Feb
10
2014One of the downfalls of being a Greenville SC Photographer is that I’m rarely in images.
I’m so busy holding a camera and chasing my kids or posing newborn clients, that I never appear behind the lens. If I pass the camera over to my husband, I’m often unsatisfied with the result. Not so much because of how I look in the images, but because all I see are composition flaws. (It would have looked better from this angle. I sure wish this part was in focus.) This is totally not my husband’s fault 😉
Ever since assigning final projects to my Free Beginner Photography Class, I’ve had this idea brewing. I thought this idea would be my final project to do along with the class, but I ended up shooting a project in 3 days all about Beautiful Feet. But this initial idea just won’t let me go. And I will never complete it if I don’t have accountability.
So for 52 weeks (at least), I’m going to post here on Mondays with one Self Portrait of Motherhood. I’m keeping it all black and white because that is my first love and it’ll also give the project continuity. I’ll include a little snippet of the story behind the images so I can remember this time.
Let me warn you: I’m not going to pretty anything up. This will be my real life lived authentically. Raw emotion. Crazy piles of laundry. Kids climbing all over me. Dinner being burnt on the stove. Bouncing on the trampoline. Sneaking in the bathroom for just a moment of peace.
I want this to be a record for my children of who I am and the kind of crazy we lived together.
“Worn”
We took a weekend trip to visit family in Atlanta. My son hardly ate the whole trip. He was exhausted and flipped out at bedtime crying, “I want MY big bed. Go home!” The next day I photographed my new nephew. An unexpected trip to the ER by a family member, had us leaving later than planned. We stopped on the way home to search for owls in a location where there were two and found none. We did see a possum. Got home around 9pm with a car full of sleepy people. I remember now, why we have avoided traveling with the little ones for shorter trips. It was good, but it takes a lot out of you.
Jan
28
2014So as of this moment, this might be the only photography project I get to post. Amber has been there since the very beginning and I’m thrilled to show her off. But this is the last call for those of you following along silently or who have dropped off the grid for a season: if you followed along this year and would like me to feature your final project, then shoot me an email with your project and I’ll be happy to do it!
So let me remind you where Amber was when we started this photography course. This is the very first image she uploaded to our group.
Amber’s final project was just to capture her daily mundane. I think your jaw is going to drop at the comparison from the image above and this first image in her project. I’m so excited about how far she’s come!
I’m so proud of you, Amber, I can’t wait to see pictures of your big kids loving on your new little one very soon! 🙂
Jan
24
2014Operating a small business is work well loved but often hard and lonely with little support. So during my “big” birthday month, I’m going to be sharing with you some wonderful businesses and each of them will be giving away one thing to one lucky person. I’m sharing these small businesses because my heart is with the business owner struggling to make it, but really passionate about serving people. Any given day, I may fit that description. 😉 This month I’m offering a Newborn Special coupled with a chance to win free sessions. If you’re expecting a little one, read this post for details.
Here is a link to all of the giveaways I’m hosting this month.
And now let me tell you a little bit about today’s small business owner.
Carey C. Bailey of Cravings: Desiring God in the Midst of Motherhood
Carey is a mama, just like me. A mama familiar with exhaustion. Familiar with frustration. Familiar with sleepless nights. Familiar with that sense of “I thought there was more to this life. I feel like I’m missing it all.”
So she wrote a devotional. Unlike any devotional I’ve ever seen, it’s a set of flash cards. There’s scripture to point your heart God and a doable challenge to point you toward filling up on the fullness of God.
Here’s a little sample card on a subject I always need help with 😉
Carey is selling this wonderful resource for just $.99 right now. She’s using this resource to fly her to Uganda with Sole Hope. I mentioned Sole Hope and their shoes being the vehicle for the gospel on Tuesday, but here’s a bit more detail. Sole Hope is based out of Asheville, NC (right in my backyard!). They create shoes, t-shirts and bags which they sell to fund operations in Uganda. Children in poverty in Uganda are expecially susecptible to infestations of Jiggers: bugs the burrow into the soles of shoes-less feet and cause crippling pain. Sole Hope washes these feet, removes the jiggers, and provides children with shoes and the gospel. Here’s a little video showing you the plight of these children and the ways you can get involved.
All that to say, if you’re not a winner of this resource, please, hop on over to Carey’s site and purchase a copy. Children in Uganda are waiting for Carey to tell their story in a way that will change things for even more children affected by jiggers and hopelessness.
Contest Entry Instructions
10 of you will win copies.
This is the last of my Birthday Series of Giveaways. So hop on over to the full list of giveaways and then let me know in the comments which giveaway was your favorite.
Please make sure you leave your email in the little box so I’ll have a way to reach you if you win! And thanks for participating in these giveaways, it’s been so great to “meet” so many new and old faces in the comments!
Giveaway Closes January 31st and winners will be notified on February 3rd.
Jan
23
2014Operating a small business is work well loved but often hard and lonely with little support. So during my “big” birthday month, I’m going to be sharing with you some wonderful businesses and each of them will be giving away one thing to one lucky person. I’m sharing these small businesses because my heart is with the business owner struggling to make it, but really passionate about serving people. Any given day, I may fit that description. 😉 This month I’m offering a Newborn Special coupled with a chance to win free sessions. If you’re expecting a little one, read this post for details.
Here is a link to all of the giveaways I’m hosting this month.
And now let me tell you a little bit about today’s small business owner.
Lani of All this Crazy Grace
Lani makes me smile. Just thinking of her sitting in my car just minutes after I met right next to my potty training two year old using our “porta potty” in the drivers seat will always make me laugh. But really Lani is a beautiful woman. She blogs at All this Crazy Grace and my favorite post is a piece of encouragement called Don’t Take You for Granted.
Lani has six kids and homeschools up in freezing cold Canada and when you ask her how she finds time to blog and sew, she looks at you seriously and replies, “It’s how I keep my sanity.” I totally understand how a creative pursuit makes me a better mommy.
Lani makes these adorable dolls called Button Beauties. They’re whimsical representations of childhood and she can customize them to your child’s preferences. My girls love this one the best because she’s wearing blue (Aeralind’s favorite) and has on pointe shoes (Brownyn’s favorite).
Contest Entry Instructions
Leave a comment below telling me what your little girl would name her doll from Lani’s shop All this Crazy Grace.
Make sure to include a way to reach you if you win. Giveaway Closes on January 31st.
Winner will be chosen through a random number generator and notified on February 3rd.
