My Pictures...er Photography...

I have, for years, taken pictures. I can remember as far back as 6th and 7th grade being the girl who brought the camera to school every year on the last day. I would take tons of pictures- to the point my friends were no longer smiling in them. I would make my mother drive me to our neighborhood Eckards drug store or Walmart to get them developed via one hour.
I would seriously thumb through what had to of been maybe 100 pictures every year and choose the best and either make a collage or slip them into whatever flip book I begged her to buy me. Strangely, I never took up scrap booking. ((shrug))
In high-school, my senior year, I took a photography class. I learned about shutter speeds, f stops and all kinds of stuff. I borrow my mothers old school manual 35mm Nikon. I learned to develop my own pictures in a dark room . It was awesome and I STILL love looking at the book from that year. As matter of fact, my mother STILL has the framed black and white picture of our cat that I took! LOL
6+ years ago I received a Sony Cyber-shot camera as a Christmas gift. It was my first *real* digital camera..4.1 mega pixles people. HOT HOT HOT ;-)

Pictures, tons of pictures..on a memory card that held 50 pictures... oh man...

Fast forward to 2o months ago, I saved up and got myself my Canon Rebel XSi ((insert chorus of angels here))
I love this camera with every inch of by being. It is my baby.

THIS is the VERY FIRST picture (swear to God) that I took with it. My newborn 5lb nephew Cohen. AKA "Favorite." My sister in law was so cool to let me come and just bombard this sweet tiny thing with my over zealous energy and my new camera. Imagine... 1st time aunt + new toy = well, look at his grumpy face!!!

As I came along, and continued to take pictures of this sweet boy (bless his heart) I got better. I and still learning and still finding the time to do little shoots. I am NO PRO, and I have days where I think I am capturing what I want and when I look, it is not AT ALL what what was wanting. I have blurrs, I have well, moments where I ask "What in the HELL were you doing!?!"

Then, I get a good one. I see all the things I have captured. Moments in my life that I look back on my computer and say "Oh, wow I forgot about that" I have more pictures of this little boy, than I do of anyone else I know. No lie...

As you can see, its gotten better. I am learning.

Hes now 18 months and a running, blabbing ball of energy. A far, long, cry from the pictures above...


I do photography for my clients during their births. I do maternity shoots... I am learning to do a lot. It challenges me. Though I never promise perfection, I promise them I will capture a moment (or two) that they may have forgotten. Hopefully moments of time that evoke emotion.

Moments you don't try so hard to remember.....

Moments you think you don't want to remember.......

The moments you beg to never forget.....

Snap shots of labor and birth moments are fuzzy and even distorted by the hormone bathed mind of mom and adrinline rushed brain of a father or partner....I truely hope, that ALL of my clients find somthing in their pictures, no matter how UNperfect the photo. That they have a memory that their minds may not have kept otherwise.

Doulas Supporting Teens

Doulas Supporting Teens - by Jessica Atkins

" Founded in 2003, Doulas Supporting Teens (DST)—a program of the Collective—was created to address the needs of pregnant and parenting teens in the Lane County area, with a focus on education and support throughout the first year of parenting."

This is a great article. Teen pregnancy, though not an illness, IS epidemic proportion here in the US. Most teen never intend on becoming pregnant, never intend on using welfare let alone be apart of the system. Child abuse cases of children abused by parents who are teens is on the rise. What can we do as a community to ensure we taking care of our pregnant and parenting teens in ways other than $$? 

Its starts in pregnancy! Teaching, growing and nurturing these girls into women who know their bodies, who they will be as a mother, to love and nurture thier babies and give them the skills do what they are being asked to do earlier than society intends...

Long time no talk!

Hello again!

I am guilty of starting something and not finishing it. Imagine that?!? Life has surely gotten in the way of my attempt at blogging and putting myself out there!

I still Doula and have undying passion for birth!

Over the last year and a half I have become an aunt to my three perfect, favorite littles! A niece and 2 nephews! I am super lucky to have sister-in-laws who put up with me and my addiction! I was able to witness 2 of the 3 births! The one I missed took place out of state and I sadly, I don't see them often, but see lot and lots of pictures!

Being an aunt is the bees knees!!

 

Of course, when I thought things could not get ANY better, I too, become a mother in November 2009! I now have 3 1/2 month old twin boys! It was almost a 10 year journey for me to become someones mother, but I am glad I stuck with it. Of course, my boys are super cute lady killers, super smart and can melt the heart of anyone! Don't get me started on daddy. Talk about LOVE! The man is beside himself in love withhis sons! I could not be prouder (is that a word?).

I have to say, they will nicely fit into the cousin trio that began the year before they were born! It will be interesting to sit around with my 3 brothers watching our children run around. ALL of which are a matter of months apart! YIKES! 5 kids all in the span of 14 months! WOW. We created a gang....

Through all of the crazy, I did manage to take a few clients and develop some wonderful relationships in Doula Land. I saw some awesome birth and I continue that momentum almost every month with someone new. I have had a bunch of memorable births to say the least!

Amy, for example. WOW. VBAC AFTER 2 c-sections!

She is now on the path to be a Doula herself!

I also met Katrina! Wonderful woman! Her husband was deployed for the birth of this little man and it was an emotional day for everyone. If I remeber correctly, he was on the phone as the baby was born!

We met up last week and at 7 months old, her boy is a ball of energy and wonder! He such a little lover too!

I could go on an on about the great births and great people I have come accross! I will eventually blog about them and you will hopefully see WHY I have the best job in the world!

I am also attending school to receive my RN! Its been a slow road, but I imagine I will finish very soon and make somthing of it! I say I am on the 15 year plan.... I still have that need and desire for midwifery! I know the door will be opened at the right time!

I have to say, in the world of birth and education, I am the luckiest girl alive to have such opportunity. Yes, opportunity provided by a mass of student loans with a dash of pell grant, but hey, we all have passions! We gotta get there by any means possible! All in the pursuit of happiness!

I will work hard to catch up here as its been a crazy ride!