Saying Thanks: A Dream 20 Years in the Making

I’ve been thinking lately about what an amazing year this has been. And because this is the eve of my 30^th birthday, I’ve been thinking about the entire last decade … and feeling incredibly grateful/happy/blessed/humbled by the experience.  I’ve gotten a bachelors degree and a masters degree, bought a house, launched my career in health care, got married, had two children, and realized a lifelong (well, twenty-year) dream of becoming a professional photographer.

Looking back makes me realize that 1) I totally suck at relaxation, and 2) I’m unbelievably fortunate to live the life I do. Which brings me here, to you and this blog.

Since my 30^th birthday is also the anniversary of my 20-year love affair with photography, I’m feeling particularly reminiscent about the stops on my journey that led me to today …

10: Got my first camera, a 35mm Canon point-and-shoot. And fell in love, taking pictures of anything and everything. To this day, I have several albums just from middle school. I only WISH I was kidding!

16: Got my first SLR, began taking photography classes and joined my high school photography club (nerd alert!).

18-26:  Traveled all over and took pictures. Attended weddings and took pictures. Met babies and took pictures.

24: Last year of grad school, studying at Sweetwater’s in Ann Arbor. Saw a card for Myra Klarman Photography, checked out her website, and was blown away. I realized that professional “people” photography could happen anywhere, and that it could be colorful and authentic and lively – not the cheesy, formulaic (and unflattering!) stuff I had grown up with. I knew I was going to be a lifestyle photographer someday – but had no idea when.

27: Got my first DSLR, and obsessively photographed my new baby. I took some shots when hosting our parenting group one evening, and was asked by one of the parents to photograph her daughter. Opportunity was knocking, so I opened the door. Within a month or two, a couple other folks asked me to photograph their kids, and I started offering free sessions to friends and co-workers. And realized how much I still needed to learn!

28: Pregnant, with a rambunctious toddler, a day job, and a husband in school who also had a day job, I was maxed out. I stopped shooting and planned to resume the journey when our world settled down.

29: Baby #2 came, things settled, and we made plans to  (slowly) continue our TSP journey. Then Mark got laid off. Again, opportunity knocked.  Again, we opened the door. That was in February of this year, and it has been an incredible journey and learning opportunity. Humbling, inspiring, exhausting, exhilarating, and awesome. These nine months have absolutely flown by and exceeded our wildest expectations.

So, thank you. To our clients, for believing in us and trusting us … you really cannot imagine how humbled and honored we are that you choose us to document your memories. It fills us with gratitude every single day.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this 20-year journey, especially my parents, my aunt Carol Asher, and Walter and Sally-Ann Cooke – my first clients.  And of course Mark, without whom all this simply would not exist.

It’s been an amazing 2010, and I can’t wait to see where 2011 takes us. Thank you, again, for everything.

 

Snuggling with my girl, earlier this evening (taken with my 24mm at 1.8!)

 

 

 

 

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