Sometimes all it takes is 10 minutes.

I got real in my last blog post and shared how I’ve been derailed and uninspired these past couple months. I always take December and January off from shooting in order to reflect on the previous wedding season, reassess my business, and to just have a breather and spend time with friends and family. The past couple years this has been totally necessary, but this year I think I made a mistake. I was crazy busy these past months, but I wasn’t doing anything to feed my soul. It’s a common misconception that wedding photographers work one day a week, but most wedding photographers own their own businesses, and the Business Owner hat consumes far more time (6 days a week, oftentimes 12+ hour days) than the Photographer hat (maybe only 1 or 2 days a week at about 12 hours total). Most of us spend a small percentage of our week actually shooting (the inspiring part, for me) … and the rest of the week is spent meeting with clients, fielding emails, sending out contracts and invoices, doing bookkeeping and accounting, setting goals, editing images, branding/marketing/social media’ing, writing copy for print and web materials, burning and packaging client discs, going to the post office and bank (my least favorite things ever), participating in forums and workshops, and (the most time-consuming for me) designing books and albums.

As I mentioned, the soul-feeding and inspiring part of my job is the shooting. And I need to do it consistently to feel alive and to feel myself. Even in the terrible winter, I’ve realized. So when Abbey told me she was coming to Madison and wanted to meet (we met previously only through the Twitterverse), I immediately let her know that I’d be shooting her (and she wasn’t allowed to refuse). Abbey is a fellow WI photographer (very new to the scene) who is a real talent. Talking with her was completely natural, exciting, and great. I felt like I found a long-lost friend and kindred spirit. We went out for tacos, tried some new Madison beer, and then ran around on Lake Mendota for 10 minutes. Those 10 minutes were all it took for me to feel myself and on track again. I woke-up this Monday morning fired-up for the week, for the coming year, and for being 30.

When I shoot, I prefer to observe before directing. One thing I noticed and loved right away about Abbey is how quickly she talks and how much she uses her hands when doing so. I wanted to capture some of that.

After being on that lake with Abbey I returned home feeling so revived and wanting to go back out there. So I took Troy along and he turned the camera on me instead. I wanted some updated photos that I didn’t take on my iMac, haha, and to remember the first awesome day of being 30 :)

Abbey, I love ya. Thanks for everything.

Hey, it’s me below. Feeling good.

From now on, even if I don’t have time (and especially when I don’t have time), I just need to get out and shoot something for myself on a regular basis. I don’t want to burn out on the Business Owner front because I’m not nurturing the Photographer side of things. Have a great Monday. Some GREAT things are in store here soon. I hope one of the next blog posts I write is on my NEW BLOG!!!

I really don’t want to write too much about Jason & Jessica because, well, I sometimes get sappy on my blog … and I have to see these guys all the time. Jason is one of Troy’s closest friends and I used to think Troy and Jessica were dating (back when I just stared longingly at Troy from afar ;)). They were both there the night I sent Troy a drink (and when I then ran away because I’m shy sometimes). Jason is a talented artist and Jessica is a talented writer. It kinda meant a lot to me that they wanted me to photograph them. I like them a bunch and think they are adorable together. Below are just a few of my favorites from our session together. We started at a favorite place, Mickey’s Tavern, and then walked down the bike path to Tenney Park. The best sessions are the ones where we all just walk around a lot and let the moments come about as they will.

PS — Jessica’s amazing red dress was her grandmother’s. Love that.

Lizzy is completely lovely. Beautiful inside and outside … confident yet gracious. She’s one of those people who really appreciates other people and is wonderful to be around.

I shot Lizzy and Scottie’s wedding when I was *just* starting as a photographer, back in August 2009. They somehow trusted me to capture their day before I even had a couple weddings under my belt (and before meeting me). They’re laid-back and amazing like that. In a few weeks they’ll be adding another little boy or girl to their family and I couldn’t be happier for them.

Here are a few from my session with Lizzy (total trooper, by the way. It was about 50 degrees and windy (felt like 20 degrees, imo) and she went barefoot into Lake Mendota).

Disclaimer: This is my first and last maternity session. I adore Lizzy and her baby bump, but right now I’m not looking to expand my business into yet another direction :)

Just a couple frames from Clarissa’s session a few weeks ago.

I love working with people who will stand behind trees because the sun is perfect there, not care if stray hairs fly across their faces, and trust my vision completely to create something beautiful for them.   Thank you Clarissa for being genuine, honest, beautiful, trusting, carefree and fun.

Beyond these two girls as my muses, so are water, glowy ethereal light, and shapes of any kind that I can shoot through.  What a lovely night of inspiration.  All I could have used in addition was some wind (and food … I love shooting food).  But it was a sticky hot mess outside.  Thanks, Suzy and Jenna, for dealing with the mosquitos and mugginess.  xoxo.

Lately I’ve been reading some books about vision by David DuChemin.  This has really helped me to define my own vision and pay attention to what makes me overjoyed/ecstatic when shooting.  What makes you overjoyed when shooting?  What are your muses?