Well, this is it. My first attempt at blogging :) I thought it would only be appropriate to discuss my reasons for starting a photography business in the first place. If you are familiar with my background, you would know that I am a full-time teacher. I love teaching. I love going into work each day and working with some great young minds. However, for the last few years I have felt like something has been missing. What was it?

"Earliest Memories"

I spent hours upon hours looking through old photos during my childhood. I didn't often know the people in them but I loved the way I felt connected to them. I'd make up a story of what they were talking or laughing about. I was now a part of their story. My favorite images are from my parents' wedding album. My mother, is her {a-hem} gorgeous lace, sequenced, puffy, wedding dress. Ok, so maybe not one of the finest wedding fashion trends but, wow, did she look happy. And the people in her wedding party, they looked pretty happy too. And my Mimi, she was laughing at something in one of the photos. Maybe it was because my Poppa had told one of his infamous jokes?

I treasure those photos.

Another one of my fondest memories from my childhood was looking through the old "Time" magazine collection of famous photographs from the last century. I didn't quite understand the words or the history of what the captions said under the pictures but I certainly understood the emotion in the photos. 

I think that's what draws me in. These are frozen moments of our lives. Real, amazing moments and people captured right there! I think I'll blog later on the history of the camera and all my nerdy fun facts but comeeeee onnnnnnn, this is one amazing invention! Imagine our lives pre-camera. Your average person from centuries ago? Forgotten. Your average person from today with their selfie? Captured in time.

"Photographic Magic"

So, in a continuation of today's theme, "A Photographic Journey," I wanted to share another major step in my life towards becoming a professional photographer in two words: Mrs. Arcadi. I will never forget being in the dark room for the first time as she took us through the process of developing our film. I felt like a proud momma holding her baby negatives, waiting to see what they could turn out to be. She had just shone light on a piece of undeveloped paper and put it into the developing chemicals. As she did it, she said, "watch, it's like magic." And as she swished her hand in the developer, just like that, an image of the moon slowly began to appear.

It was magic.

It was beautiful magic.

Thank you, Mrs. Arcadi, for sharing that magic.

My final step came when I realized that my two children were growing way too fast. I wanted to document every newborn wrinkle, every little finger, every milestone. And, I took all those precious little pictures for my family and I to enjoy. Then one day this year, I was teaching my students the history of the camera. The ah-ha! Zach Morris light bulb moment. I love photography. I love kids. I love having a creative outlet. Why not? Why not create personalized photographic experiences for others? I want to share that beautiful photographic magic.

So, here we are. I've started a business. I love the control of running my own business. I love the creative high I get with every click of that shutter. I love giving someone a photograph of their precious loved ones and seeing the same emotion I felt when I was a kid. I'd to think that fifty years from now, those photographs will help make people connected.

Any, hey, maybe there will be another little girl looking at the photographs that I took and she'll feel connected to people she's never met. Or she'll get to see her grandmother as a little kid.

That, my friend, is the power of photography.

Amanda Petrie

A PeaTree Photography