What dreams are made of | Charlotte NC

For those that have me added or liked on Facebook, you’ve seen some updates. The first is that I separated my boudoir from my wedding/lifestyle work. This move was made to respect my clients’ privacy a bit more as well as advertise boudoir more while respecting those that prefer not to view this portion of my work. The second announcement came a couple of days ago when I stated I will no longer be taking on just anything for sessions. Events, such as birthday parties, tournaments, school functions, etc., will be forwarded to other photographers that specialize in these things. I’m beginning the process of zoning in on weddings and boudoir, but I will always be happy to photograph lifestyle sessions filled with cute smooshy babies and families and seniors 🙂 As I said on my page, I feel a photographer needs to have passion for what they do. My passion is love – it’s what I want to capture!

And now for the biggest announcement yet…

One year ago, I vowed that I was breaking out of normal, and knew that 2014 would be MY year – so I spent 2013 working my butt off to prove myself and my work. I knew it’d be tough. I knew I’d have to make sacrifices. I knew it’d be worth it though. God worked in my life to allow everything to work out when needed. I was juggling a part time job with a company I loved, juggling working my business full time, and then juggling trying to have a personal life on the side. Want to know what happened? Burn out. I found myself doing nothing but working nonstop and still falling behind. I had let down friends and family, I’d let down my clients, and I was just so exhausted. I knew I needed a change…. and then change happened! I moved in with my second shooter in a beautiful upscale area, and then finally reached out for help. I was needing help figuring out how to do this on my own because clearly it wasn’t working out as well as I’d hoped. Trevor Dayley came to my rescue with excellent advice that helped me learn and figure out how to live and run a business. I was slowly catching up at this point, but as the fall season rolled around, things were picking up. This thought kept slowly creeping into my head that it was time. Time to quit my part time job. I kept pushing that thought back because I didn’t believe it or trust it was. I loved the people I worked with – they were like family to me. I had been with them for four years, learning about each one on a deeper level than just coworkers – knowing their families, being there through their struggles and successes, and just caring for each other. But Megan Kuethen said something that spoke to me and made me realize that yes, it was time. I can’t remember her exact words, but the realization she had was the same –  that I was made for this – for photography. This is my dream, my passion, and my life. By holding onto this other job, I was not only cheating myself but also someone else that was made for the job I wouldn’t let go of. I knew the time had finally come that this was it. I wrote out my notice, got a little teary eyed because it was pretty hard to decide on this, but I did it. My sweet sweet supervisor hugged me closely, and reminded me that what was said is true – that it was time, and it would all be okay. Am I excited for this change? Absolutely. Am I terrified? You bet.

The positive changes with this is that I will now have 100 hours more a month to spend dedicated to my craft. This means quicker turnaround rates, more attention to detail, and more time to snuggle with my puppy. I told you guys change was coming, and boy it certainly is! It’s go time.