It’s The Lifestyle

Recently, I have taken up ghost writing a couple different photographers blog’s. I have noticed a common theme within the structure of the photography some of my client’s produce, they all gravitate toward Lifestyle sessions.

A Lifestyle session is geared toward capturing moments more so than “posed images”. Personally, I find Lifestyle images to be thought provoking & deeper than a regular photo produced under a different setting. I have leaned toward a more natural feel with my own photography since the beginning of my journey. I can remember going into my first paid session not knowing a thing, just extremely proud of myself for putting my talent to the test & figuring it out as I went. Sure, I made mistakes along the way & I still do, its all a part of cultivating my own craft. I found through trial and error, that I didn’t like setting my clients up & saying “NOW CHEESE!” in a cheery voice. It was impersonal & cheap feeling to me & it left me unfulfilled at the end of sessions.

I realized that I like it best when I faded into the background & my clients just went about being themselves. I was able to capture images accurate to them individually instead of creating a fake moment for the gallery wall. This meant that I hardly took my eyes away from the camera but the outcomes have been so worth it. Real moments captured for a lifetime.

I don’t say all of this to sound like I am the best, but instead to show you how far I have come. I didn’t know what I wanted out of photography when I started, all I knew is that it called me. Now I know I am called to be a storyteller for others. I feel as if I just figured this out recently & since then I have dove headfirst into documenting my children & their daily life. So much growth comes from photographing someone you love. You take your time with them, there is no pressure & you’re free to document the love you have for them in many different lights. This has taught me techniques, allowed me longer editing hours & showed me that slowing down isn’t a bad thing.

Lifestyle is the chance to preserve real moments for family down the line. It is the chance to get a glimpse into the life of your client, to make a connection you didn’t know you needed. I am so thankful for clients who allow me to disappear into the background of their lives for an hour, to capture them in their best light. I have only just begun this photography journey & feel as if only recently I have truly discovered my “style” so to speak.

I know it will be tweaked, pulled apart, admired & even criticized. But what art isn’t? I look forward to hearing from those of you who are following my journey as I learn the ins & outs of what make my photography, mine.

Here’s to the Story’s I raise & the ones I tell.

To The Beginning of an Era

This past week I decided it was time to dedicate more time to teaching my children what “passion” meant. I thought about passion awhile, wondering what it meant in a generic term. Passion is defined as “a strong and barely controllable emotion”.

When I think of passion, a few things come to mind, my children, family & photography. As a mom, I pour out my passions into my children on a daily basis, encouraging them, teaching them & guiding them through the day to day life we share. There is no lack of time spent discovering what they like, though play & structured learning. But how often do I share MY passions with them? When do I sit down & show them what I find exciting & important to me. Photography is never far from my mind at any given time. My husband has even noted that theres nowhere he can take me where I am not assessing my surroundings, looking for the perfect backdrop or photo opportunity. Photography, in a nut shell, is my passion.

When I was able to pinpoint a passion I wanted to share with my children, I chose the organic route to teaching them. Hands on.

I took a deep breath & handed my 2 year old my beloved camera & favorite lens, then I sat back & watched what happened. He took a few minutes to push every button he could find & asked me “Me take a picture?” (I thought he’d never ask) I helped him set the settings and hold it steady, then I let go & pointed to the button. His little finger struggled to reach it & when it did, there was such joy on his face. “Like Mama!” he shouted.

He was able to snap his own “selfie” & was so proud of himself for taking his own picture. In just a few minutes of letting go & letting him explore my talent, I was able to give him a glimpse of what passion felt like.

Thus beginning his own photography journey, for however long he would like to explore it. Each week he will spend some time with my camera & take his own images that I will document here for you all. I can’t wait to see life from his perspective & learn what it is he has to teach me through the lens.

Here’s to the Story’s I raise & the ones I tell.

Dear New Mom

You dreamed of this season in life for as long as you can remember. You planned, prepared & willed yourself to think past the labor & delivery.

Then that moment arrived, you became a bonafide Mom.

You quickly realized motherhood was nothing like what the TV, books or your nosy neighbor and her “helpful” tips had prepared you for.  There is no guitar instrumental that flows through the nursery at 3am while you catch up on sleep. Hell, there’s no sleep. No one told you about the 435,789 times they wake, stir or cry during the night. And you sure weren’t aware you had to learn a second language in order to decipher what each cry meant when they cried it.

Do they stop crying? You’re not sure at this point & social media is no help at all when the friends with no kids tell you things like “maybe there’s something you’re not doing?” You’ve done it all. In fact you’re one squeak away from calling the Pope & having your home cleansed of whatever spirit is currently inhabiting your child. You’re convinced you weren’t cut out for this & start to second guess your ability to somehow instinctually know how to care for this little life.

The help you thought you’d have isn’t what you need it to be. Why don’t they know that you don’t want advice? You just need someone to listen to you & this baby cry on the floor together. You need a drink but nursing has limited you to a strict diet of water & crackers. Heaven forbid you eat anything that gives the baby gas, you paid for that mistake a few times already. You’re tired, hungry & emotionally exhausted as you look out into the world and realize it’s still turning.

You find yourself jealous of the old you, the one who could go out on a whim without a second thought. You feel like your life is over & freedom is gone.

Then one day you wake up to hear the baby crying & just like nothing, you know what they need. The cry-time is the shortest it’s ever been & by now you’ve figured out how to take the baby places & make it look effortless. You can see the light at the end of tunnel when that baby looks up at you & shares a secret with you, just by looking in your eyes. The secret?

You’re killing this mom thing. You are absolutely nailing parenthood, rising above all your post-natal hormones, lack of sleep & mental exhaustion. You may have had to hold your breath to get here but you did it. You pushed through the unknown & have come out the other side slightly seasoned in parenting. Sure, you’ve got obstacles ahead you can’t even fathom but you tell yourself, “If I made it this far, I can do the rest.” And you will. You will push through the tough moments because that baby who threw you for a loop, is so unbelievably worth everything you’ve been through.

You’ve realized freedom isn’t gone but slightly altered. Freedom comes to you now in the choices you make for your child. Freedom is now the relentless giggles that your baby gets over the weirdest things. Freedom is watching that baby grow to learn what a good choice is vs a bad one. You’ve never felt so free.

Suddenly, you figure out what the moms before yomeant when they said “I wouldn’t trade motherhood for the world.” You’ve earned a place beside them at the end of an exhausting day when the minute they hit the pillow, you realize you miss them.

You’re taking this parenting thing day by day & that’s all your child asks of you.

You’ve got this.

Boudoir Maternity

This gorgeous Mama-to-be brought such a classic elegance to her session. She radiated beauty inside & out, making her photos turn out truly one of a kind.

I was able to use our new master bedroom for this session & I am pleasantly surprised with how well it photographed. I look forward to trying out different styles in this well lit area!

You can find me on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Enjoy this Boudoir Maternity Session!

Being Intentional

For as long as I can remember, I have been a dreamer.

Coming up with goals has never been a weakness for me & the next great idea is always waiting right around the corner. Following through with my elaborate dreams however, has proven to be quite a different story.

It wasn’t long ago that I fell head over heels in love with photography & began my journey towards learning what capturing a story really entailed. I still remember my first session & the feeling I had walking away from it, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I knew I had to make something beautiful out of this newfound love & here I am taking on clients all the while raising my young ones follow their own dreams.

As a mom (and a fairly new one at that) I noticed a common theme right off the bat, a mother will sacrifice anything to raise her children, including her dreams. Although sacrifice is sometimes necessary in bringing your little ones up, sacrificing a dream doesn’t have to be. I believe by being intentional in chasing my dream of becoming a successful photographer, I am in turn teaching my children their dreams are valid & deserve a shot. With that said, even if I don’t reach “success” by the world’s standards, I have taught my children something valuable & that is worth more than any career.

So I journey on in this Storytelling adventure & remain intentional in what I say I will do.

Here’s to the Story’s I raise & the ones I tell.

-Kandice Story