Less, but Better
Every day I battle against the pile of "stuff" that comes into my house. My son's ever-growing Lego collection, mountains of mail, snacks and food (which doesn't always get eaten), and clutter.. oh, the clutter.. that nobody seems to care about except for ME. Yes, it's part of living with boys (I am the only female in our household), but it's also something I've come to care deeply about as I've gotten older.
The things I surround myself with have to be both useful and beautiful, or they cause more anguish than happiness.. not to mention endless cleaning up and tidying. The less things I have, the better I feel, and I've become very selective about everything I purchase as a result.
My photography business is a direct extension of myself. I focus on the things I feel passionate about. I infuse my images with the simplicity I crave, and seek out (literally, search for many many years) products that are more than the sum of their parts. My business isn't about monetary gain. It's about honing in on something BIGGER than the pictures we post on Facebook and Instagram. It's about elevating family photography to fine art status. It's providing museum-quality and gallery pieces that are more meaningful than someone else's artwork, because it's your family in those photographs.
And when you are as picky as I am, it's not about the price. It's about finding that perfect thing that is exactly what I'm looking for. And that's why I'm not the photographer for everyone! I specialize in simple Studio portraits. And that simplicity is important. It's often harder to achieve. It requires better presentation (which is why I love Hahnemühle fine art paper so much), and lots of restraint. And it requires knowing what's important.. to me, and also to my clients.
And so, that's a very detailed way of saying it took me a long time to curate the photography products that I have. The beauty and multi-purpose quality of them can't be matched by anything bought in a store, because each item is handmade by an actual (and very talented) person who takes great pride in their work.
