A little inspiration

Trying something a little different today so thanks in advance for being understanding. Last year I realized I wanted to enrich my blog with a more personalized experience. I’d like to encourage my readers to *want* to come and read and look forward to new postings. Well one aspect of that goal is more frequent posts! And I’m working on that. But I also wanted to share more of myself, what inspires me, who I am, and how much I whole-heartedly enjoy my job! I quickly signed up for the “Blogging Your Way” class when I saw it offered on the Decor8 blog. I am really enjoying the introspective weekly homework assignments Holly and Leslie have given us.

I’d like to share this past week’s assignment with you. Holly asked us to create an inspiration board that best defines our style and what we personally love. I quickly set out to take inspiring pieces from around my home that enliven me daily. I have these images, artifacts, colors, and textures in my studio and living space as they are things that make me happy and therefore inspire me creatively.

I love how it all looks together but I realize there’s a lot going on here. Let me focus on a few details:

• The image on the top left was pulled from a KC Weddings magazine. Photography credit goes to Lemon Lime Photography. I instantly fell in love with the way these images are displayed at the wedding. I want to incorporate this into my own family photos somehow. Lemon Lime did an amazing job capturing this distinctive detail of the day.

• The top right image incorporates a couple things. The vintage wooden type stamps showcase my love of design. And the small scrapbook off to the side is something I put together using images from my brother’s wedding. I purchased the kit from Karen Russel and unfortunately I don’t think she is selling them anymore. Please visit her blog though! I am floored by her amazing, intimate family photos. She allows the viewer a pass into her everyday life through her images and writings.  A blogger that writes from the heart. She makes me excited to become a mama myself someday. I’m left with ideas of how I want to photograph my own kids everyday lives and leave them a beautiful day to day “yearbook” of their childhood.

• Like that vintage camera in the middle row? My good friend Jamie recently took out some of the “guts” to it and converted it into a pencil holder for my desk. Brilliant! I often glance at it and wonder how it would be to use a camera like that instead of my digital one. How far photography has come is amazing to me. It’s something I definitely want to try this summer. What do you think Jamie? Are you game? Guess we’ll have to go antiquing again, darn.

• I bought that film proofer a year ago while antiquing with another friend of mine, Amanda. I’m going to use it to frame a favorite image in the new studio. I always enjoy finding new ways to display photos.

• Another image from the same wedding that Lemon Lime Photography captured. I love everything about it, the lighting, the wording, and most definitely the mood. Makes me want to plan my own wedding all over again to incorporate this unique and heartfelt touch. To all my 2010 brides, who wants to try something like this using wording that is different and unique to you?

• My favorite Beth Quinn necklace that my mother-in-law gave me as a Christmas gift. The saying is a mantra for me. At times when life gets hectic it’s also one I forget but the minute I put on this necklace I am reminded. It’s also the reason I do what I do. Photography allows you the one opportunity to go back and visit those “moments”.

• Some favorite images of my best friend and I together. These were taken in a photo booth at a wedding I was photographing and she was helping at. Ironically we have photo booth images from middle school too. This is us being us. It inspires me to capture that same unabashed silliness in my clients. No need for fancy, stiff, posed portraits. You want to remember the authentic smiles that graced your face everyday of your life. I feel it’s not only my job to capture them but to remind you that those are the images you’ll love most many years down the road. You being you . . .

Well I hope you enjoyed seeing what inspires and brings me to life. Maybe you gained a better understanding of who I am? I sure hope so.

Now I’d like to know . . . what inspires you?

Wordle

Wanna see the content of my blog in a slightly different way?

“Any man can be a father . . .

but it takes a special person to be a Dad.