Branch & Light Scholarship Entry: This Season of Life

Hello!! Are you ready for my first ever self portraits??? This blog post is part of my entry for the Branches & Light photography workshop scholarship. It is all about where I am in life and my pursuit of a full-time photography business..... and part of the assignment was a series of self portraits! I thought I would spend five minutes taking 3 or 4 shots of...... well.... my face. Instead....... I spent over an hour and ended up taking like 300 pics. Huh?!? Haha.... turns out I left my one and only tripod in Dallas, TX at the last wedding venue I shot at! I spent most of my time balancing my camera on a ladder, a stool and the trunk of my car! Plus..... I ended up really enjoying my time with just me and my camera...... I learned a whole lot and am kinda proud of myself! :)Here is what I got..... along with little chunks of my heart about why I would LOVE to win a scholarship to the Branches & Light workshop!!

Hello...... this is me!

All along I knew wedding photography was it for me- once I had been exposed to it- it completely stole my heart! I shot my first wedding a year ago. However, deciding I loved wedding photography and actually doing it have been two very different things! The last couple years as I have pursued my dream have not been easy-but they have taught me things an easily successful business never would have-patience, joy, gratitude for the small victories and perseverance. I have learned to not be so anxious for where I am going that I don't enjoy where I am.

I have been following Caroline's photography for a while now and as soon as she announced a workshop I hurried to the website to read all about it! As I read the heart behind the workshop and the topics to be taught...... I started tearing up. One of the topics was fear. Fear. I think fear is something I've dealt with my whole life..... but I had no idea it would follow me into my business. Being creative..... and putting it on display for the world to see can be a scary thing..... but .......the fear that really gets to me and eats at me is the fear of failing..... of never having a successful business. I have such big dreams that fear at times makes them look impossible! It is so encouraging to know that I'm not the only photographer who has fears. I would really love to learn how to deal with my fears...... even turn them around to use in a positive way.

One of the other things I really loved when I read about the Branches & Light workshop was the time that will be spent teaching about business. I have so much to learn about both the creative side and the business side of photography...... but I feel like it is the business side that constantly has me bogged down with questions and confusion! I often feel like I am in some giant maze......every time I think I've figured something out..... I end up right back where I started! Uggh! I am quite the idea person..... but often struggle carrying out my ideas! I often feel the more weddings I shoot..... the more I walk toward a full-time business- the more questions I have!

Right now my husband and I are in a very transitional phase of our lives. A lot of things are changing. My husband is stepping away from something he has been a part of for over ten years...... and following where he feels God is leading. We move from Springdale, Arkansas to Houston, Texas in less than a month! Money is tight...... why is moving so expensive?? Speaking of moving...... in the last three years I have lived in three different states! While it has been a little frustrating constantly starting over in new cities..... my husband and I are really excited about this new phase in our lives! We have a lot of changes going on and our lives are quite hectic....... but I feel like this next move is the perfect opportunity for me to have a really fresh start in my business and do it right...... with lot's of help and advice from Caroline Joy and Nancy Ray- two amazing photographers who know how to run successful businesses.

There are so many more reasons I would love to come to the Branches & Light workshop...... but I will leave you with one final reason. Community, friendship, encouragement..... things my heart is really longing for. Being a photographer and owning your own business can often be a lonely thing. I feel that one of the most valuable things one can get from a workshop is a friend..... or lot's of friends. Perhaps a whole community of friends who have the same passions, desires and goals I do! A group of people that will encourage and push each other to do better things and to be better people! I have no doubt that those are the kinds of people Caroline and Nancy are...... and that they will attract people just like them to this workshop. I would absolutely LOVE to meet all the workshop attendees and spend a day or two sipping tea and sharing hearts with other photographers!

Thanks so much for taking the time to listen to me pour my heart out! I will leave you with one more set of self-portraits..... as you can see I had WAY to much fun!! :)