I’m so excited to welcome Lacey Meyers as our first guest in our brand new Simply Photography series! I’m so inspired by what Lacey has to share today and I know you be will too! Enjoy her words and her gorgeous photography.
I love to study photography. I love to analyze photos, observe light and shadows, play with depth of field, know the technical ins-and-outs of my gear … all of it. But the more I have learned about photography and the deeper I dive into this art, the more I have been drawn to the one simplest element that a photograph holds: the genuine moment in life that has been captured forever…
It was that facet that drew me to photography in the first place. Like so many others, it was my goal to document life, my boys’ childhood, as it naturally unfolded. But something surprising happened. Shortly after I began studying photography, I became consumed by what everyone else was doing. I started to try to control every scene I was capturing. ‘Genuine’ took a backseat to trying to achieve a ‘wow’ factor. And then I began to feel like photographing my children wasn’t enough. I began reached out to gain clients, to take portraits, to begin a business. I felt like I needed something more from my photography. Like I needed to do something important with it.
Then, a life-altering experience stopped me in my tracks and reminded me of why I picked up my camera in the first place. And I was saddened to realize that I was moving farther and farther away from that. I wasn’t being true to my vision. For that reason, and a few others, I made the decision to end my portrait business and committed to return my lens back to where it belonged… focusing on my life. On my boys. On our day-to-day.
I am so thankful to now know that this is important. As ordinary as everyday life can seem, these are the days that are forming my little boys into the men they will become and that is so worth documenting. And as their mama, I have an extraordinary perspective to do just that.
I love what street-photographer Elliot Erwitt once said regarding the importance of how we see our subject:
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
We all have a very special opportunity as our family’s historian because we see the ordinary moments of our lives in a way that no one else does. Because of that, there are never-ending opportunities to photograph ‘interesting’ things throughout our days, and that is such a gift to have! We all have that! So I encourage you to not ever feel limited by the photo opportunities that lie within your daily life. Feel excited by the interesting, unique moments that are waiting to be captured because they are yours. And doing so in a way that not only authentically, but beautifully documents your everyday is a fantastically rewarding challenge.
Lacey Meyers is a Lifestyle Photographer in a small, rural town in Oregon. She spends her days homeschooling her three boys, working for Clickin Moms, blogging, gardening and enjoying life in the country. You can read more on her blog and learn all the details about her approach to photography in her Breakout Session: Photographing Your Everyday; Easily, Efficiently and Beautifully . Lacey is also on the team that teaches the Mastering Manual Exposure course, which is perfect for anyone wanting to take their DSLR off of Auto and move toward taking the photos they’ve been dreaming of!
Don’t miss this fabulous guest post also written by Lacey: How to Organize Family Photos. It’s chock full of great tips! Thank you so much for being here to share your words, your talents and your inspiration with us today Lacey!
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Great article! I am an avid follower of Lacey’s blog and photography. When I start to pressure myself to do more with my photography, I will go over and read an article on Lacey’s site to get myself grounded again. I’ve also taken both courses you mentioned and highly recommend them. Your children and grandchildren will thank you some day for capturing all the moments of their lives for them. I’m looking forward to more articles, such as this, on this series you are doing. Have a blessed day !
Hi Maria! Thank you so much, and I’m so humbled to have a little place in your photography journey. 🙂
Gorgeous! Beautiful! Exactly the reminder I needed and such beautiful work to aspire to – thanks!
Thank you, Autumn! I’m so glad you found this helpful. 🙂
oh, lacey, this is SO, SO great! I LOVE following your work and Rebecca I’m SO excited that you’re running this series here. Lacey, your pictures are stunning!! And, what you wrote here is SO, SO similar to the way I photograph.
I actually have never ventured out into photog business, although I’ve wanted to do, because my heart right now is about capturing who my kids are right now while I’m home with them. I also just LOVE taking life as is in the moment….anything in life that makes me smile. There’s nothing better than using the camera to slow down and focus on the good that’s already in our life!!
Your son in the sink…just beautiful!! thank you for inspiring me and sharing your beautiful talent!!
Hi Renee!! I couldn’t agree with you more … they are only little for such a small amount of time and then our opportunities to photograph them will be limited. But then at that point, they are able to have their own memories, too …. whereas when they are little, so much is forgotten. 🙂
What a lovely post…the precious photos, the words, every last bit.
Isn’t Lacey absolutely lovely Brenda!? I so enjoyed her thoughts and gorgeous photos in this guest post! 🙂
I loved reading this. I have a 1 year old and I’m always placing him somewhere trying to get the perfect shot, and it never turns out and I get frustrated that he just doesn’t see my vision. hahaha. Thanks for the reminder of why I’m doing this and why I care so much about the pictures.
SD
I loved this article. Great reminders to capture every day life as it happens in our little world. Thank you 🙂
Wow, this post couldn’t have come at a more poignant time in my life as I realised the exact same thing. Just this week I made the announcement to step back from my business for the exact same reason. I wrote a little blog post here if you are interested.
http://theressaputlandphotography.com.au/blog/4584077699
I am excited, relaxed and looking forward to photographing what I want, when I want with no pressure.
Thanks, Rebecca – I could definitely learn a lot from you about great photos. I love all your family photos!!
Thank you for sharing this! It was so inspirational to me! Such beautiful pictures of your boys as well.