I love my friends. They are some of the most supportive and loving people I have been blessed to meet. They support me in more ways than I could ever hope for, and I thank God for them every day. Without their love and support, I would not be doing this.
That said, I really wish a few of them didn’t live so far away. For a short while, my husband and I lived in Arizona (we loved it there by the way) and we always talked about how nice it would be when we moved back to Texas and could be “close” to our friends and family again. So we move back, and though we are closer, we are still about 3 1/2 hours from most of our family and friends. Thank goodness for the few we have in the same town! They are probably the main reason we haven’t moved back to AZ. But those that are the long drive away also happen to be the ones having babies and wanting pictures. So, I have driven the 3 1/2 hours (one way) to take their pics on several occasions. And if I’m being honest here, I would have to say that it is a HARD trip. Towing my 2 year old son all that way (and he doesn’t like to travel!) and making sure my wonderful mother-in-law can watch him for me, the $$ involved in gas and eating out, as well as coordinating everyone’s schedules around a very short period of time – it really was an ordeal. BUT – and this is a really big “but” – it was SOOOO worth it in the experience and the knowledge gained in doing family shoots and out of town business. It has really taught me about what TO do and what NOT to do, and it taught me tons about what to expect and also demand from clients.
And even though it cost me a small fortune, it is priceless to me to be able to document my friend’s lives in this way. For that alone, I am eternally thankful…
I LOVE this shot! I use it as an avatar on several photography forums. To me it is the perfect belly – round and full and life giving – and the texture of the material is very feminine to me. Thank you, thank you my friend, for allowing me to take pictures of your sweet, uncomfortable self! 🙂
And here is the product of that wonderfully protective belly, a beautiful baby girl. She was only a day old in this picture. Her momma let me take her first pictures while she was still in the hospital. What a blessing!