books, tea, & cameras // emily haven

a few week's ago, i shot a few graduation pictures for my sweet friend emily, which you can see here. yesterday, we did part 2. this girl is graduating in just a few short weeks with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, with the hopes of  becoming a physical therapist. she is super accomplished. we did the session in her adorable little apartment, surrounded by her dozens of textbooks and all the things she loves. we had fun, and i hope you enjoy these photos! 

 

how much do we love this old copy of 'gray's anatomy?'

 

 

i just love her laugh, and i love capturing it!

 

 

emily also loves photography, so we included her camera as well!

 happy graduation em! thank you for your wonderful friendship.

wedded thoughts

don't let that title freak you out. i'm not getting married, yet. but in addition to learning a lot about photography, which i wrote about in my last post, i've also thought a lot about weddings this weekend. the workshop i'm watching is wedding photography specific, and to be honest with you, i think the wedding business is absolutely stupid. 

it's incredible to me how much the wedding business has boomed and how competitive weddings have become. everything has become all about the wedding - big, bold, and stand-out. wedding blogs are everywhere (confession: i follow probably a few too many). most girls 'wedding boards' on pinterest, including me. and wedding photographers are everywhere. i mean, don't get me wrong, i love weddings. i really do. but i don't want mine to be a competition. i want it to be so simple.

i want it to be about us. not about the details, and the number of people attending, and the politics. i have had many friends go through the wedding season in the last year or so, and it's amazing to me how stressful that time is - whether it's other people making things difficult, or just the pressure of getting everything just. right. i have learned a lot just by watching. believe me, my list of do's and don'ts is growing rapidly. 

one of my friends said to me the other day that if she could, she'd take back the deposit on the venue and just have a small backyard wedding. the stress isn't worth it. 

i can't tell you how many times i've told my stressed and worried engaged friends that their wedding day is about them, not about what others will think about the wedding. and in reality, the wedding day isn't the end all and be all of everything either. it's simply the first day of forever. 

on my wedding day, i want to be more excited about marrying my person that stressed about everything falling into place perfectly (and that doesn't mean i want my mom or my MOH or anyone else to take on the stress instead). i want it to be simple and intimate. i want to enjoy the people who are there and know without a doubt that they are thrilled just to be there. i don't want to invite anyone because i feel obligated to. even if that means it's tiny. i don't want to play politics when it comes to my bridal party. i don't want the wedding season to be all about me. i want it to be about us, and what God is doing in and through us, and how our life will be intended to honor God and bless others. 

above all, i want to wake up on my wedding day only thinking, i'm going to marry my best friend today. i want to see him and know without a doubt that this is what God had in store for us all along. 

i will be thankful. so thankful. because i didn't deserve any of it.

and please, if i'm ever on the verge of bridezilla, march me right over to the computer, open up this page, and make me read it.

figuring it out

ever since creating my FB photography page, my brain has been racing. i totally get ahead of myself. ask T. the poor guy. when a thought, or a dream, or a plan enters my mind, it's all i can think about. i think about tomorrow, the next week, the whole year, and the rest of my life. all within five little minutes. it's a little bit ridiculous. my photography brainwave has definitely been on overdrive. but this weekend has brought a lot of clarification.

people have been asking for photo sessions lately, and it's been so humbling. i did not see that coming. and every time i think about it, i get all nervous and unsure. capturing photos of someone is a little bit high pressure. you want to meet their expectations and make the time and the result worth their money. it all rests on you (at least, that's how it feels). but, i've also had to remind myself that i'm only at the beginning. and people know that. and for those who have given me a chance, i so greatly appreciate it. 

for the past two days, i've been tuning into an online photography workshop. it's been extremely helpful, but also very clarifying. i've learned a lot and jotted down notes, but have also come to certain conclusions about where i want my photography to go.

when i pick up my camera, i don't want to look through the lens and see dollar signs or recognition. i want to see people's lives, their emotions, and the special moments they want to remember.

i don't want photography to become another avenue to compare myself to others. i want to find my style and my look and stick with it. there are thousands of photographers out there. conforming would be easy. and the competition is ripe. but i don't want it to be about a competition. i've realized that i'm not in this to be big-time. i'm in it to serve people. 

i also don't want photography to become a way to lift myself up. i've (re)learned a lot about humility. whatever talent or skill i have is not all mine. whatever opportunities i receive are not entirely deserved.

i don't want photography to be all-consuming either. it totally has the potential to be (remember how my brain works?). it takes a lot of time and energy. but i want it simply to be an outlet to love others and live life. i don't want to fix my life around my photography. God's will and the people love are the most important. 

i'm still so excited. but also still feeling so unprepared. the research and the learning has been fun, but it's also been overwhelming. as T cheesily said a few weeks ago in the middle of my overwhelmed crumbling, "how do you eat an elephant? one bite a time." not that we would ever eat elephants. seriously. 

dreaming & learning

just over 48 hours i launched my photography page on FB, and my brain has been thinking about [almost] nothing else ever since! seriously guys, i have a massive exam in less than 48 hours and have probably spent a total of 2 hours studying, if that. it's bad news. while i should be studying the constitution and the industrial revolution and blah, blah, blah, all that historical stuff, i've been blog-stalking and photo-page stalking and grasping at any sort of inspiration i see.

i've been encouraged seeing that everyone great started somewhere small - you know what i mean? a part of me is really afraid to dream big dreams. what if they don't happen? what if i mess up? what if i fail? what if other people don't see my dream? but there are people who i look up to now who also started with a small dream once upon a time. in this day and age, i think it's all about just putting yourself out there. doing it confidently. doing it boldly. i'm lucky to have a group of people who inspire me (even if they don't know who they are, or don't know me at all). i guess that's the value of social media. you gain a network. you gain knowledge, wisdom, and advice from people right next door or thousands of miles away. we all have pipe dreams. in the twenty-first century though, we can share them with each other, and that makes all the difference to me.

i'd like to see Debbie Huber Photography unfold into something big. something that will bless others. something that will make me grow and see things a new way. i want to meet new people and make them smile when they see photos of themselves. i don't want to be afraid to be real - to tell people that i love Jesus and that i am who i am. i want to be bold enough to be that girl without the fear of losing potential clients. i want to remember what is most important in life, and not lose sight of what has already brought me so far. i want to find balance - to be crazy about my passion, but also to drop all of it to meet the needs of my boyfriend, my family, my friends. they are most important. honestly, without them, i wouldn't be where i'm at today. i want to trust that God will open doors and close others, and that He will lead me where He wants me to go.

i want to create a logo-ish thing, i want to have a legitimate photo blog, i want to have tabs on my blog - you know, the 'about me,' 'photos,' 'pricing,' kind of tab things, i want to intern with another photographer or company. one day, i want to work with film and own an old film camera. i want to make a jar labeled 'photography' and put all my earned money into it so i can save up for new things. i want to make my FB page a place of real-ness and inspiration and all things lovely.

most importantly, i want the people i interact with to treasure their photography experience. i want to make it memorable for them.

i feel like i'm on the edge of something big. i'm just trying my very hardest to be patient until i can see what that something big is.

officially launched!

last night, i officially launched my photography page on Facebook. this is such an exciting, but oh so scary, adventure. i have been so blessed by such an encouraging and supportive group of friends who have nudged me into this direction. i am blown away by how many 'likes' the page has already received in just a few short hours, and i already have a potential client! this is definitely one of things where you just trust that God will open certain doors and closing others. lately, He's been opening this door, and i'm trusting Him as i walk through it.

if you could, please hop over to Facebook and check out the new page it's new and just starting, so be patient with me.

thank you all for being so freaking awesome.

easter

this easter was one of my favorites - or maybe they just get better every year...the truth that Jesus conquered death is so triumphant, so powerful. and every year, i'm more overjoyed and more thankful.

our easter this year started bright and early at the sunrise service. it was the first time i'd been at a sunrise service, and i loved it! singing outside in the courtyard, coffee in hand, and watching the sunrise, was so refreshing and an absolute perfect start to the day.

after the service it was time to get ready for tempo, and it was also my first time singing with the worship team - oh man i was SO excited. T was the best and went on a starbucks run and took pictures and was so absolutely supportive. i got to sing with a dear friend of mine, and the whole morning was such a blast (minus the shaky knees and the nerves!). it was such an honor to lead the congregation in song and praise God for the most important celebration in Christianity.

and we matched! totally unplanned, totally perfect.

after church, T thought he was scheduled to work, which i was a little bit bummed about. but really, we had already had the best morning ever - him serving in the sunrise service, me serving in Tempo, both of us spending time with our friends and our Jesus - that i was absolutely content with how happy our Easter had already been. we snatched a quick lunch with Jamanda (after realizing that everything is closed on Easter Sunday - which i fully support, unless i'm the hungry person who wants lunch ;]). and we took lots & lots of pictures - duh.

all spiffed up for Easter!

my favorite, ever.

surprise of all surprises though, T didn't have to work after all and called me 2 hours after his "shift" started saying he was off! what an extra blessing! a quiet day in, getting things done, doing homework, making dinner, and eating chocolate chip cookies was the perfect ending to such a wonderful day...what a happy happy Easter!

graduation bound: emily haven

a few weeks ago, my dear friend emily asked me to take a few grad photos of her - what a total win-win situation: i got to spend a few hours catching up with her, she got her grad pictures out of the way, i had another opportunity to get some photography in, and we topped off the day with iced mochas at bogart's. 

ok, so a win-win-win-win-win-win-win situation.

this girl has been a great friend of mine since my freshman year of college, and i just cannot believe that she will be graduating next month already! this girl is ambitious and driven, yet so creative and loving, and i just know she will go great places - no matter where they are.

enjoy!

baby blessings: kate annamarie

last weekend, i had the chance to photograph our college pastor's new baby. it was such an unexpected opportunity, and i was so thankful! 

meet kate annamarie. 

she is so precious, and was only 8 days old when these photos were taken. 

enjoy her sweetness!