Me at Home at Age 5ish

Some have asked me when I started becoming interested in photography. The answer can actually be traced back to my Mom. She was the first lifestyle photographer that I had ever seen, although it never became a business that she pursued. I was about 5 years old when my mom decided to take a photography class. And now, 24 years later, they are my favorite photos from my childhood. They tell so much about me, not just what I looked like.

One look at this picture brings back so many memories. I remember living in that house. I remember how the bricks of that fireplace always remained cool to the touch year round, and I remember the year that the fireplace kinda caught on fire. I remember how poor we were and how excited I was about getting those jeans I had on and my hand-me-down doll that I am holding. It also helps remind me of how my mother and I would battle over my hair—long, fine, golden blond hair that my mother never wanted to see cut.

I also remember the first time I actually saw these pictures, back during my freshman year of high school. It was like finding a precious hidden treasure that I never had known about. I remember being impressed. My mom had learned how to do it all—manual camera, manual development, the whole shebang. After that, I started really playing with photography. Ya know, with my 35mm, $5 special. And that is how it remained for a very long time.

It would take a new level of hunger for me to be motivated to try and really learn about photography. That came after the loss of our twin daughters and a desire to keep searching for the beauty that still existed in this world. It took all that time for me to find what I love to do: capture people, in their real lives, being who they really are. It is beautiful. Real life can truly be beautiful, and it is full of so much you really do want to remember. :)

Thanks, Mom, for letting me copy your capture, for taking the pictures, and for being my original inspiration. I love you!