I love a good story. It doesn't necessarily matter who is telling it. It could be your grandfather, your mother, or a complete stranger. The most important part is their emotion, reflection, and passion about their story and how it comes through in their facial expressions and hand gestures. Maybe they tip their head back with a guttural guffaw or stop talking briefly and pause--caught up in the memory--recalling why that story means so much to them.
This is why I fell in love with photography. It started as a young kid - a small Kodak Ektralite 10 with a built-in flash (that was so slow) that took 110 film. It took so much patience, lining up your shot and that was only if the flash was warmed up and ready. I dropped off the film at the local film store or watched my neighbor process it in their darkroom and waited days for the results, some of which were not that great. Eek. BUT when they were great, when you captured that one moment that meant so much to your story that day, it was sudden bliss.
About 16 years ago I had my first child. He was so calm and laid back. I could set him in front of our slider during winter when the low sun would filter through the snow sprinkled glass and photograph him for hours. His toes, his fingers, his occasional smile, or laugh at no particular person or object. I could not imagine missing any part of his story. During his first year of life, I would share my photos with my mom's friends and very quickly it was clear that I had found my niche. With a lot of love, support and encouragement I began my Oh Shoot! photography business.