It is true that there was a time there for a bit that I swore I wouldn't give up the business of photography, but that time has passed and the reality of my busy present is what brings me to this post. I do get a lot of emails, texts, and even facebook inquiries about whether I'll shoot "just this one" session, and the answer was yes. But now, at least for the next year or so, the answer has to be no. I've had to reflect on why I left photography to begin with, and that was to focus on graduate school and my family. The latter being what suffered the most in the days when I was trying to do it all.
With that... I don't feel right leaving people empty handed - and believe me, you'll feel anything but empty handed if you are smart enough to hire Jolyn as your photographer.
This summer I found myself looking for a photographer to spend some time with us for a family photo shoot. As you can imagine, with the combination of me just being who I am and knowing what I know about photography...and photographers... it wasn't easy to find the perfect fit. I had some rules (big shock, I know) - they were:
1. I did not want to know the photographer personally.
2. The photographer had to be a photographer by profession, not some fly-by-night who snagged a camera at Costco, bought a quick domain name and pre-fab website, and then called themselves a "professional".
3. The photographer had to have shot film at some point in their past. This was key for me because anyone who can successfully shoot film actually knows how a camera functions (in my opinion). That isn't to say that digital only photographers don't know how a camera functions; it was just my preference.
4. The photographer needed to have an eye for the little things, i.e., quirky facial expressions, worn blankies, chipped fingernail polish, crooked teeth, a candid belly laugh, or fidgeting fingers.
5. The photographer had to be personable, funny, and great with kids.
6. I didn't want really any canned, posed, forced photos. I did want one family photo to appeal to the grandparents and parents who constantly request just that one picture with all of us looking and smiling.
7. Her price point and general style had to be similar to what mine was.
...and voila! Meet Jolyn!
With her permission, I've snagged some sample work of hers so you can have some visual to go along with my wordy words. Jolyn was nothing short of amazing in every way. First of all, being based in Eugene, she was willing to travel to southern Oregon for this session and did not charge us an arm and a leg for it. She was so great with the kids that Steve and I actually removed ourselves from the scene to allow her to work her magic without an audience. The details she captured of our three sweets was not prompted in any way. The only thing I specifically asked for was that she get a shot of Drew with his blankie, which he calls "B". The other details she saw all on her own. She saw Livy's silly little crooked toothed smile, Zoey's stunning curls, Drew's need to have something in his hands at all times, and Steve's natural laugh.
Honestly - I cannot recommend any family photographer higher than I do Jolyn. If you are looking for someone to *sigh* replace me, look no further.
The photos featured of our family are but a teeny tiny sampling of what she got. The other random photos I chose to feature were just some that I loved from her website. Also - she did not ask me to write this or bribe me in any way, shape, or form. Honesty, I just adore her and her work and she's been a dream to work with...and, most of all... I LOVE our photos. I love them so much that I've become my own least favorite client by not being able to choose what to order.
