Capturing the past

I never thought that I would be a blogger. Who would really care what I had to say? I've come to realize that sometimes it doesn't really matter if anyone cares. This is for me. I have always loved pictures- they have the ability to to capture those moments that otherwise would seem so distant. The first picture that really stuck with me was a picture of my now husband leaving me for the first time. I was just 18, newly in love and devastated at the thought of time without him. We are both in tears and looking actually quite miserable.
But seeing that photo while we were apart reminded me of how much we loved being together and of beginnings. Now, 11 years later it hangs above our bed. I started to try and capture as much of life as I could. It is so fleeting sometimes. I look at pictures of my oldest son and say, "where has time gone?" My daughter still has some traces of the infant I carried home when I see her thumb still comfortably in her mouth. And my youngest is already reminding me that infancy is almost a thing of the past. Will I remember? Will I remember that Isaac was brilliant with baby signs and was a gem of a toddler? Will I remember that Olivia was SO tiny and I had pink everywhere because I was so excited I had a daughter? Will I remember the 11 pregnancy tests I took to confirm our surprise Caleb or the look on his siblings faces when they met him for the first time? I hope so. I've captured so much of it on film that when my memory falters I hope that photos will help remind me.
My love for photography was set ablaze when searching for some ideas for my daughter's tea party. I stumbled upon Jessica Claire's site. The images were so vibrant and evoked so much feeling. I started to wonder if I could do that. I perused so many photography sites my head spun. I had taken pictures for friends but always with my camera set to automatic. Could I shoot in manual. It seemed so intimidating! But this was something I had to learn. It was something that just made sense. I wanted to be the author of my pictures not the copier. So began a new journey. A journey just for me. Yes, I am still the wife of an incredibly devoted father and PhD candidate and the mother of three amazing children but I am also something more. I am a photographer. Maybe just an infant now. But I am learning. With the help of some amazing inspiration and some great lenses, I am learning fast! Welcome to my journey, come along if you will and watch. Maybe you'll get to see some of my memories or maybe I'll help capture some of yours-either way it will be an adventure!