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It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. Henry David Thoreau

If all has gone according to plan today you should be viewing this blog post on the freshly updated be young photography site. If you’ve been following along for awhile you know this is v.4 of my online photography journey. That’s four sites in less than 2 years. Indecisive? Yes. Inspired? definitely. Visionary? without a doubt.

VISION can be a funny thing. I’ve decided of late that it’s impossible to be 20/20.

In my mind, my life was already planned out. school. college. job. marriage. kid(s). stability. retirement. Somewhere along the way I forgot about unpredictability.  That storm cloud up ahead ready to rain out my photo shoot scheduled for the afternoon. Ready to bring on the bad hair day. Soak the cuffs of my jeans and leave a chill in my bones.  Bella was my storm cloud. She was more like a hurricane, quietly building intensity, charting her course toward us, winds whipping around, leaving a path of devastation, and a whole lot of broken dreams.

As the clouds began to part, I placed my camera in hand and saw an opportunity for evolution. The camera that was our first baby gift. The camera I was going to use to learn to shoot like the pros. The camera that would take beautiful pictures of our first daughter. Instead, I used it to show I was emotionally drained. I used it to hide. I used to to create. And I used it to heal.

It was a time for a re-VISION.

What I was looking at during that moment of unpredictability was loneliness. sadness. grief. My camera took the pain I saw and processed it into beauty.  Photography allowed my emotion to be transformed into VISION. A new vision for the present. A new vision for business. A new vision for the future.

Think about the possibilities for unpredictability in your life. Good or bad. Getting married. Starting a new career. The death of a loved one. Car accidents. Surprise parties. Having a child. Losing a child.  All of these events may be a call for your own re-VISION.  We need to learn to be ok with re-VISION in our lives to move past unpredictability, be forward thinking, and process emotion. Think about how you would feel during any one of these unpredictable instances. Dream up your own.

What is your VISION looking like these days? Share in the comments.

The VISION for be young photography has its own unpredictable turns over the past few months.   I hope to be shooting less, teaching more, and inspiring you on your creative journey. The freshly launched be young photography site is only the start of this re-VISION process. New classes, new surprises, and a special launch party are on the way. But if you want in on the celebration you better get on the mailing list by CLICKING HERE.

Baby P.’s mommy and I have been friends for just about 18 years now. We met the first day of 6th grade, we bonded over being the new kids in town and kept each other afloat as we swam through the awkward sea that is middle school. We used to have marathon phone dates, playing MASH to plan our future (anyone remember that game? anyone?), swooning over this week’s crush, and imagining what life would be like when we were “old and had our own kids”. Well looks like that day has arrived (whoa what a thought!). Little did we know back then that we’d still be so close now, still live in our hometown, have husbands that get along swimmingly, AND have babies 8 months apart from one another.  MASH couldn’t have planned it any better.  Now we’re onto plotting how these two adorable girls are going to be best buds as we all grow older together.  Born at a healthy 9lbs 8oz, Baby P. was just 7 days old when I had the opportunity to shoot her session, but she’s already looking so awake – alert – and adorable!

In 2009, my world came crashing down around me. This easy-going optimist was forced to deal with the loss our first baby and be challenged by feelings grief, anger, sadness, and solitude. I was 20 weeks pregnant at the time when our plans, our dreams, and our future were whisked away in an instant. I was not prepared to embark on such a lonely journey and deal with the emotional roller coaster that was to follow.

My first baby gift, during my first trimester, was a shiny new camera. A dslr.  A camera that I longed to learn to use like the pros so I could take beautiful images of Bella once she arrived. Instead, I used it to learn how to process my grief.

After Bella was gone, I scoured the internet looking for bereavement resources that spoke to me. I searched for a community that could relate to my pain. I needed someone to talk to and I wanted an audience who could understand the source of the imagery I was creating. I came up with nothing.  I learned photography on my own, as I grieved, and slowly grew from amateur to professional. I vowed that one day I would create a photography experience like the one I was looking for after our loss.  And now I can not believe that only 2 years later it’s finally here.

Illuminate has arrived. And registration is open.

Here are all the details you may be wondering about before you begin the registration process:

What exactly is Illuminate?

Illuminate is an online based 4-week creative photography journey designed especially for the grieving mother. Together we will learn to find beauty in our world and heal after the loss of a baby in pregnancy or early infancy. Through a series of weekly photography and journaling assignments presented via blog and video cast, participants will learn how basic photographic principles go hand in hand with the bereavement journey.

What photography concepts will be taught during Illuminate?

During the four week e-course you’ll explore the art of photography through storytelling imagery. You’ll learn to find light and shadow, use mood to convey emotion in your images, vary your perspective to add interest, and play with processing for enhancement. Each technical or compositional element we discuss will align with your own personal healing needs.

What are the dates for the first class?

The first class will run from July 6 – August 10

What kind of camera do I need to participate in Illuminate?

Whatever camera you feel most comfortable with. Point and shoot, dslr, or camera phone even! As long as it takes pictures you will be prepared to participate and will be able to work on your photography skills and think creatively.

Are there any other requirements for participation?

All participants need to have a computer, be able to access the internet, and have a connection fast enough to allow for the streaming of video content. Participants will be asked to create a blog in order to share assignments. However, Beryl will provide a video cast with instructions on how to create a blog and even make it password protected if you are uneasy about sharing your work for public view.

How large is the class size?

Class size is limited to no more that 15 participants to keep our community intimate, safe, and special.

How much does Illuminate cost?

Registration is $150 with 20% of the class fee donated directly back to Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope.

Pre-registration began last week for our Illuminate Interest Group and I am already so inspired by the women taking the leap and joining in on the Illuminate journey. Are you ready to be a part of the experience, improve your photography skills, think creatively, and begin to heal from your loss?

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

I am also thrilled to announce that I’m teaming up with non-profit Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope for a truly inspiring contest. The contest officially launches tomorrow but if you are a be young photography follower you can get a sneak peek and enter today by clicking HERE.  Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the emotional challenges surrounding miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. As part of the Illuminate kick-off we’ll be awarding one special baby loss mom with a free registration. However, due to the limited number of participants for the e-course I wouldn’t wait to register if you’re interested. If you register today and go on to win the contest, we are happy to refund your registration fee right away.

Let’s begin the healing journey. Let’s explore our world behind the camera.  Let’s shine together and begin to live again!

As I sat down to write this post, I all of a sudden had a vision of Julie Andrews in my head: “Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things.” I think I need to add tiny baby toes to her lyrics too. And then, the song would be perfectly fitting to be my new theme song.

When was the last time you took a picture of your favorite things?

In life it is so easy to begin just going through the motions. Wake up. Shower. Commute. Work. Commute. Dinner. TV. Bed. Rinse. Repeat. Life becomes stale really quickly using this formula and we begin to lose sight of the details all around us. Day, months, or even years go by. And we realize something has put us in this rut. We’ve lost our sparkle. We eat the same things for dinner every week. Watch the same TV lineup. Our kids are growing bigger. The seasons keep on changing.  And we have not stopped to take a breath or explore the entirety of the world around us.

Details get us out of the rut.

Details help us see creatively.

Details allow us to gain a new perspective.

When we photograph the details in our world we find beauty in the insignificant. We are able to remember the way our cats love to be nestled up in our laps – tickling our legs with their long whiskers, the mess we made in the kitchen baking cookies with our kids – flour leaving a blanket of snow across our counter tops, or the way the sun was shining dew on the grass in the morning just for us – as if it was beckoning us to be bathed in warmth.

Go photograph the details in your life right now. Regain your sparkle. Get out of the rut. And come share your new found beauty in the comments.

 

 

I only wish all of my clients could be as super organized, adventurous, and fun loving as the B. family. When mom Gina contacted me after winning my auction offering for the Playmates in Heaven foundation annual charity golf tournament, she had her session all figured out already.  From wardrobe, to styling, to props she knew what she wanted and she arrived with two laundry baskets full of stuff for us to play with!

We chose a sunrise shoot. We knew the light would be perfect. We knew Kate would be happy as a clam. And we knew that we’d have the opportunity for some gorgeous images. But I didn’t know I’d fall in love with so many of them.

I don’t usually post this many photos from a session, but this time I just couldn’t resist…enjoy!

 

 

 

My fellow baby loss moms, I’m going to let you all in on a little secret tonight. You all are such an inspiration to me. I shed more tears this week than I know what to do with. For your babies. For your pain. I have been deeply touched by each and every one of you who have already reached out to me through our Vision of Baby Loss contest.  Your stories. Your words. Simple. Beautiful. Strong.

Your revealed your stories of emptiness, the cries you’ll never hear, the unused belongings, the ways you remember, the siblings left without a brother or sister, the favorite outfits, the tiny toes and fingers, the wishes you keep in your heart, and the hope you still cling to dearly.

I am even more empowered to get the first Illuminate class underway and continue the process of using our cameras to process our emotions and heal.

I am also so thrilled that Kristin Cook, founder of Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope will be joining on with the first group.  If you want to be a part of the Illuminate e-course, registration is still open HERE and there are only a very few spots left for our July class.

However, one lucky mom has won a free registration.  After a random drawing using random.org the winner of the free seat to our July group is Sefanie S! Her powerful image titled “Four Hands” is featured below and she shares these words:

I’m so excited to have had the chance to work on another shoot with the UnBOWlievable store at the Dulles Town Center mall this month. This was their first ever teen and young adult shoot and man did we have fun!  This was our chance to show off that hair bows are NOT just for young girls but anyone who may be seeking a fun and funky accessory to add to their wardrobe.

We met up at downtown Leesburg coffeehouse King Street Coffee who generously let up take over their sitting room for a majority of the 3 hour shoot. Fortunately, the weather was seasonably mild so we were able to take things outside and utilize the awesome color and texture that downtown Leesburg provides.  The staff at The Pink Shop in Leesburg let us use the outside of their shop to take advantage of how well their building coordinated with our pink bows!

One last BIG thank you to UnBOWlievable store owner Kristin for bringing out some amazing models, makeup artist Christina Miller, and organizing styling them from head to toe.  Models, you made my job easy and the hardest part was narrowing down my favorites for the blog. This is only a small selection of the photos and products we captured. I may have to have a Part 2 to this post later in the week to share some more!

Houston we have a problem. Our tiny newborn has been replaced by a chunky monkey! I’ve been wanting to capture some pictures of Miss Brie in her birthday suit for a few weeks now. All of her rolls, folds, and chunk are just too cute for words. And those cheeks. Oh my! They sure do get lots of kisses from mommy and daddy. My apologies for the belated post. I wanted to get these pictures in just the right light so her shoot was postponed until this morning. I hope these were worth the wait!

Dear Bella,

This day marks the 2nd time we’ll be passing your due date. If you had arrived on this day you’d be one year today. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of you and wonder how different life would be today if you were here. Today we told your baby sister all about you and how lucky she is to have an angel watching over her. Even though she can’t talk yet we knew this made her so happy. She just smiled and giggled over and over again. Thank you for giving us a reason to smile, laugh, and celebrate how lucky we are.

Love,

Mom, Dad, and Baby Brie