The day AriAnne and I met, I’ll never forget… we were standing in our church in the middle of a crowd of people, talking for the first time. She looked at me and said something to the effect of “I have this feeling we are going to be close.” I remember agreeing with her, as I felt the same feeling. Something in the pit of my stomach told me “this is the start of a lifelong journey.”  People say they fall in love at first sight, I like to think AriAnne and I were “besties” at first sight.

Through the last few years we have shared in many of the ups and downs in our lives… many laughs, many tears, but mostly laughs. She is stunningly beautiful from the inside out, lights up a room when she walks into, and can make me laugh until I cry with her witty humor. She loves God with all her heart and her little dog Oliver. However this past year God has brought a new love into her life… Spencer. He is everything she’s told me she wants in man. He treats her like a princess with kindness, warmth, and adoration. They are the perfect compliment to each other in every way.

Last month Spencer asked AriAnne to be his wife and I couldn’t be more thrilled for them. I jumped at the chance to do their engagement pictures and capture their sweet love for one another. I couldn’t be happier for my dearest friend that her Prince is here!

#1 My Time is Precious and Valuable

I have said it before and I will say it again: I am by nature a people pleaser. I am a classic middle child: I want everyone to be happy, to like me, and to keep the peace. I love to give and bless people, however after much giving at the start of my business I realized that my family was suffering and I was robbing them.  On average I spend about 15-18 hours per a session from the first email to the delivery of products. That’s  A LOT of time away from my precious babies and sweet hubby for one session. If you read my blog you know how much I adore my family and that they come first in my life. In order to protect that I only take a limited # of sessions each month and as some of you know often turn sessions down when I am at full capacity. This is also why you will rarely, if ever, see me run specials or give discounts.  I put a lot of time and attention into each client’s session and want them to walk away not only having beautiful images to cherish, but a wonderful experience that they will remember for years. The clients I want are those who value my photography, time, and talent. If you are looking for a cheap photographer to get “a few quick shots” I am definitely not your gal.  I value quality over quantity when it comes to serving my clients and believe that custom photography is an investment. You can read more about custom photography and all that goes into it here.

#2 Always Go With My Gut

I started off photographing what I thought clients wanted to see. I scoured blogs of other photographers trying to figure out just how they did something or how I could replicate their style. I figured if other people liked them,  I couldn’t go wrong. I realized over the past year that I was not being true to myself. I wasn’t creating images that made me happy, but rather striving to make others happy. Once I started “shooting for me” and taking pictures of what made my heart sing and processing in a way that made me feel all warm and fuzzy, I knew I had hit something. Since then, I have really developed “my style.” The clients I get now are hiring me based upon if they like my style. They know what they are going to get and most clients trust my judgment completely, which gives me the freedom to be me.  While I love to incorporate clients ideas and get creative with shoots, I am hesitant to shoot things that do not represent my work. Please don’t ever show up to a shoot with me wearing matching white t shirts and jeans or ever ask me to use selective color. While that’s cute and all , its just not my style .

#3 Get Personal
I absolutely love meeting new people. Most clients have quickly become not only a customers, but friends. I tend to think of myself as a warm person and work hard at making clients feel comfortable in front of them camera. I used to just let clients sort of do what they want in front of the lens, but then decided to take it to a more personal approach and often find myself coaching clients to achieve the look I want.  I am most known for adjusting clients hair without asking… I am working on that though *promise*. Right now I tend to ask right AFTER I fluff or move hair out of their lip gloss. Most don’t mind and in fact appreciate that I am looking out for those things. I love showing clients how to pose and making a fool of myself first so that they don’t feel uncomfortable loosening up in front of the lens. Oh and watching an episode of ANTM before our shoot, is a MUST for my senior girls .

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I have learned many other lessons and will perhaps have to write a part 2 to this post. On another note, I wanted to try out a new product and wanted to make them as gifts for a couple clients. I decided my latest engaged couples would be the perfect recipients. After all, they are getting married! Check out these calendars. Don’t be deceived by these pictures, they are huge in real life (12×18) and mounted on styrene. I hope the perfect addition their homes and their new life together and husband and wife. I loved them so much I will be adding them as gifts to one of my packages.