I’ll never forget the first time someone told me they loved my work. The fact that a photograph I took was referred to as “work” took my breath away. It was the recognition that I didn’t just push the button on my camera to take a photograph but that I actually planned, designed, and produced an image that reflected experience and artistic ability. It made me so much more confident to say to people, “I am a photographer.” To me when you say you are a photographer it means you have experience, education, and skill in producing images worthy of being referred to as “work” or “art.” I wasn’t always confident that I was worthy of this title.

Last night I attended a fundraising event where as a group you are taught to paint on canvas. While I was surprised at how much better my painting turned out than I expected, I found myself thinking, “Artist I am NOT.” I planned on posting a picture of my painting with a humorous saying about the difference between and artist and a photographer to which I turned to good ol’ Dictionary.com. I was surprised at what I found.

Artist: 1. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.

Photographer: 1. a person who takes photographs, either as a hobby or a profession

Needless to say I was a little offended at the lack of reverence in the definition of Photographer. Not to mention that I could have been referring to myself as a photographer since I was 12. But the flip side is that while I did have the assurance to refer to myself as a photographer I was far from calling myself an artist. And now? Well no one can argue with the dictionary and according to definition I guess I can now refer to myself as a photographic artist. Or better yet a painter!

Painter: a person who coats walls or other surfaces with paint  (Yep that’s me!)

Thank you for a fun evening for a good cause  www.relayforlife.org/oakleyca

Well my holiday decorations are back in the attic, the tree is on the curb to be picked up today, and the new year has begun. However, the end of 2015 was such a busy time for me (happy dance) and my session blogs fell behind (shame). Time to catch up . .

They say in show biz not to work with kids or animals. If you ask around many photographers will agree. I Love photographing babies! I must admit though, when this client called and asked if they could bring along their family dog  I was a bit nervous. But I figured if I can photograph a newborn and their toddler sibling I can handle a dog! LOL The session went great! This “first born” child could not be more proud of the newest member to the family. Congratulations and thank you for asking me to capture this time for you. It was a great experience.