Capturing Community {Delight & Be Savvy}

Happy New Year! Can you believe this is the FIRST post to kick off a fresh New year for us? SO exciting.

Capturing community, connection and emotion.

It’s not how to do it, its what I don’t want you to miss out on.

If you don’t know what’s at the heartbeat of your subject, THE WHY. Why they’re smiling, laughing until they cry, Why they are welling up with tears.  At first,
It isn’t really easy, you might even miss moments. You’re missing something so much more. Something so gratifying, so rewarding. You can’t force a laugh, or passion in their eyes, or tears when they see a loved one. Capturing emotion…. Well to be honest it’s not really a skill either, meaning it’s not like you can just go outside and practice capturing emotional connection without a community. You need to get involved first. Sometimes its starting back at square one and looking at someone in their eyes and asking “How are you, really?”

Maybe its not something that can be forced or naturally redone, but it is something you can create, create community for yourself and allow yourself to connect with those around you. Usually that means first putting down your camera, your cell phone or even some “walls”. Yes, emotional walls. Letting people in, Being real, genuine and authentic creates the best connection. And when you’re ready to pick up your camera again, it makes beautiful images too. Let’s all make a promise, to connect in 2015. I love Instagram and the blogging community. But we need to Invest in the community around us, our families, our neighbors, our clients, other local photographers, let’s capture true authentic community and connection. Communities that create better versions of us, that make leaders out of our followers and one day a stronger generation to follow us. It’s time to disconnect from the wifi so we can laugh, cry, tell stories and make real memories together, and when we do share the images together they will be so beautiful.

So that my friends is the key to a good emotional photo, there’s no magic number, or lens or Lightroom preset. It’s just good authentic community.

I’m so excited for a new year, new faces, new adventures that we get to share with you this upcoming year.  Thanks for being such a great online community!