My children provide me many an oppurtunity to hone my craft as a photographer. Today I seized my moment the second I heard that basketball hitting the driveway, and grabbed my camera and snapped some shots of Asher. I was playing around with super high f-stops, flash, and no depth of field....totally out of my normal comfort zone. I think it is good to push yourself sometime, and I dont think Asher minded too much that I was following him around with my camera!

I developed them in a darkroom. It was quiet and I was alone and I would see the image slowly take shape as I sloshed the developing solution back and forth over the paper. Maybe a picture of one of my children at the dinner table.......or one of them just hanging out or engrossed in some activity. { click }Then I woud sit and just look at them.....captured on Ilford black and white paper, a moment in time of our life.

I love those pictures I took during those early days because I wasn't so caught up in what I was or wasn't doing right, or if it was "portrait-worthy", or if it was stunningly beautiful complete with catchlights in the eyes.......I was caught up in capturing real life....real moments.....real memories. I LOVED the pictures of my children sleeping....there was something so tangibly sweet about a sleeping child's sweet breath,  I knew I always wanted to remember it. { click }

Getting pretty good at anticipating just exactly when to snap the shot at just the right moment to capture a belly laugh or a mischievious smirk....{ click } those are always some of my favorites shots! They take me right back to that exact moment and always make me smile. 

But there is a time to capture the moment of the day when everyone is smiling and looking at he camera......right before Christmas Eve services, when everyone is dressed and expecting mom to get the camera out and take a picture. { click } That's life, too. And I do savor those moments captured. Those are moments born of ritual.....they must not be overlooked just because they are more formal.

So I say all this to say that for the last month, through the holidays and everyday life that I live with my family, I have made a concious effort to reconnect with WHY I love taking pictures. I started to remember how excited I would get when I would develop a print and see an actual moment captured, not just a pretty picture. I was reminded there is beauty in the everyday part of life......life {captured }. So I am spending more time on capturing my life's moments.

I want to remind myself to bring this sentiment to my upcoming 2012 client sessions. Yes, I will ALWAYS get the shot, the one that looks gorgeous up on the wall, the ones that fill canvas gallery wraps and hang over mantles, but I will continue to strive for authentic, real moments during each of my 2012 sessions. I know it sounds cliche, but I want to be reminded of where I started with this whole photography thing......and stay true to what I love about it. Life captured. Life is not scripted or static or perfect or posed. Life happens.......and you { click }.

I LOVE the "story of family" and browsing through my client list this past year, makes me happy that I was able to play a small part in telling YOUR family story.

Thank you to the many families that made up my 2011 year! YOU make my job so much fun and I appreciate each and every wonderful client that allowed me the privilege to capture your family's moment this past year! Here is to a happy new year with new memories, stories (and photos) to be made!

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