...and sharing my passion for preserving family memories
I could be planning my retirement right now. I'm plenty old enough to be enjoying the fruits of many years of working in the corporate world. But, instead, the tug on my heart has pulled me into opening a photography studio in Perry Hall. That is because I feel very passionately about preserving memories for families and sharing the belief that it matters. I have photo albums of me as a child that can take me back to times that I can't even recall outright at this point in my life. But, when I look at those images, I know that I was loved and cared for and that those times were important enough that my parents captured them on film and put them into family scrapbooks.
I fear that time and technology have changed the emphasis on photography as an art to be held in hand or displayed in albums or walls to the point that we only find images of ourselves inside the depths of a cellphone photo library or lost in the scroll on social media posts. If the walls of our homes, our bookshelves and desktops are graced with images of our loved ones, I am convinced that self-esteem grows. It gives every family member the message that they matter and that they belong and that their place in the home is secure.
My children have albums full of images of their childhood years, from holidays, to vacations, softball, pool parties and horse shows. Most were "mom with a camera" images and not wall-worthy professional ones, but memories were preserved (and also my period of going blonde...lol). I even recall photographing our candlelight scrapbooking and journaling when the power was out. Every photo tells a story, and that one literally did.
And so it goes, that I have now drawn their little ones into my lair of photography but now with a professional camera and skill to create those wall-worthy images. There are themed sessions and props galore! Maddie is now fully on board. She poses on command and "at will" for photos. Luke hasn't quite embraced being a model all the time. But, I have managed to capture the in-between moments when he doesn't realize he is giving me just the look that creates a precious memory. I have decided that is my personal challenge with the little kids that I photograph, and I'm working toward being able to call it my "super power."
But the themed sessions, while fun and whimsical, may not be for everyone. For those who would prefer a simple background that will blend with your decor, I love to create those images, as well.
David Krauss, a licensed psychologist, in a study called Phototherapy in Mental Health, stated “I think it is really important to show a family as a family unit. It is so helpful for children to see themselves as a valued and important part of that family unit. A photographer’s job is to create and make the image look like a safe holding space for kids where they are safe and protected. Kids get it on a really simple level.”
I realize that my offerings may not be for everyone. That's okay. We're still friends. For those of you who would like to explore the imagery that I can create for your family, my doors are open. I'd be happy to share my mission of helping you create those "remember when" moments as your Baltimore family photographer in studio or outdoors in the many picturesque sites in the Baltimore and surrounding area.