Thank you so much for stopping by today. If this is your first visit, you probably want to know who I am and why you should read or listen to anything I say.
Please allow me to introduce myself. . .
Though I’m not a California native, I grew up in the sunny paradise of San Diego. I attended San Diego State University, where I was awarded a degree in Journalism the day before my first child was born. I’m married to my very best friend and I have known him nearly all my life. We’ve now been married more than a quarter century and he’s still the person I most like to spend time with. We have four great kids and three are still at home, keeping my sweetheart and I on our toes. There is nothing I like better than spending time with my family.
When I’m not busy behind the camera or at the computer, you’ll either find me experimenting in the kitchen (you can find my adventures in cooking on my other blog, Modern Molly Mormon) or out exploring beautiful Colorado—or farther afield, when I am so fortunate.
I have always been a writer, a teacher and an entrepreneur. Since I read my first book at the age of five (You Will Go to the Moon by Mae & Ira Freeman—have you got a copy for me?), I knew that words would be a big part of my life. I cannot remember ever not being driven to write. I began keeping a journal at the age of 12 and continue it even now. Someday I’ll make it into a hilarious novel–probably after all the guilty parties have passed on. Somewhere along the way I received my first camera as a Christmas present and quickly fell in love with photography. I was an editor on my high school paper where I learned the power of combining words and pictures and it was quite the adventure. That and marching band make up the bulk of any fond high school memories I might have.
And since everyone always wants to know the really juicy details, here is some really unimportant trivia about me:
My eyes are two different colors (one is green and one is brown). Sometimes it is so obvious that strangers stop me on the street to ask me if I know this. Clearly, I’ve figured this out by now. It is not because I forgot to put in one of my contacts–I don’t wear any.
I think popcorn is a food group. So is Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
I once fell off a cliff into the ocean during a portrait session, but climbed back up and finished the session anyway. Yes, it hurt and for many years I thought my ego was the most badly bruised part of my body. Now I am older and the shoulder I landed on is paying the consequences.
I love to watch the sunrise and find places to photograph the sunrise every time we travel. I think Trail Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park at sunrise is about the best place to be on the planet. I like it the rest of the day, too, but there’s something about watching the sun come up from the top of world that just has a really spiritual quality about it.
I love to read murder mysteries.
I am not allowed to drive on a road trip with my husband because he says I make too many sudden stops for photographs. What did he expect? I was a photographer before I married him.
San Francisco is my favorite city to visit. Manhattan is second, even though I’ve only been there once. I’m ready to go back anytime–well, maybe not winter again, but any other time. San Diego is also pretty high on the list, but being as I grew up there, I don’t consider going back “visiting.”
And Then I Became an Entrepreneur. . .
My entrepreneurial leanings emerged when, like most teen-age girls, I started babysitting for friends and neighbors. Even at the paltry wage of 50 cents/hour, I was making close to $50/month in junior high school. During my high school years, I also made and sold macramé pot hangers (now you know how old I am!), tutored fellow students in math and languages and taught private swimming lessons.
At 19, I became a professional photographer and have worked both from my home and then in my own retail studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the same time, I was working my way through college first as an advertising copywriter and then as an assistant to an editor at Better Homes & Gardens, which means my poor husband always has some kind of remodeling or landscaping project on his to-do list. I’ve been creating and producing newsletters and advertising copy for different organizations and companies since high school. I also edited school curriculum and textbooks for a few years after college and I have been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, both for my writing and my photography.
I’m a Certified Professional Photographer through the Professional Photographers of America. Basically, it means I took a really hard exam, had my business scrutinized and passed an image review that says I really do know what I’m doing with a camera. In order to keep that ceritifcation, I have to continue improving my skills and attending workshops and seminars to keep learning. Thankfully, studying and learning photography is always fun.
After a brief foray into the corporate world, I realized that I needed the flexibility to be home with my family and the creativity and challenge of entrepreneurship to keep me happy. As a small business owner, I created many of my own marketing campaigns out of budgetary necessity and studied and practiced graphic and marketing skills both for my business, for other businesses and for associations and groups I was a member of.
And Here I am Today. . .
We moved to Colorado in 2010, achieving my lifelong dream of living in the Centennial state. With the move came the opportunity to re-evaluate my business direction and shift gears back to a focus on writing and teaching business and photography, while I continue to photograph families and commercial events and projects. I have been a computer user since the earliest days of college and an avid online networker for nearly 20 years. Moving into the virtual world was a logical next step for me. After designing and optimizing my own websites for several years, learning the ins and outs of forums, email groups, social media and online marketing, I began helping fellow photographers and photography clients to set up websites for their businesses and helping friends and clients learn their way around WordPress, Facebook and Twitter, and help people realize the power of words and pictures in building their businesses.
Let’s Connect. . .
I would love to connect with you wherever you might be online. I’ve listed my current connections below. Please connect with me and let me know how I can help you on your journey as well.
