The coordination of this photo shoot took about month; planning clothes, makeup, set up, etc.  We decided to challenge ourselves and use only a one light set up.  (Just for fun.)  We knew we were all going to take turns getting in front of the camera. (Because you know how much I love to be in front of the camera...wink, wink.)

The ladies arrived, we cranked the music, set up the studio and then went about getting dressed and putting on our makeup.  (I was determined to have a Faux-Hawk.)   We had mounds of clothes, heaps of shoes, and cases and cases of makeup.  Oh boy....here we go.  

Meet the Ladies:  

Nikki Wruk - Model 

Mary Baker - Faith enfire modeling and photography 

Grace Ozug - Model

Wendy Smith-Ozug - Photographer  Nikki Wruk, Model Nikki Wruk, Model Mary Baker, Faith enfire modeling and photographyMary Baker, Faith enfire modeling and photography Wendy Smith-Ozug, Photographer Wendy Smith-Ozug, Photographer Grace Ozug, ModelGrace Ozug, Model While Nikki, Mary, and Grace modeled with relaxed ease, I was stiff and tense.  I was so nervous.  It took me quite awhile to warm up to being in front of the camera.  I did get amazing direction from the ladies.  It is such a freeing experience to do something that you are terrified to do.  Now I can say, "Been there, Done that" and I might just do it again.  

Have you ever done something that you were terrified of?  Was it exhilarating? 

To see more from our shoots please visit our galleries: 

http://www.lovewithpurposephotography.com/nikkistudio17

http://www.lovewithpurposephotography.com/marybaker17

http://www.lovewithpurposephotography.com/gracestudio17

http://www.lovewithpurposephotography.com/wendystudio17

The first week of the year is "Self- Portrait".  Good timing, right?  New Year, New You; isn't that the motto?  Taking a good look at yourself and seeing what needs to be changed?  Making resolutions to get fit, lose weight, be happy, work less, travel more.  I'm sure we can go on and on.  

Those of you who know me, know that I have been going through a lot of changes and have had some recent sadness in my life.  This project was hard, really really hard.  I know that my sparkle is gone. I know that I have bags under my eyes. It was so difficult for me to get in front of my own camera, even with no one else in the studio.  I know that we are are own worst critic, but seriously...this was bad.  

I uploaded my photos to photoshop and started editing.  Revert. Edit. Revert.  Edit...you get the picture.  I wasn't happy with my images. I finally decided to leave my photos unedited.  Hey, it's ok to have a few blemishes, I'm not perfect.  I have laugh lines; must mean I have spent much of my life laughing.  Those bags though, I guess age, tears, lack of sleep have taken a toll. 

When I look at my self-portrait, I see a woman that is getting older.  I see the little lines that weren't there just a few years ago.  I see a woman who has faced and overcome many challenges in her life.  I see a woman who has loved hard.  I see a woman who has suffered loss.  I guess, I just see me.  I am not ashamed of who I am, who I have become, or what I look like. 

It's just me.  

Do you want to challenge yourself as well?  Take a self-portrait and really look at it.  What do you see?  Every scar, every line...tells a story.  Your story.  The Struggle Fighting this project. This was my first pose of the session. Just OK Wasn't quite sure if I wanted to smile or keep a straight face. I'm Fine This was my favorite photo out of the group.

P8160850-2OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

In a matter of just a few months, my husband accepted a new position in his company that was located in Georgia (Georgia?!? Me, a southern girl?  I wasn't too sure about that.) My oldest daughter accepted a job across the world in Hong Kong, yes China.  YIKES!  (We are so proud of her and love her drive and adventurous spirit, but Hong Kong? She absolutely loves it by the way.) My youngest daughter decided that she was going to move back home and relocate to Georgia with us. So we packed up the house and photo studio and headed south.  

If you can even picture the scenario:  My husband flies down to GA to direct the movers on where to put all of our belongings.  (Yeah, that was fun. Ha!) I load the 6 dogs and 2 cats into my Honda Odyssey and head to Indiana to pick up my mom.   Get to Indiana, almost lost a dog (She escaped her harness and collar!), added my mom to our crazy van and we were off. Heading down to GA in a mini van loaded with 6 dogs, 2 cats, my mother, and a frazzled me. My mom and I actually made a great traveling team.  We tag teamed on getting dogs out and pottied.  I fed the animals in the van and administered meds.  I am sure we were quite the sight. 

Finally made it to GA at about 3 in the morning...super exhausted and just plain worn out! Those months were such a whirl wind yet I was still struggling with thoughts of leaving my home, my family and friends, my studio, my clients?  I was essentially starting over.  WOW!  That was just hard to even comprehend. 

I have been working tirelessly everyday preparing my home and my studio. I am happy to say that my home is coming along and my studio will be completed this fall.  I am so excited!  I had a new logo designed for my Georgia studio and I am also planning some fun on location shoots. I cannot wait to share all the details with you.  

I really want to say thank you to everyone for believing in me, for sticking with me, for loving me.  I could not do this journey, we call life, without you.  

I am going to try to update my blog on a more regular basis. (You know...sometimes life just gets in the way, but I am going to try my best.)

Sending you lots of love from the land of Sunshine, Humidity, and Peaches.

xx

Wendy 

I have been taking pictures ever since I had my Fisher-Price camera; remember the toy camera from the 70's that had a flash on top that turned each time you pressed the bright yellow shutter button?  It really didn't actually take pictures, but it made me feel like a top photographer...snapping away at my baby dolls or at my Barbie dolls in their fashion show.  In elementary school, I had a camera that took 110 film, I remember you could add a flash cube to the top and a side of the flash would burn out after each use.  As a teen, I had a 35mm film camera...I thought I was BIG TIME.  I actually had to wheel the film to feed to the other side.  I moved on to other film cameras and finally in the late 90's, bought my very first digital camera. I never thought I would say this...but, I really did love the switch from film to digital photography.  We all love instant gratification, now, we can see the images before we actually print the pictures. {Sometimes, I do miss the whole dropping off your film at the camera shop, waiting, waiting, waiting, picking up, getting in the car and going through all the images before I would leave the parking lot.}  

While taking all these pictures and hanging my final art work on my walls, friends and family would always say...."Wow, you're really good.  You should be a photographer."  or "Can you take pictures of my kids, your pictures are great."  I never really thought of myself as a photographer, photographer...just someone that took pictures.  I didn't have the faith or belief in myself to really make a career out of photography.  I was always judging my work or comparing it to someone else's.  It took a lot of years to realize that I am my own artist, I have my own style. It is good to admire other's art work, but not to compare or judge your art against theirs.  If people like your style, like your art...like you, then they will hire you.

Fast forward to today... I still hold on to the fear that maybe my work isn't good enough.  I continue to shoot, continue to learn, continue to explore and grow.  And you know what?  I am loving every minute of it.  The other day, my husband came up to me and told me how proud he was of me. How happy he was that I am turning a passion into a career.  I thanked him, but when he turned and walked away, I started sobbing.  He believes in me so much, he knows that I love doing this, he wants to see me succeed, he wants me to move forward, and to grow my business.  I am finally starting to see what he has seen all along, I am finally starting to believe in myself...and I have to tell you, the feeling is incredible.  

Until next time.

xoxo

Wendy 

Thanks to Mary Oyervides for the photo of me.  This was taken when we were doing a nature shoot.  What a fun evening!