“Why do you do photography?” That’s a loaded question! It’s a common one and a valid one, but it’s a loaded question. Where do I even start?

The obvious answer will always be because I love it! But shouldn’t any photographer love what they do? Or any artist for that matter? So I had to do a little more thinking to give you a real answer.

Now before I get there, I’ll give you a little more background. Before I finally decided to take the leap as a full time photographer, I was in the corporate world. I was a marketing manager for an industrial manufacturer and absolutely loved it. I loved creating ads for magazines, designing websites, strategizing, travelling between countries and overall, managing my creative thoughts and getting paid for it. Before that, I worked as a project manager for the government and I also loved it. I worked on a multitude of projects over the years and in both French and English. Again, I was working in IT, web design, print design and system and application development. I created relationships with amazing people, many who are still great friends of mine. My thirst for knowledge is like a bottomless pit, it really never ends. So while I was in the corporate world, I also sought out people who were smarter than me. The things I learned and projects I was invited into were mind blowing! My daily life in the corporate world wasn’t boring or dull at all, I didn’t hate it by any means. In fact, I really enjoyed it.

Life brought on some surprises and God gave me another two sons. Our entire family was relocated from one city to another. And the economy took a major dip like I had never known before. Everything changed in a matter of months. All of those changes put me in a position to seriously consider what I wanted next and what I wanted for the rest of my life.

Photography! It was a perfect time to take my business from a part time job to full time one. I needed to go all in!. Everything was pointing to “yes” and so I just went for it. So why do I do what I do?

It’s in my Fiber

I am not kidding when I say to you that’s in my fiber. I’m a visual person, which probably also explains why I talk with my hands. Haha! Anyway, it goes way back. My Mom tapped into the fact that I loved art at a very young age. When I was 4, she decided it would be good for me to have a subscription to National Geographic. What an amazing Mom! I told her I was going to work for them one day and that I was going to be a photographer too. And here I am. Now to get published in National Geographic, that’s still on the bucket list.

My Dad gave me his old 35mm Pentax camera when I was a teenager and I never put it down. If you needed to find me, I was usually in the darkroom developing black and white film and prints. I started off in the analogue world!

That’s me and my twin sister! Nice outfits! Even better hair 🙂 That’s also when I decided I wanted to be a photographer.

I Adore Connecting with Other People

Authenticity. Real connections. Solid relationships. That’s what I want. I also want to hear stories like how your lawn mower ran out of battery and you only managed to get half of it cut. I want to hear about how your date went last Saturday. Tell me how you overcame your greatest challenge and how it shaped you. What are you looking forward to? Please, please, please let me know about that super cool restaurant that no one else knows about. Let’s get real together! Really, really real!

If we’re going to spend time together, let’s make it quality time. For anyone who has read the Five Love Languages, that’s one of my top two languages. Quality time. I’ve put it out there to the world already and will say it again. We only have one life, but if we do it right, once is enough.

See that laugh Sasha has? That’s real!

I Crave Adventure and Cringe at Routine

I guess that’s how God designed me, a non-routine person. I want to see the world. The unknown is so insanely attractive to me. What will I discover? Who will I meet? Is the food good in that part of the world? What epic story happened here before me? Will I have a good belly laugh today? What’s the sunset going to look like this time? Will any animals come up to me? It happens regularly. I love the idea that I don’t know what’s going to happen everyday. Only that something will and I get to discover it all.

Welcome to Karon beach at sunset! We walked for two hours on this beach to get to the this specific spot. My husband counted down so I could snap the photo exactly when the waves hit the rocks. It was an amazing day! And then we went and had some fresh seafood from a local restaurant on the strip. We people watched for hours and soaked up some live music. Who doesn’t want that?

I Need an Outlet for All my Ideas

This! Definitely this! I need an outlet for all my ideas. I don’t just want to create art, I need to! If I could work as fast as my brain, I’d love to see what would happen. I have an “idea book” that I write things into. If I didn’t, those ideas would keep me up all night. It’s a non-stop flow of thoughts, I really don’t know what to do with them all. Someone once told me that my biggest problem was how creative I was. That was confusing to me. What does a person do with themselves otherwise??? Inspiration is everywhere: music, magazines, conversations, memories etc… I’m pretty sure I would feel lost inside if I was unable to be artistic. Any artist you meet would probably agree with that. Artists need to create, it’s just that simple.

Monumental Moments

Not to be cliche, but I’m always flattered when other people invite me into their lives and at monumental moments. I’m more than flattered! I am so proud of so many people. I’ve walked alongside them in so many ways. I do my best to avoid using the word “clients” because it feels like they are considered a number instead of a person. But I am so proud of my clients. Many of them have become very close friends of mine and I watch them move through life with grace. I see them taking on new jobs they’ve worked towards. I’ve watched them give their heart over to another person in absolute vulnerability. I cheer them on as they accomplish their next big goal of bodybuilding, buying a new home or meeting their sweet little babies. Doing photography has placed me in other people’s lives and I’m invited to share it with them. I’m honoured in every way.

Meet Shia! She is one of the sweetest souls I’ve had the pleasure to meet. We had our first portrait session together last year and I’ve been gifted with an incredible friendship ever since. I’m thankful for where my job takes me. I’m thankful for all of it.