Here I am, sitting in my peaceful, quiet trailer as my kids sleep. This is the last night of our weekend getaway to the beach. We love where we are staying, Pismo Coast Village. It's a large RV park and the sites aren't all that big but there is plenty to do here and there is beach access about 15 feet away! I have been so busy working, working, working, so this is just what I needed.
As many of you know, I am currently the bread winner for my family. We are a family effected by our poor economy. My husband was laid off just over a year ago. At that time I was working part time (I'm a nurse), just a couple days a week and taking care of our kids. When my husband lost his job, my whole world was changed. I couldn't pick up hours where I was working because the patient census was low and I now needed to provide benefits for my family, so I began working at SanJoaquin Hospital in L&D, which is my specialty. My husband became a "house dad" and taking care of everything! We are so blessed that me working full time was even an option and that financially we are just fine. Anyway, I was a little stressed adjusting to all the change, when my house flooded! We then lived in a hotel for 5 weeks... with 2 small children. It wasn't fun, to say the least. Well, anyone who knows me, knows that I am always doing something artsy, and I was itching to learn to use my DSLR camera. So, as a stress reliever, I began taking a few classes and taking a lot of pictures of my kids. It was harder than I thought but I was determined to figure it all out. One photo led to another and after requests from my friends for me to take pictures of their kids, the next thing I knew, I was in business. So, my life has been consumed with photography for the past 9 months. I've been to workshops, conventions, online forums, and blogs... whatever I could do to learn more and more, to make my photography priceless. There is so much more to it than I could have ever imagined! My family has certainly paid a price for it all, in me being gone a lot or consumed with editing. Photography has become a full time job and the nursing part of my life is more part time now. Which is great, but I've been trying to find a balance. Getting a business started has been a lot of work, but I finally feel like balance is coming! I'm telling you all of this because I now know the direction I want to go with my photography as a business. I needed this weekend with my family to remind me why I ever wanted to pick up a camera in the first place! To capture things as they are so I can ALWAYS remember. I love my girls more than anything and I want to always remember their little expressions, their small hands, the way they interact with each other, and even their angry eyes! Kids grow up so fast and before we know it, it's all gone. That is why I love photography. It's the only thing left, the only way to preserve the memories. I want my work to tell a story, to show a personality... not just be a posed picture of a kid in a dress she wouldn't normally wear! I want to help you remember too and thats why I started April Cooper Photography. My sessions will be a little different now. I want to take my time capturing your children and/or family as you are. I want to offer custom photography that you can use as fine art pieces to decorate your home. I don't want to be the photographer that replaces your 8x10's every 3 months, that's what The Picture People are for. I want to be the photographer you invest in to capture and preserve the memories of your life. There is nothing wrong with an 8x10, but what about a fine art canvas? Or a coffee table book? I'm taking a few new approaches in the way I edit pictures, to give a fine art portrait that will make meaningful art in your home. I know that not everyone can afford a custom photography session or a large canvas on their wall but some things are worth saving and investing in, even if it can only be once per year or so. Now that my approach is changing, so are my prices, but I hope you can all understand why. I've had some of the best clients this past year and I thank you all for allowing me to be part of your lives, even if for a small moment. I hope you all will consider, at some point, investing is a custom portrait session with me. On occasion I may offer mini sessions, which are great for replacing your 8x10's at a lower investment, so keep up with me on facebook if you are interested in those.
I guess in all of this, my point is, I love my family and want to see them more. I want to be true to my vision of capturing priceless memories. I've invested a lot in my business and I hope you will consider investing in me. My website will be getting updated with the newest information within the next week or so.
I'm leaving you with some photos of my kiddos from this weekend. Oh how I love these faces!
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