let him go.  I  waited to see his stats go up.  It was amazing to witness how he would get “better” while he was laying on my chest.  He still does that.  He gets better laying next to me.  You know what’s pretty awesome?  I get better too.  Today was a difficult day.  But holding my baby boy made it okay.

I have fallen in love with this production.  They are Creative Live.  I first got hooked a few weeks ago, when Zach and Jody Gray were hosting a three-day workshop on Wedding Photography.  They are such a great couple with such great personalities, I knew I would love them!  So – I watched…and I watched…and I watched.  I ended up buying the weekend workshop and it was worth every penny!  This weekend, Sue Bryce, today’s modern Glamour Photographer, based out of Australia, graced us with her presence – she does such a great job making women feel absolutely gorgeous!!!  I am thoroughly enjoying the workshop, so Thank You Creative Live, for putting this on.

If you have not yet watched a Creative Live Episode, turn it on NOW!!!  You’ll love it!

What a beautiful year .  Blessed, blessed, blessed!!!  Thank you to all of my wonderful clients who helped make this year happen.  I wouldn’t be here without you!!!

Click HERE to see 2011 in review!

click thepicture below to go directly to the Facebook link:

This is a photograph of my dear 70-200mm, 2.8L Canon Lens.  I love this lens.  It has served me well.  I’ve even dropped it and it still worked beautifully!  However, this last damage was irreversible.  A sad goodbye to my  beautiful lens.

The story:  I was boarding a plane from Boise to Seattle.  I was flying on standby, so I was the last person on the flight.  My seat was the very first seat on the plane (no seat in front of me for me to slide my camera bag under).  Because it was a regional flight, there was limited storage in the overhead bins.  The flight attendant asked me to gate check the bag.  I hesitantly handed over my bag as I sheepishly mentioned that the bag was EXTREMELY fragile.  She took it away and I knew that was a bad idea.  I arrived to Tucson, AZ for After Dark, EDU and opened up my bag.  THere it was.  The demise of my lens.  My camera had the same fate.  My lens actually broke OFF of my camera.  Sadness.

The outcome:  Fortunately, I have insurance through Kevin Pfleger at Farmer’s (208) 861-1665 and I was well taken care of.  I was able to replace my camera and lens and get it shipped overnight for a small deductible.  HALLELUJAH!!!  I was so thankful when I realized how easy it was going to be to get my precious gear, my livelihood replaced.  I realize it’s a little dramatic, but it was a tough loss.  Photographs from a borrowed camera at After Dark, EDU to follow…

I always admired Steve Jobs.  Partly because I love his products, but partly because he and I share a similar ideology.  Since I’ve discovered my love for photography and business, I’ve been able to come to grips the absolute importance of what I choose as a Career Choice.  I remember Lumuli telling me that I was a completely different person since going from teaching to photography.  I’m happier, I’m more content, I’m not as stressed-out.  You’ll catch me saying, “This is what I was meant to do.”  Let me tell you – it’s weird going from practically a non-profit ministry, to a budding photography business.  It’s easy to look at Teaching and think, “Wow – rewarding.  What a good thing you’re doing for the world, etc.”  Photography is not necessarily such a cut-and-dry, difference-making career.  But, there have been so many times that I have been blessed to see where my photography has made a difference in someone’s life – where it has given me reward beyond measure.

One instant in particular was from a mom who called me about photographing her daughter’s senior pictures a few years ago.  Mom told me that her daughter’s dad had left her when she was three and after several years of therapy, she had never really recovered.  She went on to tell me that her daughter was incredibly insecure, really didn’t want to have her photographs taken and that she was kind of a cranky girl.  I’ll admit.  After this precursor, I was not looking forward to the session.  I was so afraid that no matter what gorgeous images I took of her, she would never see it that way.

Well, they ordered and a few weeks passed.  Mom called me out of the blue.  She told me, “I don’t know what you did, but my daughter has been a completely different girl since having her photographs taken by you.  I am not exaggerating when I say that your photographs were therapeutic.”  She went on to tell me that her daughter had gotten asked to prom that year.  She really wanted to wear her converse sneakers, but after she told her date, he said to her, “You wear your converse, I won’t be going with you.”  To which she said, “Fine.  I’ll go stag.”  And she did.  She would have never done that prior to our session.

Talk about rewarding.  Talk about humbling.  Talk about loving.my.job.

Steve loved his job.  Did you know that he salaried himself $1 per year since 1997?  Yes, I know the arguments: “he’s making a ton in stock,” “he’s still worth several billion”.  Well, yes, but you’re ignoring the point.  He didn’t have to take that salary.  He could have continued to pay himself the millions of dollars most CEOs make.  Money was not making him happier.  It was the job.  What he did for a living was fulfilling enough for him.

“Being the richest man in the cemetary doesn’t matter to me.  Going to bed at night, saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.” ~ Steve Jobs

Lumuli asked me one time, “What would you do with the photography business if we no longer needed the income?”.  I told him I would still be in photography, but I would take photographs for charity.  End of story.  It’s hard to imagine loving a job so much. But I do.

You make a difference in the world.  Whatever job you do, if you love it, you will be great.  Whether it’s being a stay-at-home mom, CEO of a company, or small-business owner, you matter.  Your life is worth doing what you love.  If you aren’t doing that now, find out what that is.  Make it happen.

I love trading .  I have traded stylists, construction workers, landscapers, magazines, wine, personal trainers, organizers, babysitters, sewers, decorators, Scentsy.  Pretty much anything that you can trade, I’ll entertain the option.  I think we could all use a trade now and then.

Right this second, I am looking for someone who will trade photographs for:
Lawn Care/Maintenance
Closet Organizers (like California Closets)
Advertising Space
Furniture (don’t laugh – I have a friend who traded a couch for photography from a small business owner’s furniture store!)

But don’t be shy!  Do you have something I might want?  Just ask – you never know!

I often get asked, “Why’d You Get Into Photography?”

I’ve always been an artist.  Most of my life, it was in performance.  I was a lead in all the musicals in High School, I was involved – HYPER-involved – with High School Choir.  I studied Music Education and graduated with that degree from Boise State University.  After Lumuli and I got married, I knew that I wouldn’t want to be away from my children as much as I would if I continued teaching.  Not only that, but making ends meet was proving to be very difficult on a teacher’s salary.  Especially since Lumuli was struggling to find work since moving to the states.

I decided to take up photography.  I’d always loved it.  I didn’t know how to use a camera, but I was bound and determined to learn.  For a little less than a year, I practiced using my camera.  I became pregnant with my son and was stuck on bedrest for 8 weeks. I learned more in that 8 weeks in front of my computer than I had the entire year before!  I knew then, that I was going to pursue this new career full-force as soon as possible after delivering my son.  My son was about 8 months old when I decided to go into the business.  I haven’t looked back since.  It has been such an enormous blessing to our family.  I have been privileged to provide for our family while my husband has attended school for the last five years.  I have also only had to be away from my children an average of 15 hours a week since they were born.  I edit, order, market and network around their sleep schedules.  Most of the time, you’ll see an email reply from me at around midnight and I usually don’t lay my head down on my pillow until about 2:00 a.m.  But I love it.  I have nothing to complain about.  I really, really love it.

This right here?  This is my motivation.  This is my inspiration.  This is my reason for the late nights and early mornings.  This is why I got into photography…

Photography by Yan Photography, Denver, CO