Truth: I am exhausted. Running entirely on toddler high fives and iced lattes and sheer adrenaline – the high that comes with creative exertion. I used to be one of those people who fell asleep within ninety seconds of my head hitting the pillow. Then, within the course of a dizzyingly short time span, I became a business owner in a creative industry, and the mama of a precious and precocious little boy. And all of a sudden, I find myself lying awake at night – not for lack of fatigue – but because my mind is on overdrive. All. the. time. Goals and to-do lists swirl around in my subconscious as I try desperately to coax my mind into dreamland: how do I grow the wedding side of my business? How do I market myself effectively to my ideal clients? How do I keep up in this field of round-the-clock creatives if I’m only able to work when my son is sleeping (i.e., next-to-never)?
Tag: maryland lifestyle photographer
ANY DAY NOW…
I remember what it felt like, those last few days before baby arrived. Full of joyful anticipation for what was to come, offset by a bit of nostalgia for the last precious moments of our familiar life together as two. It occurs to me now, as I look through these images of another family in waiting, that the days leading up to number two must be infinitely more emotional. Sure, you’ve done it before, you have all the tools — but your first child is your world. Fills you, undeniably and beautifully, to the very brim. So how do you learn to share your love / energy / time / patience? To not feel guilty for bringing a new all-consuming love into the picture?
GOOD-ENOUGH-TO-EAT BABY
Okay, listen. I’ll admit it: I’ve been known to use the word delicious on more than one occasion when describing a baby. Or yummy, or edible. Scrumptious, even. And I’ve nibbled on more than my fair share of baby thighs, especially now that I have a pair crawling around my own home. Given how much I love eating good food, one should really consider it a compliment of the highest order if I comment on the delectable quality of your baby’s rolls. Besides, can’t you see how it might be easy to develop a bit of a baby addiction problem when you’re photographing these soft, squishy, beautiful little creatures day in and day out?
brody and his bubbles
This. This is why I love my job. Because even though I guide my clients toward beautifully lit areas, and suggest ways they can better position themselves in front of my camera, there’s no staging or faking the joy and connection that’s captured once my shutter clicks. And it’s in every darling moment I shared with this blue eyed family of three.
Brody is a grinning, giggling, mop of curls two-year-old with the most contagious enthusiasm for the world. Rebecca and Jason, his adoring parents, won the lottery of toddler cuteness, that’s for sure, and we squeezed out every ounce of it that we could in the setting spring sun. Even in his quieter moments, he engaged fully with those piercing blue eyes, rendering some of the sweetest photographs that I know his family will cherish.
