i am so ready for spring that i can hardly even stand it .... this winter has been consumed with fatigue, flu for almost everyone in the house, colds, more fatigue, more snow days than i even want to think about .... oh, and a little more fatigue and congestion to top things off. it has been colder than i can ever remember a winter being .... there has been snow on the ground almost the entire winter. the ice storm was lots of fun. and, there has been lots of trying to catch-up on things before spring hits.
2010 was a complete whirlwind .............. the kids are getting busier every year. GMP had its best year, which i thank all of my client's for trusting in me to capture their family's memories. i have so many repeat clients that i am having the opportunity to watch grow, and watch their families grow and expand, that there is really no other word that i can think of to explain it but simple gratitude. i have taken some time this winter to slow down, try to get caught up on sleep and just things around the house in general. i have gotten my hard drive organized and gone thru tons and tons of photos. i have great clients, and they all feel the exact same way about their kids as i do ours. it's an infatuation of sorts ... it's the desire to freeze the moment because they know that tomorrow will be different, the kids will be older and wiser. their looks will change. it's having such a strong love for your kids that you want them to experience that love, and you always want them to remember how you felt towards them.
in a nutshell, i do get overwhelmed when i reflect on my work, and how much i enjoy it. i have also been going thru stacks and stacks and more stacks of personal photos i have taken since 2006. it's when i look thru these snapshots and full-blown sessions that i realize how much i enjoy being a mom. i get to remember how tiny the kids were .... just not long ago. i feel like i don't realize it day-to-day, or even year-to-year. but to look at a photo from just 2 years ago and note how different one of my kids looks .................. or to go thru the thousands of photos and remind myself that i was absolutely present for so much in their little lives, it's a good feeling. i think, especially as working parents, it's very easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind of trying to be a good parent and also get your work done, and then maybe take a minute for yourself, and sleep .... it's reassuring to look thru memories and to remember that you succeeded in this very important thing of being a parent. i highly encourage everyone to take LOTS of photos. it's so fun to look thru them and remember! i feel the same way about video. we just use our little point and shoot video clips, but to hear the kid's voices and how their voices have changed and their vocabulary has improved and their little mannerisms that are bound to be forgotten ... again, it's so fun to watch them and to show the kids how they have grown.
so, in the whirlwind of 2010, a few things stand out. i held my first Kid's Day fundraiser, and raised $2,000 for TATUM'S BAGS OF FUN. i will post photos later related to this event. i (successfully) did my first dog session, and really enjoyed it! i got to do another shoot for Gift of Life, and made a donation for their auction, which i am so happy to be associated with. i did several shoots for Little Skye Clothing, which was fun and different for me compared to the daily grind. i had the opportunity to shoot a good friend's wedding in MEXICO, which was just more fun than i can even explain, and was a photographer's fantasy land. i was also present and photographed a brand new baby girl being born into the world, which i have always held in my mind as the most miraculous thing that happens .... it was amazing! my son started preschool, and i have survived :) i married my best friend in june, and in july we will be expecting a little babe!!
alisha and i recently photographed the cutest newborn, and i must say it made me pretty excited about the changes that will pop up this summer :) i remember being a mom for the first time, and staring endlessly at my daughter. i was in awe with how perfect she was. i was amazed with her eyelashes, toes, wrinkles on her feet, her sweet lips. everything spoke to me. when i photograph a session, no matter what the age, i strive to photograph them the same way i do my own kids. i want to show parents something that will forever remind them how they felt about their kids.
so there you go with the whirlwind of 2010! it was crazy .... and no doubt 2011 will be even more so. soooooooooooo ....
Start thinking about your 2011 sessions now. I will be taking maternity leave from June - August. Please see available dates at the top of the blog (above). Come September, I will be booking sessions, but not as many as I normally book. Please start thinking about what month you are interested in, and send me a quick email so we can get you on the schedule. If you know you are interested in September or later, feel free to go ahead and contact me even though I don't have available dates online yet and we will secure a date. I will not be able to shoot as many sessions this summer and fall, but I do want to try my best to work with everyone.
My email : info@ginamillerphotography.com
Phone : 765.763.6769
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