Voyage Creatives Photography

Officially introducing Voyage Creatives Photography!

I've been toying around with really going after my photography business for a couple of  years now. But, after shooting my little sister's labor and delivery of her precious son Theo, I am 100% sure that capturing the story of family is what I want to do. And not just my family (all though I'm sure they will get sick of me asking them to meet for photo sessions over the years) but families of all shapes and sizes from all around the greater Nashville area.

Maternity, Birth, Baby, and Family photography will be my specialty, but couples in love, monumental family events and even you with your fur babies would be a beautiful story to tell with my lens.

I just spent the last week working on my new website and would love to hear your feed back. Go parooze around and message me or send me an e-mail at kat@voyagecreatives.com with your thoughts.

Routine

I feel like I am finally catching my breath this week. Since late March we have had visitors and travel non stop. It has been wonderful and draining. This week will be our first full "normal" week at home without someone staying here or us leaving mid week to travel in over a month. I feel like I'll finally be able to catch my breath and get my house, health, and relationships back in order. Routine is soothing for my soul. When I'm not in a good rhythm everything in my life suffers and I become lazy....thus the blog absence and my expanding waist line.

Anyway...

The biggest news that has come about in the last three weeks is my little sister Emily had her precious son. I was honored to be present for a big part of my sisters labor and delivery to take photos. I can honestly say I have found my new passion in birth photography. I've always enjoyed all types of photo shoots, but the intimacy and spontaneity and miracle of capturing a woman as she becomes a mother in all its beauty makes my heart beat fast and my eyes well up with tears. Granted, this was my little sister in labor, but even so, I know I would feel similarly for anyone going through this process. I'm drawn to the love that surrounds and exudes from a pregnant women as she opens her body to bring new life into the world.

I was hoping to get the very first moments of my nephew's arrival, but alas, after 3 days of exhausting labor Emily ended up with a c-section and I wasn't allowed in the delivery room. However, I snapped a few photos of Gabriel with his new son right afterward and then the next day I took some of the whole family and a few newborn portraits of the little man.

Welcome Theodore Eldon Duane Myrin. Here are a couple of those photos. To see more, check out my photography blog here.

P.S. If you live in the Nashville area and are pregnant and interested in maternity, birth, newborn or family photos contact me at kat@voyagecreatives.com. I would love to buy you coffee to talk about what I can offer!

A Visit with Framily and some Maternity Pics

Yes...you read that right. Framily. We like to make up words here in the Michael household and Framily is one I just now came up with. It applies to 99% of the people I'm related to who also happen to be my friends. (I'll let all your ewing/michaels fret about whether or not your fall into that 99% or if you are the 1% that I consider a Fameney - family/enemy - jk)

This past weekend we visited some of our favorite framily members...Josh's older sister Andrea and her husband Mike and sweet almost 2 year old son North.

We had a nice time staying up way to late drinking wine eating cheese, trisects, chocolates, frozen pizza, and gigantic cookies. Saturday we went into Mike's new place of work - Brothers. It's a fabulously awesome restaurant in the heart of downtown Campbellsville, KY. The menu features down home cooking with an upscale vibe. Half chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket served on a toasted bun with sharp cheddar and an onion ring, hand cut french fries, spicy gumbo washed down with a coca-cola classic all in a rustic modern vibe dining room with hardwood tables and stainless steel accents. Delicious.

After Mike got home from work I snapped a few maternity shots of my sister in law who is due in 9 days with baby #2. I really enjoy maternity shoots. I haven't done many photo shoots in general, but of the ones I have done I think maternity are my favorite. Expectant women are a beauty to behold. The way their bodies expand and make room for new life is nothing short of miraculous. And even at 39 weeks pregnant Andrea is gorgeous. Here are a few highlights.

Day Dreaming and Penny Pinching

Today, i've been daydreaming about the camera i'm saving up for. I mentioned i was saving for said camera back in June of 2010 and that week I made an awesome piggy bank that is virtually indestructible. Basically, it's a giant plastic almond container from Costco and I cut a hole in the lid. Duct taped the entire thing shut. Then wrapped it in pretty wrapping paper.

behold.

This thing is great, because I can't cheat and take money from my camera savings to buy new shoes. to get into the container would mean I would have to take the entire thing apart which i'm sure will be semi-difficult considering it's that freakish plastic that is next to impossible to cut through. (as a child it seemed that EVERYTHING at christmas was packaged in this stuff!)

this set up is good for me because i have a habit of randomly blowing money on things I don't really need, like another pair of $6 leggings from target, some more black shirts, etc.

Anyway, I've decided I want a Canon 50D, plus a lens or two, a cool camera bag(maybe this one - or this one), a tri-pod, some UV filters, and a clip on flash.

Since i spent some time daydreaming about my camera today i decided it would be a good time to decorate my savings-almond-container to inspire me to continue to put my clothing fund in there every other week rather than blow it all at Target.

I sketched a camera!

Then, to spice it up, I added some stars!

and then willow wanted to jump on my lap. so we took some pictures too.

The only draw back to my almond-savings-container is I have no idea how much i have in there. In order to find out, i will need to rip the thing to shreds. Basically, i would rather wait too long and have too much then then get in there too soon not have enough and then not have a safe continer for my money thus tempting me to go thrifting with my hard-earned camera money.  I should have been keeping track how much i put in there on the side of the container or something, but alas, i was not smart enough to think of such a thing last June. I think I have about $750 in there...who knows. I think come April 1, i'm going to bust in there and see what kind of damage i can do.

Any of you out there have SLR cameras? Which do you use? Any advice for a camera novice?