Through the looking glass: a mother daughter photo journal

My love for photography began when I was in high school. I can't remember the exact moment or reason, but I do know it was really, really important to me. I was so excited to get my first job in tenth grade. I was 15 and it was hard to find a place that would take me, but after getting rejected by Subway, my dream came true with Dairy Queen. I earned four something an hour and saved every penny. Literally, I didn't spend any of it, I had one blizzard the entire time I worked there.

After months of saving and not spending, I decided to take a big chunk of it and buy a Canon SLR camera, an EOS Elan II. I really wish I could remember why, but I do know I was hooked, immediately. Shortly after buying the camera, which came with the kit lens, I added a zoom lens. I spent all of eleventh and twelfth grade taking photos. I brought my camera to school and photographed all my friends. I went to cemeteries to photograph the angel statues (we were living in Panama at the time where the cemeteries were quite elaborate). I learned to jimmy my lens to create a macro lens and took magnified photos of ants. I loved creating double exposure works of art. I photographed monkeys at a wildlife sanctuary I volunteered at. I set-up my bedroom with sheets and lights and took my friends' senior photos. When it came to figuring out college I knew it was going to be one of two things. I had to pick between the two things I loved- biology and photography. I can't remember exactly why I chose biology, I'm sure it was a combination of things, but I made my choice and put photography on the shelf (for the most part).

I did a bit of photography in college, I took photos for the newspaper, but this was right around when the digital revolution was happening and my film camera was very rapidly becoming obsolete. Fast forward ten years and I am expecting baby number two and itching to step into the new world of photography. I've decided that it is time to get a digital SLR and have a great excuse...baby photos. We did monthly photos for our first child at a photo studio. That 12-month photo frame, that documented each month of their first year, was (and still is) so valuable to me. I decided that instead of getting studio photos for our second we could buy a digital SLR and I could do them myself. I bought a used Canon Rebel t1i and fell in love all over again.

Now my oldest is eight and youngest five and I have entered into a whole other chapter of photography. After twelve years working at a conservation non-profit I have become a full-time photographer, split between my own photography business and working for an in-hospital newborn photo company. It's been a bit of a scary journey over these last eight months, but I feel like I'm on the right path, a path that started a long time ago!

I love taking photos. Before my change in career I'd pick up my camera and head outside and get lost in the moment, it was my art and it still is. But lately I haven't been getting "lost in the moment" as much, until today. I noticed this beautiful gardenia flower had bloomed on a plant we have inside and it sparked that magic. I picked up my camera and started wandering the house. My daughter watched me and the magic sparked in her too. She begged me to let her use my camera. After explaining to her how expensive my camera was (I upgraded when I started my business), I had an idea, I could let her borrow my Canon Rebel. She and I spent the next hour plus wandering the house and yard finding inspiration, until the sun went down and I told her it was time to stop for the night.

We went into the house, uploaded the files, choose our favorites and then I walked her through Lightroom. Below is a collection of our photos. I love looking at her photos (see if you can figure out which ones are hers). She's still learning how to hold the camera steady, but I love to see the world through her eyes. She sees things I don't see. My hope is to have a new session and reflection with her each week and to watch her grow as a photographer and to be inspired and re-ignited myself through her.