Portrait Photography

So...I have always loved taking pictures of the people that I love...but when I am on a photo trip I tend to want less people in the pictures and focus on the landscape. There is something about putting my eye to the view finder and pushing that trigger that causes my endorphins to fly around like bees looking for pollen.

I have started loving portrait photography more and more..not just snapping some pictures...but posing as well. The interaction between the family...the way the sun hits their hair....the colors around them ....the attitude you can feel when they pose for me. Its all that same feeling again....that release of endorphins. Its amazing to capture that moment in time, to really catch "who" the family is. Not just a group of people staring at me smiling but capturing who they are. Life is GOOD

Are you doing what you were meant to do?

I think that everyone in this world was born to do something...make their mark on this world somehow. Some were meant to be doctors, scientists, teachers....each has its own value and contributation to the world. Everyone that knows me, knows that I LOVE taking pictures...its not just a hobby...it goes beyond that for me.
I had a good friend ask me once, "How do you feel when you are taking pictures and how did you know that was what you were meant to do?" I was not sure how to answer that at the time other than saying, "I just know." I have thought a lot about that question though over the years. How do you know? What does it feel like?
I think that I have finally figured out what that feeling is and how I know that I LOVE it so much!
Generally, as I go through everyday life, running errands, grocery shopping, watching movies, watching Gabriels sporting events....I see everything as a picture. I see the potential of everything that I see as a picture that I can take. Most people see a sunset and think, "Thats pretty." I see a sunset and think, "Where in the world did I leave my camera because that sun is going down fast." My eyes are like lenses....they see things differently than most people...and I LOVE it. To me, taking a picture is like capturing a moment in time and being able to remember it forever. Moments in life are often forgotten....but when you take a picture of that moment it is frozen in time, for generations to relive. How many of us have looked at old pictures of our Grandparents and wondered what they were doing and feeling at that time. It was their moment frozen in time.
Recently, Marcia and I went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival....I stood there, not taking pictures looking around at all the people...wondering what their stories were. Were they happy with what they do in life? Happy that they are married with kids? Single? Happy with their jobs or schooling? Can you tell this just by looking at someones face? As I glanced around the crowd I started realizing that in some ways you can tell. So much can be spoken without words...just by a facial expression...glance at the people they are with or the way that they speak to others. It made me start to wonder what I look like when I am taking pictures....do I look happy...can people tell that its not just a job, its a passion of mine.....

Soooooo....how do I know that it is what I am meant to do in life....well after so much thought....the answer was so simple....my soul is happier when I have a camera in my hand.