A Porch Swing in the Woods

For me this is where the story starts.  No, not with how a porch swing ended up in the mossy woods, although that's a good story to tell too.  This is the story of how I became a photographer.  I had always loved pictures--pictures of strangers in photo galleries, my own baby book, pictures of my kids, absolutely anybody's family pictures--I just loved the medium.  I told my friend Jenny once that I really wished I knew how to shoot manually because I always had this idea in my mind what a picture should look like, and it was so disappointing when the picture I snapped was a sad counterfeit of what I'd envisioned.  So Jenny found a photography class, signed us up, arranged childcare, helped me research what camera I would need, and the rest is history.  Like, history on the monumental scale--you know, Charlemagne, Gutenberg's printing press, the discovery of the quantum mechanical model, the advent of indoor plumbing, that sort of history.  It was that pivotal--at least for me.  Jenny and I had so much fun planning shoots for our kids and our friends, and it was always enlightening to see the differences in our angles and editing.  It was really being part of a creative team, and I was lucky to have one of the most talented, creative, supportive, go-getters out there as my team mate.  It's no surprise that Jenny decided to pack her three kids in the car and head out on a thirteen hour road trip to come help me out as I'm facing a challenging season.  It's also no surprise that the top item on her list of fun things to do while in the area was--no not the beach, or the parks--it was a photo shoot.  We took pictures of each other, with our kids, as a surprise for our husbands. 

   Now don't be fooled, yes Jenny really is as lovely and as sweet as she appears in these pictures, but I'm not sure she ever actually reposes.  When we were discussing ideas for the shoot I mentioned that I had always wanted to hang a porch swing from a tree in the woods, and that it would be the perfect way to get small wriggly children (Ethan) to hold still.  Jenny agreed.  Where I had eventually determined that the porch swing was an inspired, but inpractical idea, Jenny saw no obstacles at all.  What? You don't have a porch swing? No problem; we'll make one.  So we did.  And it was worth it.

Studio B

I love how my job lets me spend time with great people and observe how their families interact.  I had such a great time with the Beegen's--they made my handiwork look good!