So Humbled...

I just got this message from Julie in Binghamtown, NY, and it touched me so much I had to share. How many of us have felt like this in the beginning?



Hi there,

Just wanted to let you know I still visit your sites often.. and dream..
I wanted to thank you for all the encouragement and tips you gave me back in october, I did three weddings in the past 4 months, and now our baby was born jan 18th and is now 6 weeks old.
I want to continue doing some weddings, and have been asked but, I guess it's not the cup of tea I dreamed it to be, friends say its just the people who asked me weren't so cooperative, or photogenic for that matter? yeh.. well, u know.. im bad..
but your tips and thoughts and everything were so helpful, I even pasted them in my journals so years from now looking through and back I'll remember you.
I think I'm just gonna focus on my family right and not so much on myself and photography.. perhaps when the time comes, dabble at photographing children and families? Who knows.. but again, keep up your good work, and thank for being so nice and understanding, I wish there were more outstanding people out there like you."




You can bet I emailed back with my signature encouragement!! First weddings are hard and yes, you rarely have the ideal situation of lots of time, cooperation, and beautiful venues/things to shoot. It can be discouraging and you can really blame yourself and your confidence can take a big hit. I told Julie to listen to her friends!!They're probably right! And for goodness sakes, don't feel bad for taking risks and don't give up! Take it slow, and try to discover what you shoot the best and what you LOVE to shoot (usually the same thing)! Then I referred her to Mera Koh's DVD,"Refuse to Say Cheese". What better way to relax and develop confidence and style than focusing on taking photographs of her beautiful newborn daughter??