Mama Mondays: For the Love... {Austin Family Photographer}

Like any job or profession, every now and then, everyone needs a little nudge in the right direction... a little "atta girl or atta boy..." a little reinforcement that we're on the right path in life.  And I must say, this session with the O Family was that for me.

I am not doubting at all that this is where I am supposed to be in life, in profession, in motherhood... But sometimes all the running of a business and being "Jack of all (ALL!) trades" can wear me down a little bit and take away a little of my energy in the parts I love the most... shooting sessions, meeting new clients, working with repeat clients, and providing them with images they will cherish forever.  All of the logistics, income/expenses, pricing, trying to make a little bit of a living, receipts, taxes, accounting, etc... yep... that is hard stuff to keep up with.  But I wouldn't trade it for the world if it means I get to capture moments like this for people who are so excited to be living them.  That is "it" for me... For the love of photography and capturing those moments for my clients. 

When I shot the image below, I knew it would be great.  And when it came up on my computer screen afterwards, it was an "ah hah" moment.  This is why I do what I do.  This is who I long to capture sweet images for.  For mamas that love their babies.  That is what started Miles of Smiles Photography in the first place.  And that was my "atta girl" experience.  (Click here to read how it started.  I got "malled.")  

Katie received a gift certificate for a photo session at her baby shower before her sweet daughter was born.  And I have to say... what an incredibly thoughtful gift.  Katie was so excited for our session (for many months, she says!), and had things organized just perfectly... from the outfits (coordinating... but not too matchy - good job, Katie!) to the jewelry to the ideas she had for a few of the shots.  This session had it goin' on... from the sweet little family, to Caroline's sweet smile (and tiny little teeth!), to getting to use my Grandad's high chair (over 90 years old from when he was a baby!), to the pretty wildflowers in the background.  It was perfect.

There are some people you meet that you immediately click with in life, and Katie is one of those.  At one point, we were talking about being organized mamas, and I said, "Do you color coordinate your daily planner?"  She looked at me with a big grin and said, "Uh Huh!  And do you make to do lists... and sometimes do things not on the list - and then put them ON the list just so you can scratch them out?"  I smiled at her and said, "UH HUH!"  A connection was born.  :)  They were such a sweet little family to photograph.  Their love for each other and for their baby girl is so apparent and so kind.  And their sweet little Caroline... how precious is she?! 

For anyone who has started, maintained, and expanded their own business - while keeping up with your kiddos, spouse, and house - I salute you.  It is hard work.  But it is great work.  And I know my journey has really only just begun (Miles of Smiles Photography started in October 2010).  This is now my main job, as I no longer coordinate the group fitness program at the University of Texas.  So it's not only the job that fulfills my creative passions in life... but it also helps support my sweet little family.  For those of you reading... for my amazing clients... for those I may get to serve in the future - thank you for being on this amazing ride with me.  I am so incredibly grateful for where God has led it since 2010, and cannot wait to see where it goes in the future.

A Sweet Reminder

I feel like I am reminded daily about how quickly time passes since I became a mother. And photos like this are such a reminder of how tiny and fresh life is when it begins. (And how it is so perfectly placed into a mom and daddy's hands.)




I talked to this mama today, and she said it's been a month already since sweet baby "C" came into this world and we did this shoot. I cannot believe she's already a month old!




Just like I could not believe I was already converting my son's crib into a toddler bed over the weekend. It seems like not long ago, I had a nice round belly, Miles was doing kickboxing classes in there, and I was just putting that crib together.


Time flies. Just another reason to cherish every sweet moment...

Experience at the Mall

Several people have asked me what the "poor experience I had at the mall" was (click here). So I thought it might be worthy of a blog post, as it really explains how Miles of Smiles Photography began. Please know I am not trying to talk negatively about anyone... I am simply telling the story of my experience and what really jump started this area of my life that I am so grateful to be living.

Having a baby is filled with so many emotions. Incredible waves of happiness, some of fear and uncertainty, and others so full of love that words could never properly express. And of course, expenses rise quickly the second that baby is born (and even long before that day).

I wanted great photographs taken of Miles when he was tiny. Of him in my hands... of his tiny little feet sitting in my hands... of his little body all curled up and sleeping... of our family together. (Click here... like these that I took of sweet baby "A.") But we just couldn't afford to splurge and spend hundreds of dollars on them.

So what did I do? While on maternity leave, I set up many informal "photo shoots" on our couch and tiny little Miles was a trooper. And about four months after he was born, I had my dear friend Laura come over and snap some photos of our family together. I researched the shots that I really wanted, and she was able to get us some great shots. Nothing professional, as I just had a plain little camera, but certainly sweet and beautiful photographs that we were hoping for.

Finally, when Miles was about 9 months old, I decided it was time for us to splurge and get some official family photos taken. So we headed to the mall. (I realize that was not the most professional photography option around, as there are many photographers in Austin that do amazing work, but that was all we could afford.)

And we walked into an experience that I honestly hope that no one else ever experiences when they have long-awaited photos taken of their baby. The woman doing our photos had no idea how to position us or take the photos before Miles moved. (I had to take care of those things myself.) We would all be looking and smiling, and she would just hold the camera and wait.

And she had to stop half way through for a smoke break. (?!?!) When she came back, she took another 5-10 shots (some okay, some blinking, etc.) and said, "Okay, we're done... I've taken your 30 shots."

First of all, I had no idea we were being limited to 30 shots, as that was never mentioned. Secondly, half of the 30 shots she took involved one of us blinking, Miles being blurry because he was moving, or someone not even looking at the camera.

To say I was frustrated was an understatement. And then, I had to go and edit/crop the photos myself on the computer in the store. To put it plainly, I would have had better luck asking a friend to come to my house and take photos of our family. So we walked out, feeling very defeated, and having just spent nearly $200 on the sitting fees and the CD of images. (I wanted to have the CD / ownership of images so that I could edit them myself and develop them from there vs. ordering them through that store.) Of the 30 shots that were taken, only 5-10 of them were "keepers" at all. (I didn't know that until after we made the purchase.)

After sitting on my frustration for a few days, I realized that this situation was worthy of a note to the company. So I wrote a very friendly note (really, it was very friendly) and just mentioned my disappointment with the money we spent and the products we received.

They were sweet and had us come back and do a photo shoot with the store's manager. She did a great job with us, and the photos turned out okay. But they were just that... okay. And I once again had to edit them at the store's computer myself and then got the CD of images.

When I walked out that day, my dream and vision for Miles of Smiles Photography became very real to me. And ever since that day, I have worked very hard to create something that provides convenience, timeless photographs, high quality products, and exceptional customer service from start to finish for my clients. I promised myself that no one would leave my photo shoot feeling the way I did that day.

And after countless hours putting together and implementing a business plan, creating my own web site, investing in a great camera and lenses, educating myself on about a thousand things, and about a hundred other things that come along with starting a business, here we are. And I could not be more excited.

It is funny how God uses random situations to build beautiful things. And for that, I am incredibly grateful. The journey has been a lot of work, but every minute has been worth it, as I truly love capturing special moments and seeing and hearing my clients' reactions when they see exactly what we captured. I look forward to seeing where this road leads.