Today, I read an article that truly inspired and reminded me about how life's journey often goes faster than we would like it to. We are all so busy with the day-to-day experiences in life, that we forget or do not take the time to slow down and experience what really matters in life: family, friends, love, and our non-materialistic surroundings. Those things in life that upon our last breath, we flash back on. Those things after a loved one passes, that are cherished most. Too often, moments that stop us in our tracks, changing the world as we know it, are the only times we stop long enough to appreciate the life we have. Take a minute to go read this article, and come back to read why this resonates and intertwines so completely with my passion for photography.
Meet my little bundle of joy. He will be turning two next month. I cannot believe that just two years ago, he was a little (okay, rather large) bundle of joy who had not taken a breath on his own in this world. For the other parents out there, you know what I'm talking about when I say that the time goes by entirely too fast. Prior to this bundle, photography was a hobby. Something that, someday, I would improve upon and have this studio doing what I love: bringing joy to others through my passion.
On December 22, 2009, my healthy, 10 lb 7 oz baby boy was brought into this world, and there has not a moment more perfect before or since. I had a family to call my own, a wonderful other half to share every little moment with, I had everything. It's moments like the one above, that I treasure forever. Ones I look back on and feel the feelings of those first precious moments: excitement, curiosity, fear of the unknown, but most of all love. Just a few days later, we came home to have our holiday celebrations and start our new life. We got all dressed up, tried to get a last minute appointment with a local photography place at a time that aligned with everyone's schedule, and with excitement in our hearts discovered, and this is the part that haunts me the most: none were available.
The only place even open on the day and time we could all get together had walk-ins and appointments scheduled that put us nearly out the door. With a newborn, work schedules, a dedication ceremony to attend later in the day, and everything else that comes with the holiday season, we packed ourselves up and headed home--this time in disappointment. Even though we could not get our first precious Moments Kaptured by a professional, we came home and set up my camera (which, I might add, I shot with on AUTO with no knowledge whatsoever on how to actually manipulate any lighting, angles, flash, or anything manual that it is capable of) and took some shots.
Let me remind you, that this was shot in my basement, sitting on a small blue couch with a less-than-appealing background, and did not have anything fancy or breathtaking about it. It was a simple photo of the three of us together: a family.
With a little love and minimal knowledge of Photoshop, I later re-found this photo (that I always meant to do something with, much like we always mean to stop and take pictures when 'the time is right') and gave it a little better background and some text. It is not the best work I have ever done, in fact, I know it isn't. What matters is, it is my family. A moment in time that can never be taken away. A moment that we prioritized to get on record to cherish, despite all the barriers or obstacles that had to be overcome.
One that will never be forgotten.
The first few months of life as a new family is an adjustment. Being able to document those little moments in time when your little one picks his head up, smiles, giggles, crawls, stands, and take his first steps is a feeling entirely unique. Having those moments to reflect back upon, priceless.
Any parent can attest that just when you think that you cannot handle any more, you find out you can. In April of 2010, I was reminded of this and one other extremely important thing: the value of life and family. Unexpectedly, I went from living a normal everyday life of Spring-Cleaning and enjoying being a mother & family,
to getting a phone call telling me the one I loved most in this world was in the Intensive Care Unit at our local hospital. After the hardest week of my life, spending every moment possible in the hospital just to be near him, he passed away.
Friends, I share these photos with you to remind you that life is precious and to live life while you can. They are very personal to me, and have not been revealed (nor will they be) anywhere else. In those moments, life stopped dead in its tracks. Everyone whose life he touched, took time to come out and remember his life, his journey, and to be reminded to not take life for granted.
Luckily, he and I have a VERY good friend who is dear to both our hearts. This friend had deep discussions about life and those "what if's" talks we all try to avoid. This friend helped to remind us that life should be celebrated, and in honor of our loved one's wish, we did just that. In that moment, in all its sadness and pain, we rejoiced for the life that had been lived and that he brought us all together.
Time has passed, and we still take photos. The following year, we made sure to plan ahead (which was not exactly possible with a baby born so close to Christmas the previous year!), and took the time to get photos done professionally. But something was missing from the experience. It wasn't all that I wanted it to be. We showed up, dressed nicely, took a minimal amount of photos, then waited for them to be "edited" (10-15 minutes) for us to review. We got a sales pitch on the products that seemed outrageous to afford compared to the time spent on the photos. Nothing was unique or different about our photos. They could be exchanged and reused for every family that came through the door.
This is when I officially decided to focus my attention to photography. I wanted to be able to Kapture those Moments in time for others, and ensure that no one else has to go through the kind of disappointment that comes along with photo studios not being available. To provide an experience unique to what chain stores and other local photography places offer.
Unlike most photography places, I am an on-location photographer. Yes, this means that I do not have a studio (yet), but this also means I am available to come to your home or other desired location at a time convenient for you. This means that for those last desperate moments of trying to get photos done when everyone is available, I understand. Completely. This means that you and your children will be in an environment most comfortable for you where you will be relaxed and able to enjoy getting your photo taken. We all know how stressful it can be to get them done, so let me show you what I do to ease the process. You deserve to have great looking photos to cherish for a lifetime that, 50 years from now, you and your children can look back upon and smile, remembering that particular moment and what it meant to you.
"I'm 99 for a moment, dying for just another moment." -100 Years, Five for Fighting
Not all of us will be blessed to have such a long life, and the reality is that we never know when life as we know it, will be changed forever.
To this day, there is not a moment of regret or that I think "Oh, I wish we had waited until I got that baby weight off" or "I wish we would have waited until we could get them professionally done at a studio". The truth is, there is always something that is going to stand in the way of getting those photos done. Don't let those little excuses get in the way.
My motives are simply this: to provide you with images that you will cherish for a lifetime. My passion is driven not only by the experiences I have in life, but in the beliefs and values I cherish in living that life.
If you are interested in booking a session with me at Moments Kaptured, please visit my facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/MomentsKaptured or by scanning the code below with your smart phone. My email address is MomentsKaptured@yahoo.com and may also be found under the 'info' tab. Please take a minute to look around and see all the Moments Kaptured has to offer. I look forward to seeing and developing a relationship with you.
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There IS a perfect time... Now.
-Moments Kaptured Photography
