water-wha??? oh, yeah, riiiiiiiiight.

Yesterday I told you I'd post some early pics today. I lied. Instead of scouring through all of the albums I've created in the last 6 months, I spent hours creating a watermark. Seriously. You know that cool logo thingy that fancy photographers have on their photos so no one swipes them? Yes, folks. I decided to make myself official. I wasted the better part of my day trying to make something trendy and true to who I am. And because I know that you'll be anxious to see the fruits of my labor, I'm posting a picture of my tiniest little person sporting said watermark.

To be fair, you should know that I'm not the most techno-savvy individual and that's probably why it took me so long to finish. In fact, as self-sufficient as I pretend to be, I count on my man to update my itunes library and fix all my computer issues. I was a much more capable female before I got married. I'm willing to admit it, and own it. You should be too.

This brings me to my photography tip of the day. If you're not into snapping photos, don't stop reading. It's been my experience that Jesus teaches me things through my hobbies. This one sort of bleeds into everything. Wait for it.... 

It's ok to need somebody. 

Whew. That was almost painful to type because it goes against everything I've believed about myself for so long! In a society that says we are supposed to stand on our own, especially as women, it's tough to sort out the truth from the lies sometimes. I'm embracing the inevitable and asking for help with my photography- constructive criticism, mentorship, and plain ole' down home advice. I've been doing the same thing with life in general, trying to let people into my world, lean on them, trust them. It's not nearly as difficult as it sounds. It's actually sort of refreshing, that moment when you reconcile that it's ok not to be perfect and have everything figured out as long as you're moving in the right direction. And let's face it, it's so much more fun to travel in packs. 

If you're looking to put together your own snazzy watermark, I found this tutorial to be super helpful. I hope this finds you reaching out.

a budding photog.

I made a discovery this week. Well, maybe before giving you details on that, I should first give a back story. Several months ago we purchased a Nikon DSLR. I'd be lying if I said I aspired to do anything with it except take sweet pics of my quilts. Lame reason to buy a fancy camera?? Yup. But alas, I'm all about honesty. I follow all these blogs with quilts draped over fences or hanging on barns or nonchalantly positioned near a field of poppies. I love poppies.

So, my first real experience with this camera was when my Dad and my stepmom came to visit in December. I took loads of pictures of them on the farm. It's easy to take amazing pictures on an amazing farm. Then I put the camera away. I pulled it out every once in a while, snapping photos of my crazy cute kids doing what they do best- being rambunctious little boys. And then, I put the camera away, again.

I went to Texas in April for a two week visit. While I was there, something crazy happened. One of my photog friends made a comment to me, saying that she saw the pictures I'd been taking and they were "really good." I laughed. And then, my mind went crazy. Isn't it funny, how powerful words are?? Sweet Jennifer, she had no idea the can of worms she was opening for me with those kind words. Or maybe she did :)

I came home and immediately began obsessing about taking pictures of my kids. We held our first photo shoot on the farm in April. I've dabbled since then, taking every chance to take pics and every single willing model to let me "practice" on them. I now spend hours editing photos a few times a week and I live and breathe PROPS. Ugh. I think of everything as a photo op. It's really odd.

And this brings me to my discovery. I happened upon an article on a photography forum talking about "momtographers." Ha. I am a momtographer!! It's a bittersweet discovery, as this article was defending them, because of the ridiculous haters out there writing articles about how bad we are for the photography business. There was much ado about undercutting "real" photogs with cheap prices, and about inexperience, and about their lack of professionalism.

So. I have a new mission of sorts. I am a momtographer. I am proud of it. I am growing and learning and getting better with every photo that I take. I want to log this journey for every other mom out there that doesn't think she can learn something this late in the game. And... I'll probably throw in a few crafty projects too. This is how I roll folks. I learn by doing. I learn by making mistakes. And I never regret it!! Tomorrow I'll post a few of my early photos. And later this week I'll post some of my more recent stuff. I pray this inspires and encourages. That's why we do what we do, right? Peace out, y'all.