AM Weakley Creative: April 2012

Welcome

My eyes have led me down a path I never thought I would take. Although holding on to memories has always been important to me, I haven’t dreamed of being a photographer my whole life. I have, however, dreamed of keeping my kids small and my vacations alive. I have wished to stop time, to hold on to the moment, to bottle up my kids cute faces or the silly things they wear. To some extent, photography allows me to do just that. It has opened my eyes to a previously undiscovered world. It has allowed me to see the world around me with a deeper appreciation. I am constantly aware of the extraordinary among the ordinary and the beauty in the mundane. I don't see pictures. I see stories ... with both my eyes and my heart. I am a wordless storyteller. Thanks for joining me here.

A birth is the beginning of something. A start to life; to a spiritual journey; to new ideas or new horizons. Anyone who has been a part of the birth of a child knows it is a miracle. Simply a miracle and there are no other words that do it justice.

God has given me a passion for women's health. I considered it as a field of study when I was in college, but didn't feel that was the journey God had scripted for me at that time. The changes we go through as we age and as some of us travel through pregnancy and motherhood run deep physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and I know there is so much opportunity to encourage and to minister to these women.

I had the rare opportunity to capture the first moments of a sweet little girl as she made her entrance into this world at the end of 2011. Really, there is nothing like those first few moments of a birth. Miraculous. Breathtaking. Unforgettable. Sometimes even heartbreaking. But new babies, new life...

Births are amazing.

Out of respect for these parents, I am just posting a few pictures, but I think they need no words.

Really....four months since my last post??? Photographers with booming businesses are heavily intertwined with social media. I get it. Blogging, twittering, posting on Facebook - those are all musts!
I am not in that world right now.
I love where I am in my business in this stage of life. Sure there are times when I want to dive right in. I see an opportunity and want to put 110% on the line.
But the timing is not right.

And
timing
is
crucial
just
like
in
photography.

There is a time when it is exactly right to close the shutter and capture the perfect shot. Too early or a little too late - still can make a good shot - but not necessarily that perfect shot. A good photographer knows how to anticipate - survey the entire scene, study and understand all of the elements that have to come together compose THE SHOT. Anticipation involves patience, knowledge, a little bit of imagination, plenty of vision - and ultimately ~ it involves action.

For now, my family is my number one priority. That is the biggest job God has entrusted to me - right now. There will come a time - too soon I am sure - when I have less trips to the park, less clothes to wash, less mouths to feed, less books to read aloud, and less homework to help with. Then, I will have more freedom to pursue my own personal interests. Until then, my blog posts are going to be as needed. Maybe a few a week - or maybe a few a quarter. For now, I am okay with that.

If you have hired me to do a shoot for your family, a wedding, or a design project, you can be confident that I will give you my full attention. That is why I am selective and choose to do a limited number of any one of these things each year.

With that said, I haven't posted on my blog in these past few winter months, but I have still been quite busy doing various photography and graphic design projects! Many times, these things aren't what I want to share with the Internet world or would feel completely appropriate. For example, I had the marvelous privilege of taking pictures at a birth towards the end of the year and have wanted to respect the privacy and intimacy of that special family. I am excited to do a short post in the next week or two about that experience and to share some of the beautiful images. I also had the privilege of taking pictures at a beautiful event for a dear family friend who is battling brain cancer in which almost 700 people attended. Again, not images I would share on a blog like this. However also during these last few months, I have LOVED a few down weeks of time with my most important priority - my family and beautiful kiddos! Here are just a few pictures of some of the things I have done photography-wise...

Family Reunions...