Put the Camera Down

I noticed that despite our trip to Ireland this past June, I did not pick up my camera much this summer. I followed some of my favorite photographers, photography groups, and pages reluctantly on Facebook, admiring the beautiful pictures and getting frustrated the same. I scoured through endless shots on Flickr, doing the same.

I doubted and questioned my skills and abilities. My main question was why do I keep doing this? Is it just to fulfill a void where writing creatively used to fill? Or was it more than that? Was I given this gift to showcase my world view?

Then my questions started to shift a bit because I was at a point where I wanted to define my creativity. I wanted to assert my photography into a specific category. I realize now, though, that I can't seem to do that just yet.

I reflected a bit the past week thinking about what I do love to take pictures of and what I look for, myself, in a good picture. I love taking pictures of other people in candid moments or babies who are so easy to work with...well, most of the time.

Miss Olivia at 6 months. 

I love taking pictures of animals, both pets and in the wild.

I think though, I love candid shots of my kiddo. The moments that make me think about a certain day we spent together and what was happening in that moment. Even when the lighting isn't perfect...

Or is freaking awesome. 

Or when she's letting me decorate her face with rocks and shells at the beach...

Or our finds on random bike rides around the neighborhood.

Or when she's patiently watching and waiting for our plane.

I also love macro...getting real close and personal with a subject so that you can see things you normally don't with your naked eye...

Tiny hearts in the center of a sunflower.

And tiny stars in the center of a sunflower.

I'm still trying to define my style, my creativity, my art. I am still trying to figure out where this journey is taking me, whether it is to open a business, sell my pictures ( I was told that a few times at the fair and at the image processing place), or just keep my hobby up. In the next few months, I am going to step outside the box and try something new, something different, by doing nightscapes with a mentor. I'm looking forward to being taught by someone other than the computer and e-books and in the field, no less! He's pretty exceptional at his art and you can find him here....Chris Williams Exploration Photography. I am debating on whether to go semi-professional in portraiture. I am debating on whether to join a photography club, as requested by several people who loved my 1st place win at the fair. 

I took first for this beauty, the Cedar Waxwing

Time will tell...it's weighing heavy on my mind lately. My folks joked that maybe, if I got my business up and running I could quit all my other crazy extra jobs and possibly even teaching eventually and just do what I love....

What I love....

To write.

To take pictures.

To be a mom.

To travel.

To  be a wife. 

To love...

To teach.