Welcome!!!!

Hello fabulous people!!!!  Welcome to my new blog!!!!  I am looking forward to sharing ideas on photography, life, and (inevitably) chocolate with you, but first I thought I should just take a few moments to tell you a little about myself and how all this began . . .

I suppose I should point out I am a Type A, cautious, planning type of person, so my journey is possibly a little atypical for a photographer, but that's the way it is, and I hope I'm not the only one out there, so maybe you can relate.  I have always LOVED photography!!!!  I remember my first camera . . . that cute little 110 film holding rectangle with the Cabbage Patch Kids on it!!!!  In fifth grade, we went on a school trip to Washington DC, and I went through a roll per day of film (which seemed crazy at the time since I usually bought the kind that had 36-48 shots per roll) . . . my other accomplishment that trip was to purchase something at every gift shop I saw!!!  At least my priorities were straight . . . capture memories, shop, and somewhere in there learn about history - hahahaha!!!  I purchased my first Canon SLR in college (35mm) and LOVED it!!!  That is when I first started caring about how I took a picture and not just taking it.

Skipping forward . . . Autumn of 2009 I started toying with the idea of doing photography for someone other than just me.  True to my overly-cautious self, I didn't even act on the thought until the end of December.  Then (of course) I broke out the lists and (more specifically) the spreadsheets!!!  I LOVE spreadsheets!!!  Seriously, on election night you can find me sitting in front of the television, chocolate in hand (the type of chocolate depends on the stress level; presidential elections usually call for a pint of Ben & Jerry's), keeping up with the numbers on a spreadsheet I have pre-prepared for the night.  Anyway, I finally decided to give it a whirl (and by whirl I mean an rather cautious spin). 

At the end of Feb 2010, I planned my first photo session with family.  I LOVED it!!!!  And they seemed to really have fun too (of course, if you have met my sister, you know she adores being photographed)!!!  I started a social media business page and offered my services for insanely cheap and prayed someone like me.  You have no idea how excited I was when people actually started e-mailing me to schedule photo sessions!!!  I definitely have funny (if not embarrassing) starting out stories, but I'll save those for later (I'm thinking I should be a paid photographer for more than a year before I'm willing to admit to those - hahahaha!).  

By early summer, I was confident enough to really dive in.  I started assisting and second shooting weddings with some of my favorite photographers in the area!!!  I just have to say, they were AMAZING!!!!  I am so blessed to have such wonderful photographer friends!!!  I took some of the money I had saved and invested it in better equipment and preparing for the 2011 wedding season (soooo excited about my brides)!!!  Then, October came around.  WOW!!!!  The love and support that people showed me in October and so far in November has been beyond overwhelming.  I am not sure I can properly explain it, but the feeling I get when someone contacts me and tells me that they love my photos and heard about me through a friend of a friend of a friend is like a fairytale!!!  I am still amazed that my friends and aquaintences want me to be the one to capture their moments on film, so the idea that someone I do not know at all likes what I do is just . . . WOW!!!!  And don't worry, I am not completely naive . . . I know I am still sometimes hired because I'm inexpensive (less than a year working), and I know I still have sooo much to learn in developing my style, but I am loving every minute of it!!!!  I am blessed beyond measure to have this opportunity!!!!

That is my journey thus far =)  And I was worried I would have nothing to say (whoops!!) . . . I suppose I am a little more verbose than I expected - hahahahaha!!!!  I'll try to keep it short(er) and pithy in the future ;-)  I hope you all have a fabulous fall!!!

Nicole