Yes, that is me, in my old lady nightgown, at maybe 8 or 9 years old already taking photos. As an extreme introvert I went more of the art path for most of my early life. I took all the art classes in school. I do not think my school even offered a photography class, and I would have never been able to do something like yearbook with all the personal interaction that it would have involved. I still love creating art for myself, painting, drawing, embroidery. I work on things on the side when I am not trying hard to make sure all my photo sessions are perfect. And when I am not doing all the other grown up things we have to do, cook, clean, run kids to and from sports, exercise, watch too much tv, read, laundry, dishes, help with homework, volunteer, maybe catch a spare moment to talk to my wonderful husband.

But I never tried to make art a career. I honestly never considered it. I went to college, earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies, got married, worked on the psychiatric floor of the hospital and I thought I would work my way up to being a social worker. Instead I had a baby and became a mother. I quit my job and stayed home with him full time. Up until this point I had gone to school, while working full time, and then got a full time job. I had a life as a student, an employee, a resource case manager in the summer, but all of a sudden (of my own want and doing) I felt like I was only a mother. No one ask me how I was or what I was doing. I felt like my only identity was being a mom. I loved my baby and being his mom, but I wanted something else for myself. At this time I was taking photos of him every moment of the day. It give me something to do and I loved having them to look back on. I quickly started to learn as much as I could to improve. Soon I wanted a "fancy" camera, but I wanted it to be mine, I wanted to earn it for myself. I worked on my mom's farm a few days a week to earn money to buy my first nice camera. For a while the photos I took were not good by professional standards. I wanted to get better so I practiced, a lot. I still love looking though those photos though, and so do my kids.

I wanted to get better so I read, I watched tutorials, I joined chat groups, I spent my "me" time learning and practicing and getting better. The first few years of my children's lives are very well documented. When a friend ask me to take some photos of her kids I thought it would be fun. It would give me experience with other children and hopefully teach me how to think on my feet while shooting. I started with just shooting a couple of friend's families here and there. After a while when we went to hang out with people they did not just ask me about my children. They ask me about cameras, and photos, and how everything was going. I felt like I was my own person again. I had another identity. Photographer.

Photo credit to Elisabeth Sturgis who snapped this while I photographed one of her daughters and the other one snuggled up to me.

At first I did not want to own a business. I thought it sounded like a hassle and would take all the fun out of photography. However it grew more than I ever dreamed it would. I never imagined I would have my own business and studio. The thought that I could be running a full time photography business seemed too overwhelming for the shy introvert that I once was. However here I am. I get to meet new people all the time. I get to hold new precious babies, play games with toddlers to get smiles, help adjust a bride's dress. I get to capture the best moments in people's lives.

I am not sure if I could go back if I would choose to change the way I became a photographer. Would it have been better to go to school and learn the technically correct way to shoot, edit, and run a business? Would it have been easier? Would I have felt it become so deeply a part of my identity if I had not lost my identity first? I am not sure. I like to think this is where I was always going to end up. Photography has taught me how to be a little less of an introvert, how to multitask like a boss, how to work hard at something I love and how to be so incredibly grateful to everyone who allows me to share my passion and dream with them.

So why am I a photographer?  I am a photographer because telling the story of a family that can be passed on is important. I am a photographer because you choose me to capture your memories. I am a photographer because photography fills my soul with joy.

2017 was a phenomenal year for us! I met lots of great new faces and got to revisit with others. I watched so many amazing moments with you and felt blessed with each moment I got to capture. I am very excited to now have a new awesome studio space to offer for sessions. I am looking forward to sharing and growing with all of you in 2018. I do not think I could post an image of all of my favorite times from 2017, these are just a few of our great times together. Enjoy and I hope to see you in 2018 for another incredible year!

The answer is yes, but not all weddings. Your wedding is truly unique, one of a kind, and something that deserves to be photographed and preserved forever. Your wedding photographer is someone who you will work with very closely and be spending most of the day around. You are trusting that photographer with capturing one of the most special days in a lifetime. My goal in photographing any session, including a wedding, is to capture joy and true emotions. I want for you to be able to look back at your images in 20 years and feel that same joy again. Weddings are not one size fits all and it is important to chose a photographer that best fits with your wedding day vision. Because my end goal is always to capture authentic genuine memories and emotions for my clients I have made the decision to only photograph wedding that are smaller and more intimate.

One of the first things to consider when choosing a wedding photographer is what do I want the focus to be in the images? When I photograph a wedding my focus is on the moments between the bride and groom. The little stolen looks and hand holding, the excited smiles, and love. I love seeing all the things that you are just too busy to remember, how the moon shone in the sky that day or how much fun your niece had twirling to the music.

The weddings I photograph have less to do with having the best steak or the biggest cake. And more to do with small powerful connections between people, the love of being where you are, and soaking in the day with a grateful heart.

There is no right or wrong way to celebrate and cherish your day. I personally had a huge wedding with tons of guest and 1 million posed family photos! There are so many talented wedding photographers in the area that if you need all day coverage and multiple shooters I can send you to the right person. However if you are having a more low key intimate day I would love to meet up for coffee and chat.

1) Indiana University Campus

With a mix of wooded areas and cool architecture IU Campus offers a wide variety of backgrounds and places to shoot in a short walking distance.

2) Downtown

The Bloomington Courthouse square and the surrounding B-line trail provide unique art and murals for  colorful and grand images.

3) Private Farm

One of my very favorite locations! 33 acres of farm land with stunning sunrises and sunsets, barns, and lots of open field to play in for a fun session!

4) Sherwood Oaks Park

Open fields, trails, flowers, and a creek. Sherwood Oaks Park has all the beauty you need for a great photo session.

5) Oliver Winery

Always gorgeously landscaped Oliver Winery is a terrific place to shoot a session, and then grab some wine and picnic at the pond. I suggest a morning session before the crowds arrive!

6) Brown County State Park

Everyone loves the impressive views at Brown County State Park. I love the endless trees and lakes. The park is just a short drive east of Bloomington.

7) Clear Creek Trail

The Harris Ford Bridge is an fabulous local location. With the bridge, a creek, and some trails there is plenty to explore.

8) Cartop Beach

A small rocky beach with lots of trees and water make a great location. I really love the texture of some the plants in the summer, and the beautiful color of fall at this location!

9) Switchyard Park

A cool location with the option to have art and graffiti in the background as well as some greenery.

10) Your own land or special place

One of my very favorite places to shoot to where ever is most special to you! I always love coming to a location that is significant to you. That may mean a park, trail, coffee shop, or building that holds a special meaning or it may mean your own backyard. Where ever it is I want to be there too!

That is it! There are my top 10 favorite locations to shoot. They are all amazing and whichever one fits you best is where we should be for your photo session. Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or know of a new awesome place.

Lets review my goals, but first I want to tell you about some new news for 2017. I have updated some information on the website www.amandafieldphotography.com  I will now require a deposit to secure a session date. To make that and other payments easier you will now receive an invoice and the option to pay online, by check or cash. Please contact me if you have any questions. I am looking forward to an amazing year with all of you!

Goal #1) To write at least one blog post a week.

      Ummm, no that did not happen at all. I guess I should try for once a month this year.

Goal #2) To shoot in at least four new locations.

       This goal was met a little better. I loved seeing new places and getting to explore lots of new scenes!

Goal #3) To shoot more seniors.

            I shot a few more seniors and older children last year and hope to shoot even more this year!

Goal #4) To keep newborn sessions simple.

           I was happy to spend the year with so many wonderful new babies. Even better was the goal I made of keeping the sessions more simple and I loved it!

Goal #5) Last but not least I would like to examine my branding and start to advertise.

             Ok, I started out strong with this, but am going to continue and work more at it this year!

2016 was a year filled with fun, joy, and adventure. I had such a wonderful time capturing so many of your memories I have to share just a few more of my favorite photos from the year!

Photo credit:Kelly Gibbs Photography

Isn't that a beautiful family?! I think so because it is mine! I have an amazing husband of almost 10 years, whoa! Richie is kind, supportive, and so easy going. We seriously are a perfect match and I am thankful every day that we found each other.  We also created two terrific boys.  Noah, is almost 8 and pretty much a mini me and Jude, who just turned 5, is totally himself.  Having children is fun, difficult, rewarding, and exhausting, so you know everything all at once! This little family of mine is great, but I am also happy to say that we have a huge amount of family on both sides.  All of my family still lives in the same town so we always get to see my parents, siblings, grandparents, and so on.  Richie is the oldest of seven boys and even though we all live apart we regularly get to skype and keep up with his side too.  We love family and are truly blessed with all that we have.

Speaking of family I should mention Laika.  I practically made my husband get this dog from the pound because when I saw his photo online I fell in love.  Well, apparently Laika fell in love too.  He doesn't leave my side.  He lays outside of the bathroom door when I shower.  He doesn't want any other family members to let him outside in the morning, he waits on his chair or scratches at my bedroom door until I will get out of bed.  Thankfully the kids do love to play with him and he is just so adorable that I can't help but love him too.

So what do I do in my free time? You know all that time I have between sessions and kids? I really do love to cook as long as it isn't dinner, haha.  I love to make breads, cookies, puddings, cakes, oh you know all the things you should not eat everyday.  When I was growing up I always enjoyed making the cake for my mom or dad's birthday or Mother's day, but I never cooked anything else.  My mom was worried that I would grow up to be an adult and not know how to make a meal so once a week she made me in charge of cooking dinner.  Honestly I do not remember how well those dinners went over and when Richie and I got married I still prepared nothing but baked chicken for 80% of our dinners.  Finally he expressed that we had to eat something other than baked chicken and now we are very diverse in our food. However I must confess that there where a lot of calls to my mother about how in the world to cook rice or chop garlic in the first few years!

My neighbors probably think that I am crazy.  I am always hunting around in the grass and bushes for insects to photograph. It is a funny thing but I find macro shots of bugs fascinating.  I truly do not know what to do with all the photos I have of spiders, flowers, snowflakes, and various other tiny things.  It is both challenging and rewarding at the same time. It also provides me with something to shoot while at home and my boys decide they have had enough of my camera in their face.

When I was a teenager I loved arts and crafts of any sort.  I drew, painted, cross stitched, pretty much anything creative. This winter I have come back to embroidery.  I get so excited during my busy photography season that I let most things slide to the back burner, ahem laundry.  I feel so creative and expressive while shooting and editing that I need nothing else.  I have come to realize though that I lack that in the winter while I am not shooting as much and embroidery has been fulfilling that for me this year.  I love some of the things I have created so far. I know that once the spring is here embroidery projects will slow down, but I am delighted to have rediscovered this artistic outlet again.

I never want to move.  I love my hometown. This is not it though, this is Chicago. I also love Chicago. It is just far enough away for me to feel like a trip but still feel close to home.  It is just big enough to feel exciting but not overwhelming.  I am a huge introvert so traveling is not my favorite thing, but Chicago feels comfortable and relaxing to me.

Whew, ok so now you know a lot more about me.  As I look out my office window and watch the snow melt I am thinking about all the wonderful sessions coming.  I can not wait to meet you and your family.  I know that we are going to have a marvelous year full of sunshine and fun times!

So after looking at all these gorgeous families can you tell me what is the same about all the photos and why I love them? In each and every one of these photos the family is connecting in some way.  These photos show happiness, love, and the unique relationship of each family. I try at every session to get that everybody sitting down and look at the camera and smile please because grandma realllly wants this photo. However it is also really important to me that your photos display the warm emotion and closeness of your family.  I photograph families with small children often and as a mother of two I promise you that they are not going to be small forever.  If your child is shy and wants to hold your hand for a while at the beginning lets make sure to document the tenderness of that or maybe they want to have an all out tickle war to start with because they just love being wild and crazy. I love photographing your family just the way it is and want to help you preserve these memories so that they can last a lifetime!

Goal #1) To write at least one blog post a week.  That is a pretty straight forward and simple, right? I truly think this maybe the hardest goal to accomplish though. I may need a little help from you, what would you like to hear about?

Goal #2) To shoot in at least four new locations.  There are a few places that I tend to shoot at a lot but that does not mean that I do not love to shoot in new locations. Some areas I am excited about trying this year are: Spring Mill State Park, Lake Monroe, and The Story Inn.  Any other suggestions? Some of my current favorites are:

1) Campus and downtown. If you want a more urban feel to your session but still want to get some nature shots Campus has the best of both worlds!

2) A private farm.  One of my wonderful family members lets me use his 33 acre farm land for sessions. There are barns, tall grass, and beautiful sunsets.  It is hands down my favorite place to shoot morning or evening sessions!

3) The Stone Mill. This is a truly unique place that has tall stone walls, an empty warehouse, and an abandoned firetruck. On a sunny evening the light is gorgeous, but it is a hot spot so expect to run into lots of other families getting their photos taken too!

4) The Winery.  I know, I know it is one of everyone's favorites.  I am putting it on my list, however I only really like it in the morning before it opens.  Evening sessions there are packed with people visiting and wine tasting. I love going by 8:30am before it opens and it gets to sunny or crowded with other guest.

Goal #3) To shoot more seniors.  I spent 2015 focusing on newborns and it was awesome.  I love everything about newborn photography and it is certainly a passion of mine.  I also love high school seniors and really want to focus more on them this year.  I mean look at them, how could I not want to be around them?!

Goal #4) To keep newborn sessions simple. When I first started out photographing clients years ago I thought that I needed every prop in the world for newborns.  Over time I have come to find out that I love natural photographs that show the true beauty of the baby rather than a huge bow.

Goal #5) Last but not least I would like to examine my branding and start to advertise.  Up to this point I have only used word of mouth and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AmandaFieldPhotography). I am not sure how I am going to go about this yet, a booth at the local fair or baby show, volunteering my time somewhere, or starting a senior rep program. Whatever I decide I am excited to see how it all plays out this year.

Whew, that is enough to focus on I think.  What about you? Do you have any goals for 2016? Whatever you are planning I hope it is a happy and healthy year for you all!

Maxwell was such a joy to photograph as a newborn and it is always exciting to get to see returning clients.  I am already thinking of what fun we are going to have at his 1 year session!