What I wanted to be growing up ~ West Georgia Photographer

So I just turned another year older…age is my excuse for not having a proper post about Georgie turning 2. That and school has just turned the world upside down…

There’s also a new Oomph website in the works. It’s agonizing going through my work. I hate everything one day and then I love it the next. Okay. Some I just continue hating, because I see what I did wrong or how I could have done better. This is especially true when I look at how I photograph now versus two years ago.

That’s right. I have only been photographing for two years. I snapped pictures willy nilly for most of my life, but I never really thought about it before. I now agonize over it. Every detail. How light falls. I mentally take a image almost constantly. I have almost quit taking snapshots, purely because I am too much of a perfectionist. I’m trying to remember that sometimes an image is just an image. I don’t know if I can go back.

I dream about photographing and editing constantly. And I like it. I love having days and nights filled with it. When I say this is my passion, I really should say obsession. I am constantly pushing myself to try and make it sharper or softer or catch the light so it illuminates this aspect or hides that flaw. And I continue to find the limits of my knowledge. I feel old. I feel I missed out on all those year up to age 30 when I could have learned all of this more quickly because I didn’t have children and my brain waves were younger.

But here I am. Nothing like my younger self thought it would be.

Initially, I wanted to be a dancer. I love dancing, but I knew I wasn’t ever going to be over 5′4″ (I thought you had to be 5′8″) and we could never afford lessons…

And then there was my bid for the Presidency…yeah, I’m not really much for public speaking and I can’t lie to save my life, but I definitely have some opinions…

Maybe a writer…well, my spelling issues nixed that for me and if you have hung around this blog for long enough, you can see the other reason…

An architect? Well…Adore houses, but I can’t draw a straight line and my math skills are atrocious…

A trumpet player…Now, I love playing trumpet. One of the best days of my life was when I was paid to do it. I knew then that no matter what I did, my “career” would be doing something I loved and was passionate about. Getting paid to do what you love is like eating candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner and never gaining weight or cavities. But I’m not a very good trumpet player. I can’t triple tongue and I just could never really get my head around practicing by myself.

A conductor…This was after I discovered my playing limitations. I did the drum major thing and I think that cured me of ever wanting to be in charge of a group of people who thought they knew more than me and could do it twice as well. Which actually was great lessons for parenting. That and the voice. You know what I mean if you’ve heard it pop out when the herd has gone astray. Comes in handy for large groups of people…

A librarian…My second passion in life is books. I love the way they smell, the weight of them, how they feel, their typeset…and then they entertain and teach you. I could go broke, and nearly have, with buying books. When I am really into a book, I can’t see straight. It’s the end all be all in my universe. My kids are catching the fever, too. But being a librarian is a whole lotta school. More than I think I can do, given age and financial circumstances. You need a good book recommendation, though, just ask…

A comic shop owner…well, that may still come to pass…

And here we are. Granted there were a few other paths I’ve looked down; Philosophy, Theology, Research Assistant, Massage Therapist. But this is what works. And I’m insanely happy. Stressed. Yes. Anxious. Yes. Deliriously content. I’m there.

This would be where I should post a picture of myself…just ain’t happening. That whole perfectionist thing. I’m still very outwardly a work in progress. So here’s another…just because she said I needed to blog.

So there…

Twitter me (revel in the minute to minute),

Flickr me (there’s always more pictures there),

Facebook Fan me (validation rocks)….

Happy (early) Birthday, Miss Eden ~ Children’s Photography of West Georgia

This ridiculous back and forth weather is going to make me nuts!. Luckily, we had already planned on taking some inside pictures of Eden…and her family. A sweet little girl who knows her mind. And she definitely liked the beautiful cake her mom made her. And to the pictures we go…

Another session to finish when warmer weather returns. I hope it makes up it’s mind soon!

I will be in TN all this next week during the kids Spring Break. I promised them I would be theirs for the week, so no computer. It’s going to be a wonderful visit.

Happy Birthday, Miss Haha! ~ West Georgia Children’s Photography

Today Miss Haha turns 3. Wow. Just makes me feel a little older.

Hollis. My deliciously evil little girl. The child I worry about the least, because I know she can handle a lot more than other people. And because she’s spoiled by the other kids. This tiny little girl carries spirit and will beyond her size. Contrary. Yes. Very contrary. But I tend to think that will lessen with age. She started talking at 9 months, and quickly surpassed Ash. She understands what makes the world go ’round.

In lots of ways, she reminds me of my sister, Corine. Maybe it’s the short spotlight because of an unexpected sibling. Maybe the charisma that just radiates. Maybe it’s the fact I have faith neither one of them will put up with other people trying to push them down.

This was her “don’t mess with me” face.

She would do this all the time for kicks. I plan on showing it to all her boyfriends. Yet, again, reminds my of my sister and her pudding faces.

Happy Birthday, Holli! Dharma made me a parent. Ash taught me patience. You made me learn to relax and enjoy it. I love you.

Ash Retrospective

Today my bub turns five. It’s been a whirlwind.

Ash. Before Ash was born, he found a particular nerve to lay on that made it fill like being stabbed in the gut. None of the other children found it. That is one of the reasons we decided to evict him early. He was due on Leap Day.  Just shy of two weeks early, he was the biggest of all the babies. These big hands and feet that make me think of puppies. His first week home was fairly eventful. Dharma, who had just had her tonsils and adenoids out and tubes put in her ears, was viciously sick. I remember putting 5 yr. old Dharma to bed in with a bowl and a diaper. We were in the emergency room three times that week. That pretty much set the tone of his first year, and for that, I will always be sorry. I have pictures of him smiling, but I remember lots of crying, from all of us. It was night and day after he learned to walk, which was sideways, like a crab. Come to think of it, he dragged one leg while crawling, too. Now, when I think of Ash, all I see are smiles, mischief, and laughter. He loves to laugh. And he is still huge, at least for our family. I’ve always said, if you put Holli’s personality in Ash’s body, the world would be doomed. God knew what he was doing.

To sum up my ramble, happy fifth birthday, Ash. My driving companion. My yard work helper. My smile. You make my day brighter and remind me how much fun I should be having.

Love, Mom

**Yes. It took me awhile to not only afford a decent camera, but learn vaguely what I was doing with it. It’s an endless journey and I love every step**