World Photo Day

Happy World Photo Day, everyone! I am slightly ashamed to admit that I forget this day is coming every year until someone reminds me. I almost feel like I'm supposed to be outside, whirling around on a hilltop, a giant smile on my face, the sun shining, camera in hand, celebrating this day by shooting all manner of fun things and beautiful sights. The reality is, though, that I'm sitting at my desk, editing the past few weeks' worth of sessions and prepping stuff for clients, and getting ready for a sunrise engagement session I have at the beach tomorrow morning. (Which means I'll need to go to bed early tonight...let's not hold our collective breaths on that one, though. I'll probably still stay up late like a moron even though I know better. Ha.)

Photography has given me innumerable blessings in my silly little life. The opportunities, the adventures, and most importantly, so so many of the people in my world are a part of my existence because of my job. So many amazing, funny, awesome, wonderful things that I have in my life are there simply because, way back in the day when I was a little kid, I thought to pick up a camera and start tinkering around with it. I fell in love with photography and taking pictures at a very early age and I've been lucky enough to turn it into a career. I try to never lose sight of this fact.

So I suppose I'm still celebrating World Photo Day in my own way, even though I'm not outside shooting right at the moment; I'm celebrating the fact that on this, a day where we all rejoice in the art of photography, that I'm lucky enough to say that I AM a photographer, professional and full time. This is my only job and I love it every damn day. There are many people who are aspiring photographers who would love to be able to do this professionally and many others who do it part time but would love to make it full time, but that's incredibly difficult to do, so I know I'm lucky. It's exciting and scary and challenging and exhilarating, but I love it. Photography has given me so much and I am eternally grateful for every single moment I'm behind a camera. And to the people in my life who are here because of photography and to the family, friends, and clients who always support me, cheer me on, help me out, jump in front of my camera when I have some crazy idea, and give me motivation? Well, I'm pretty darn grateful for you guys, too.

“When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.”
~Alfred Eisenstaedt~