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Category Archives: Get to know me

Boston Tea Party Exprience – Boston, MA – Travel Photographer / Homeschooler

Is it even possible to visit Boston without a trip to experience what it would have been like having participated in the Boston Tea Party? We certainly didn’t think so! Although pretty touristy, and not necessarily the cheapest thing in town, I and the kids would agree that this was one of the best and funnest things we did while in Boston. I really don’t want to give away too many details about what to expect because I think the surprise of it all is a big part of the fun. I will say it was pretty historically accurate (at least from what we have been learning) and all of us, adults and kids ages 6,4, and 1 enjoyed ourselves. You can check it out here: http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/museum

teaparty

Make Way for Ducklings – Boston, MA – Homeschooling the fun way

We love to read! What homeschooling family doesn’t? I personally like to teach using alot of fun literature and do a good mix of Five in a Row with my own variations and extra activities. One of the FIAR authors is Robert McCloskey and one of his books is Make Way for Ducklings. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re truly missing out! It is a sweet tale of a family of ducks who is searching for the perfect home to raise a family. They end up on an adventure through the city, finally finding a place of traquility in the midst of the crazy in the middle of the Boston Public Garden. The park itself is certainly a treat with monuments dedicated to revolutionary heros, walking paths, and the famous swan boats along the water. We didn’t have alot of time to do alot in the park, but I wanted to make sure we could go and see the little ducklings. The children enjoyed seeing one of their favorite storybooks brought to life (contrary to the looks on their faces – that’s just the PCS – Photographer’s Child Syndrome – kicking in).

Homeschooling the fun way in Boston, MA

An awfully big adventure!

storybook_session

Captain Hook and Peter Pan are not ones to back down from a good adventure, or a good playful taunt!  These boys had a lot of fun with their storybook session.  Have I mentioned how much I love creating fantasy?  Bringing kid’s imagination to life is one of the very best parts of my job!  Hook and Peter don’t usually cooperate as well as my two boys did, but they definitely had adventure on the brain.  They were having sword fights with wildflower stems and showing off their finest jousting showmanship.  Their “on guard”s and “gotcha!”s echoing in the breeze!  Even in Pennsylvania, Never Never Land is only a wish away.  Tinkerbell of course made an appearance here in the Poconos to jingle that reminder in Peter’s ear.  That feisty fairy doesn’t want to be forgotten!  Peter did seem to wonder who would be coming back with him to Never Land this time.  There are Indians and pirates to engage!  Forget Scranton, let’s head towards the second star to the right and straight on till morning.

“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned.  Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever in Never Never Land.” -Peter Pan

 

Edes Printing Press – Boston, MA – Travel Photography

We’ve been studying the American Revolution this year, the patriots, and all of the other important people and events that shaped our country’s rich history. I am so thankful we have the opportunity to live in the northeastern part of the U.S. even if it is only for a couple of years. We have so many wonderful cities, rich with historical landmarks just within a few hours drive from us. This summer we took a road trip up to Boston. We hit up many of the typical tourist spots but this was one of my favorites, and the kid’s as well. It was the Edes print shop and chocolate store. The coolest thing about this place was that we had actually been learning (thanks to a neat video game we found on Pinterest) about the Edes family print shop. I had no idea that there was still actually a place in existence so I was very excited to see it. Even cooler is the fact that they are still printing copies of the Declaration of Indepenence on their original printing press. The adjoining chocolate store/factory.. whatever it actually is called was also pretty neat as well. You can see how they took cocoa powder to make hot chocolate and even sample a taste. Surprising to the kids, it was not that sweet as sugar was ofcourse very expensive during the Revolution. I definitely recommend taking a tour of these two little historical gems when you visit Boston!
printingshop

A Time to Remember

Talking with moms over the years I have found that everyone has a “sweet spot” when it comes to their favorite age and stage of their children.  Of course we love them during all the stages, but there seems to be a magic time in our children’s lives when things just work.  It doesn’t necessarily mean that we have everything figured out during that stage or we can know exactly what they want, but things just mesh for a few days or weeks or if we are lucky, months.

I love the newborn stage.  If you have had the opportunity to care for a newborn, your thoughts might be wandering to the sleepless nights (and days), the gooey neon poop, and the cries of gassiness.  Yeah, honestly, I get overwhelmed with that, too.  But shifting my perspective a little bit gives room to soak in this precious time.  I am so thankful to have experienced the bond of being a nursing mother.  There have been few other experiences in my life that point to the perfect provision of God than carrying, giving birth, and nursing my children.  He truly equips mothers to sustain the life of their children.  I love the moments of peace and surrender when my babies just rest in my arms, content at the breast.  They are getting the nourishment they need for their bellies and their hearts, skin to skin with their mommy.  God’s design is beautiful.

Here is a peek at a mother’s day session I was able to capture this year.  This mom is so gorgeous.  It is an honor to see her love for her child.  The gaze they are sharing here is an example of the reason motherhood is so precious; that little face staring back at you as you pour out your love in caring for their needs.  This sweet shot was taken during a nursing session, and it just reminds me how lucky I am to give other moms the opportunity to remember these moments that so quickly pass on as their babies change and grow swiftly in their first year of life.

So enjoy, beautiful mommy.  Treasure your little one’s gaze and use this memory to nurture his heart with hope and unconditional love as he grows.

Nursing Mother

And I’m So Happy!

children's photography, joy, girl

The chirping birds and the green grass are not the only ones rejoicing over the sunshine of recent days!  Oh my sweet heart, this girl brings such joy to my life!  That smile.  That squished up little nose.  Those eyes that can barely be open because the laughter is just too much!  Does it get any more joyful, folks?  This is the joy of childhood.  The joy of warm sunshine.  The joy of giggles and silliness.  This is the joy of Jesus!  How amazing that he created the seasons and the budding flowers that come back to entice us to play year after year.  Oh, the grass is perking up, the daffodils have bloomed, the wasps are coming out (oh woops this is about joy…), the trees are growing leaves!  And I’m so happy, so very happy.  I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart!

The Long Winter

Pennsylvania is beautiful. If you’ve never been here, you should come for a visit. And although remote, the Poconos area is really a wonderful place for a vacation. We’ve loved the 6 months we’ve been here and although it has snowed much more than we’re normally used to, its so exciting to be able to get out in such a beautiful place for images that are so different from what we can produce at our North Carolina studio. There were many days in NC that I spent wishing for snow yet we’d get a handful every winter, with really more than a dusting. We’ve had about 15 inches or so this last week here.  It doesn’t look like it will be melting off anytime soon either. I suppose someone in the family should take advantage and learn to ski? 😉 I’m busy creating beautiful imagery with some beautiful clients so it definitely won’t be me. The only sad thing I will say about this winter, is  there are days its so cold that we can’t even go outside for a minute let alone an entire 30-60 for a complete session.  I suspect we’ll be shooting snow images in the spring when its a bit warmer, but who wants to wait until then? Not me! 😉 Thankfully I have willing darlings who are willing to get out there with me in the heart of winter to play fairytales.

 

Little Red Riding Hood - Children's Photographer

Into the Woods Goes Little Red Riding Hood

It’s taken some getting used to not having a studio to shoot in during the winter. I’ve learned that what I thought was cold is not really cold for one thing. Anything above 25 degrees or so in the Poconos of Pennsylvania is a moderate winter day. I guess since we’re literally on top of the mountain we get the brunt of the cold. Just a few miles south (to Stroudsberg) or north (to Scranton) I would have never even considered shooting outside in North Carolina if we were anywhere near freezing. Here is like its almost summer when we hit 32 and I feel like spending hours outside shooting! Its been a long winter already and although there are many things I love about mountain life, the endless cold (below zero) and inches of snow are already making me dream of being somewhere different. Granted, I do enjoy the images that can be created on a very snowy day. These types of pictures can’t be copied even in the best of studio environments, but decent days in the month of January are few and far between. Thankfully I have some resilient children and several neighbors who are more then willing to let me have their kiddos for a few moments to fulfill my creative desires. I hope to get more red riding hood images up here shortly, but for not I just have a few. After all we were out there about 5 minutes and all of us were nearly frozen to the core!

Red Riding Hood photos - poconos pennsylvania

The Photography Industry and why I needed a change – the Meg Bitton Photography workshop

I’ve been in a rut.  You ever felt that way? It’s hard. Once you’re in it, you don’t know what to do to get out of it. You either stay there, determine that you’ll just make it work how it is or you make the choice to do something about it. I just didn’t know what I could do about it.

The problem I found myself facing was that I wanted to be a full-time stay at home mom but I also wanted to run a successful photography studio, another full-time job.  Possible? Well I was beginning to think it wasn’t. I felt like I was just another mom with a camera. You know us.. we’re on everyone’s facebook feed with our photos.  Many of us are just doing this for fun, or trying to make a few extra bucks on the side.  A handful of us though are trying really hard to make a viable and sustainable business.  So again the question presented itself. Could  I do this and really make it work for my family?

Now I’m not that momtog who is up all hours of the night on editing.  I learned long ago that I wasn’t going to be cheap and work myself to death earning nothing. I’ve always valued my time and priced myself accordingly. However what I was learning is that I just couldn’t compete with the other  part time photographers out there that didn’t.    In the sea of “professional photographers” ,  I just couldn’t set myself apart.

Let’s be honest, clients can’t tell the difference between a good picture and a great one.  They can’t tell the difference between genuine personality and a forced smile when it’s not their child.  They don’t understand what it means for me to be making an investment into them and their family until they’ve become my client. What they do know is what is tangible. Are the pictures good, and what is the cost?  Well everyone these days can get lucky and capture a few good pictures of pretty much any kid. There are lower cost photographers out there with gorgeous packaging and beautiful welcome packets  who can make all kinds of claims about a wonderful experience (I’ve hired one of them before for my own family).  So the predicament was.. I figure out a way to stand out, or I just quit because as I already said lowering my pricing was not an option for me.

So what I did was take a look at my business and figured out what I needed to do to make this work. My business plan was relatively solid. I know my client, the average I need to make per session, my costs, my pricing structure, etc etc. I know what I’m doing technically speaking. I know how to use lighting, reflect/bounce light, create a good composition, etc. etc. I know how to work with kids… heck this is my strongest quality.  I adore kids and they think I’m a crack up.  Getting genuine personality was extremely simple for me. I know how to do a good edit. I’m familiar with my editing programs and I am able to utilize most of their functions with a decent amount of understanding.

So what’s missing? I didn’t know for a long time.  I had been thinking a workshop was a good way for me to figure out what I was doing wrong and to help me get my creative drive back.  But, finding a workshop I wanted to participate in.. well it was easier said then done.

(Getting on my soapbox now so skip this part if you don’t want to hear it)

Every other photographer these days thinks they know and should be teaching a workshop. They think that just because they’ve got a handle on just a couple of those things I’ve mentioned above that they are now an expert in their field and need to start teaching….. or even worse they’ve taken a workshop from another more established photographer, learned a few new tricks and now have decided to take what they’ve learned and start teaching their own workshops.  Don’t think it happens? Do your research on many of some very popular workshops out there and you’ll see I”m right.

So where do I go to find a mentor?  What photographer can not only teach me something, but is also running a successful photography studio ( they need to be running a portrait business, not just a workshop business… another reason why newbies need to be doing their homework on these workshop teachers – SIGH).  I didn’t want to pay someone to teach me something they just learned from someone else a year ago.  Yeah they might be cheaper, way cheaper.. but anyone who does something like this doesn’t have the character of a person that I want to support.  Anyone can regurgitate information from someone else . Again, you don’t think it happens? Even some VERY well known photographers in our industry have been “found out” recently.

So anyways I am getting to the point.

I couldn’t find someone I admired who I felt had the qualities I wanted in a mentor. For over a year I searched. And then I found Meg Bitton and started following her work.  Amazingly creative.  Every images I saw of hers was stunning. She was what I needed and here are the reasons why I knew it, and why I think every photographer feeling like I felt MUST make the investment to do a workshop with her.

1. She has vision. I think that is pretty clear from just flipping through a handful of her images. Every shot is a piece of art, truly.  She teaches you the importance of finding your own vision and gives you the confidence you need to pursue it.  I can honestly say I’ve gone from just shooting pictures to shooting with purpose.

Childrens photorapher - New York  / New Jersey

Meg Bitton’s Souls Imagined Workshop – Into the Woods

2. She has experience and expertise. Again I think the expertise thing is pretty clear by looking at her work.  She’s an expertise at using her environment, no matter what it is, to create a statement. She’s an expert at bringing all elements of an image together to make an impact (wardrobe, setting, composition, lighting, etc). She’s also an expert at taking a photo and turning into a work of art using editing.  I’ve gone back to images I shot years ago and looked at them with a new eye and taken them from a decent photo to something I am now extremely proud of just buy changing a few things in processing.

 

Childrens photorapher - New York  / New Jersey

Meg Bitton’s Souls Imagined Workshop – Utilizing Your Surroundings / Not props

 

Childrens photorapher - New York  / New Jersey

Meg Bitton’s Souls Imagined Workshop – In the City

 

 

3. She knows how to teach and her techniques are simple but extremely powerful. I think you’d be floored at how easy it is to add some editing tweaks to make your images really stand out.  She teaches what you want to know with nothing being off limits for questions. She’s completely an open book.

 

Fairytale Photography

Meg Bitton’s Souls Imagined Workshop – Creating Magic

 

4. She is expensive. Now you might think well why in the world is that a good thing? It shows that she values herself and her time, she’s confident in herself and her work.   But really this doesn’t have alot to do with her necessarily, but the other photographers you’ll meet while in her workshop. When someone is willing to spend what it takes to do a Meg Bitton workshop, you know they’re serious about their photography. Being in a group of other women as serious and passionate as I am about what I do who are so excited to learn and grow is absolutely amazing. I now not only have Meg’s insight into my passion, but I also have a group of other photographers I can talk to when I need some feedback, encouragement, advice who are exactly where I am.  And Meg jumps in there every now and again too with continued words of wisdom which is the reason why I chose the next on the list.

This image was shot by one of those photographers.  I’ll share all of them another time but you can check out Meg’s page to see a few. You can see April’s beautiful work here.  This is  my baby girl. I was blessed to have the opportunity to model for the group with her and this is one of the moments from that time. Not only did the photographers share all of those images with me, they also shared the images that I missed out on shooting because I was in wardrobe, etc.   What a blessing they all were to me!

Baby Photographer

Meg Bitton’s Souls Imagined Workshop – Be spontaneous – Capture the Beauty

5.Now back to Meg  :).  She’s a real, genuine, caring person and someone I am proud to support. I know that if I had a question today that she’d take a minute in her busy schedule to chime in and offer her advice/opinion. She isn’t obligated to do that, but she does.  She does it for all of us who took her workshop and I’m guessing she does it for every person who ever has.  To me that says she actually cares whether or not we become successful in accomplishing the goals we have for our work.

Childrens photorapher - New York  / New Jersey

Meg Bitton’s Souls Imagined Workshop – Joyous Seasons

 

So what now? Its been 2 months since the workshop. I wanted the excitement of it to settle in before I wrote up a review of my experience to see if what I thought I’d walked away with was actually could be a reality for me.  I don’t know what the next year or two will bring.  I do know that I feel passionate again.  I have a vision for my work again and I am more confident at achieving my goals for that vision. I am done taking pictures.  I am an artist and I will only be creating art.  I will shoot and show what I believe is important and beautiful and I will wait for the right clients to come to me because of it.  After all, I will do my best work with those clients and I only want to do my best.

Thank you Meg Bitton.

The Padawan Project – Star Wars Storybook Sessions for 2014 – Children’s Storybook Photography Studio

I’m excited to announce our new storybook session for 2014. These are limited edition sessions available on a limited basis for certain weeks of the year. For more information please contact the studio at studio@aforgetmenotmoment.com.

Our first 2014 storybook will be the Padawan Project. For those of you who have been to Disney World with a little boy (or girl for that matter – we know there are lots of little girls who love star wars too 🙂  you may have had the opportunity to sign up (or at least like we did realize you have to get to the park WAY early in the morning to even have a chance at getting in…oops sorry kid) for the Jedi Training they offer to the little ones who dream of learning the ways of the force.  Well this folks is even better than that and instead of getting your own point and shoot crowded photos of the experience, you get gorgeous photos and a completely custom Jedi story to go along with them. Our storybook sessions turn an hour of play into images for your own custom Star Wars story for you to read and enjoy for years to come.

May the force be with you!

 

Star Wars Photos