In 2016, I was just a mom with a camera. I received a camera for Christmas and had all the intentions to do fun creative photo shoots of my own two daughters, Ember and Ashlynn. I had a good eye and knew if I had a better camera and some editing software that I could take our daughters' pictures as a creative hobby. I posted some of my work on Facebook, and caught the eye of a few friends who later asked if I would take their pictures too. Just doing a few favors, I didn't put much thought into starting a lucrative side gig. I just wanted to create.
A friend of a friend was having a casual wedding at the beach here in Holland and looking for an inexpensive photographer to capture the day. Our mutual friend asked if I would be interested, and, being brand new to doing paid work for anyone, I offered to do the wedding for free since I had never shot a wedding before and could benefit from the experience. I showed up, shot the wedding and posted a few teasers on my personal page.
Upon delivering the edited photos, the newly weds asked if they could give my name and contact information to those who had asked them about my work. From there I started building my portfolio from friends and family recommendations, shooting locally and having a lot of fun being creative, growing my talent and knowledge and meeting new people.
Fast forward four years, that same couple from 2016 contacted me again to do a family session in the fall of 2020. We met at Riley Trails, a local park with beautiful pines planted in neat rows, plenty of fresh green backdrop yet in late September and a popular place to photograph families. It was a fun reunion, as their blended family had grown, and I was happy to see them so happy after these years had gone by knowing I had captured their day one.
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