Birth & Photography: My two worlds collide.

I have sworn over and over, “I will have 5 more babies before I watch someone give birth again.” A statement made by my 19 year old self after being a part of a friends birth that left me tired and sore, and slightly traumatized by the use of the vacuum method of suction to get the baby out after 3 1/2 hours of pushing. (My births have been quick. Pushing at the most lasted 15 minutes.) And then after more babies, and a few years of experience as a mom, my heart has completely changed towards the process of giving birth, being a part of a birth, and watching life come into the world. I LOVE it. I love the raw emotion of an exhausted mama finally getting to hold their precious new baby.

I was chatting with a friend about feeling “significant” the other day. Those times when you start feeling like what you’re doing is great, but is it important? This wasn’t a pity party conversation. Not one to reassure that I’m good at my job. But simply one of those times where you have that stirring that there’s something bigger you’re missing. Her response to my feeling of anxiety about it was this:

“I’m just going to share with you the first thing that came to my mind.

I read a quote a few months back that gave me great peace.

And amazing perspective.

“Doing something unimportant well, doesn’t make it important.”

Is photography important? Unimportant? Should you quit? I don’t know. What I do

know is that anxiety and doubt are not from God. The fact that you are feeling both right

now suggests to me that, while you may feel insignificant at this moment, you very well may

be on the verge of something big. Bigger than you. And girl, nothing rattles Satan more. ”

I literally have had that quote in my head ever since. Just because I can do my job well, doesn’t make it important. Just because I know how to work my camera, doesn’t mean that every picture I take will be significant.

But last Wednesday I felt a feeling of such contentment and joy in what I do that it made any doubt about photography disappear. I got to photograph my sisters c-section.

I got to give her the gift of capturing those moments in the operating room when she found out she was having another baby girl. I got to watch as her doctor pulled this healthy little life out of the womb and introduced her to the world.

If that’s not significant, I don’t know what is.

A small little gallery of that morning. A preview of my feeling of significance. Jumping off the edge into something bigger.

Birth stories may have just captured my heart.

The Zuritas: Family Love

Some families just hold a special place in your heart. This is one of those families. A few things I love about them:
The way they’ve always called Miss Lola “fancy”.  The way Eric immediately will give the cheesiest smile when he looks at Jody. That they may or may not have called in sick on an occasion to get pictures done. The way they’re willing to trespass into random orchards and property with me. The way you can feel their love, even when they both work crazy schedules, go to school, and raise babies together. I love that they plan vacations together without the kids, because it’s obvious they are still totally in love. And even more that they invite my husband and I along to Mexico with them! My list could go on and on. This family is one of a kind and I am so thankful to have them not just as clients, but now as friends as well!

Tiff & Brody: Expecting

I’m so excited to meet my new niece or nephew tomorrow morning!!!! I’m crossing my fingers that when I show up at the hospital tomorrow morning at 530am for my sisters scheduled c-section, that the anesthesiologist lets me in to do her birth photography! Lucy Belle is going to make the best big sister and I’m still blown away that Tiff and Brody were able to keep the sex of the baby a surprise this whole time! Hopefully one of my next posts will be the birth of this little one. Congrats sister! You are the most beautiful preggo mama ever! MUAH!!!!

An “intimate” look at my best friend…

“She seems really nice, but I just don’t think we’ll have anything in common.” Famous last words spoken by me about my now one in a million best friend. (When I say best friend, I have a couple…but I don’t say “one of my best friends” because each of them are my best friends in different ways!)

“You didn’t like me at first! How could you not love this face as soon as you saw me?!?” She constantly teases me about our first few times of not hitting it off.

Not long after my hubby introduced me to his friends long distance girlfriend, I found out we had just about EVERYTHING in common! Our love for Food4Less ice cream, new shoes, T.J. Maxx, photography, pizza, the beach. We wear the same size shoes, and can share closets. We’ve spent the majority of our adult life being baristas. Oh and we both love coffee! But despite all the things we have in common we have some pretty large differences!

Like the fact that I love driving. Anywhere, actually, at any time! I love going on drives! She on the other hand falls asleep if she’s driving more than 20 minutes…(she’s borderline narcoleptic..hahaha). That, and the fact that she’s significantly nicer than I am. And nice in a genuine, no one can dislike her, infect every square inch of space, nice.

She is so full of love, joy, happiness, spunk, laughter, and every accent imaginable that she really makes everything around her more beautiful. When she laughs you want to laugh with her. When she smiles you really can’t help but smile back. She’s the best example I could ever think of, of someone being so beautiful from the inside that it absolutely shows everywhere on the outside.

So when I said an “intimate” look at my best friend you thought I was just going to talk about her amazing heart! Well, not exactly. Although I could ramble about how great she is all day long, she’s actually given me permission to post her boudoir session from a few months ago on our trip to Portland.

This girl has worked her booty off…literally since the time I met her she’s lost over 30lbs. I am so proud of my friend! And she decided, after a lot of convincing on my part, to do this shoot. She is real, she is beautiful, she is funny, she is an inspiration. I am so thankful for her irreplaceable role in not just mine, but my family’s lives!

A new love…for boudoir!

I love tasteful boudoir shoots.

 

They’re beautiful. They’re sexy. They make a great gift to an unexpecting husband or boyfriend. They’re a good reminder in appreciating the beauty in every single woman. And I hope to give girls a final product that makes them feel more beautiful and confident in themselves.

 

I’m new to boudoir, but have had the chance to shoot a couple this past month. They really are so much fun! The hair and makeup, the pretty lingerie, and the excitement and feedback I’ve received from the women as well as their men! With the permission of my client (and her new husband!) I wanted to share a few images from one of the sessions.

A special thanks to Hair by Chrystal! She is such a talented hair and makeup artist, and not only that but a beautiful person inside and out! Please go check out her work!!! http://www.facebook.com/HairByChrystal

 

Running out the door….

I write this on the go…..

I’m trying to clean my house, do laundry, keep 3 bored kids entertained, make dinners for the weekend, relaunch my website, load orders, edit pictures, pack us up for a weekend out of town, grocery shop, get a run in, and on top of that I even have make-up on today! Whew! I’m exhausted just writing that!

I have been contemplating redoing my website for a few months now. There are so many things that go into a website that you want. And until you know who you are, and who you are in your business, a lot of what goes into the first of everything is just a test run. Try out logos, try out colors, try out styles. A lot was rushed for me. I just threw stuff together and prayed it worked!

But just getting by isn’t cutting it anymore. Just like with raising kids, I feel consistency is a key ingredient to my business succeeding as well. I needed something that could help me utilize all the networking avenues that are available. I needed something that would let me show my schedule to the world so I can stop playing so much phone tag. I needed something that gave me the freedom to put all my documents online and still be able to have them password protected. And on top of all that I wanted to be able to bring clients to vendors that I love! I feel like my new website is doing just that. I really do love it!

It’s still in progress and changes will be made in the next few weeks and then maintained from there, but I would love feedback on it. I have a ton of sessions to blog next week so be on the lookout for those on here as well! 🙂

Feel free to email me with any feedback or go through the Contact section of my website!

http://www.gypsyjanephotography.com

Happy Friday!

I’ll leave you with a little sneak peek from last night!

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Frozen noses, broken glass, and a full day of shooting above the fog!

I live in a small valley in Southern Oregon. I love it here. I was born and raised here and love getting to raise my children here as well. People are warm and welcoming, and even though the population is growing, it still has a small town feel. The only problem is that it’s sometimes hard to find new places to do sessions. In my hopes to find somewhere new I googled wineries around town and stumbled upon Weisinger’s Winery in Ashland. It is a gorgeous little place on the south end of town that sits right up on a hill!

I got the opportunity to host a day full of free mini shoots there in the beginning of December and I can’t wait to go back this summer and do more! The tasting room has a gorgeous view of Ashland and sat us up right above the fog that had settled over the valley. Even with the sunshine we got, the air was chilly!!!! Everyone that came out was a trooper though and I was able to photograph some beautiful families, couples, and seniors even with rosey red noses!

My only hope is that the next time I go my hands are warm enough to not drop my wine glass…… 🙂

Best friends from the start…

 

I’ve been playing catch up on my sessions from the past few weeks, but I had to share this couples session before I tuck my kids into bed! These two are not just a GORGEOUS couple, but they are truly best friends. You can see it all over their faces when you spend time with them. They’re fun, and playful and have a beautiful love. 

 

33 Ways to Stay Creative…

I came across this picture on pinterest last night….yes, I was “pinning” while watching Private Practice, and even enjoying a glass of wine. I’ve let myself get so consumed lately with the “everyday chores”, (cleaning, cooking, laundry, laundry, and more laundry!) that I’ve been struggling to find my creativity. So reading through this list brightened my spirits!

I think we all can say we go through lulls in life. Our routines take priority over our constant want for adventure and fun and inspiration. The last couple months I’ve struggled with that “lull” in my photography. I’ve watched a few close to me struggle as well. We’re constantly bombarded with social media on facebook and twitter and on and on where peoples negative attitudes can affect every part of us, but most of it we have the power to control. I’ve become quite liberated in choosing to remove those “negative nancys” from either my friends list, or life. It helps. It might sound silly but if you’re not surrounded by people who build you up, you only have one other way to go……

So my challenge to myself (and you) is not only to hop on here and write freely throughout the week, but also to keep this list of creativity inspiration with me….plastered on my computer, bathroom mirror, in my car, or on my notebook. We all can use a little more positive in our lives so choose wisely what you want consuming your heart and mind. And make it beautiful 🙂