Back to where it all began.

There's something eerie about returning to a place you haven't been to in years and your life has changed IMMENSELY since the last time you were there. You are suddenly so aware of the person you were back then and it's almost as if this place is your own little time capsule. For me, that place was my grandparents farm in Virginia where I returned for the first time in several years while I was out on the East Coast shooting Chad&Gabrielle's wedding. Visiting again held huge significance for me, because THIS is the place I discovered photography. And this most recent trip was the first time I'd returned since I made that decision to pursue my dream.
You see, some time ago my family and I began going to Virginia to visit my grandparents once a year, for a week at a time. One summer, being a restless teenager, missing my friends, and wanting to get out of the house, I needed to find SOMETHING to do... I'll never know what it was that made me decide to pick up my parents point-and-shoot digital camera and go around the farm taking pictures of everything in sight. Whether it was destiny or pure boredom, I do not know, either way...after that week I was hooked.
Coming back for the first time since then, I was flooded with visions of myself from the previous trip years ago, running all over the farm developing a passion for something that would only continue to grow more and more throughout the years. I knew I wanted to take some pictures...but where would I even begin? I knew EVERY inch of this place...where would I start??? And once I did, you know what the biggest surprise of all was? After 10 minutes, I was done. And the reason is, something I'm discovering more and more everyday: I'm a WEDDING and PORTRAIT photographer. I thrive off of real life events, love and laughter, real emotions. It was strangely sad to discover that this place that was once my playground and kept me entertained for days...no longer did it for me. But even more, it was reassuring, because I know I've found my niche. Back then, I was falling in love with photography itself...the release of the shutter...the way the light hits my subject...the thrill of capturing a great image. But I was JUST getting started out on a road that would eventually lead me to where I am today and without a doubt, continues on further. Going back to this place, I wished I could find that girl....me, a few years younger, unsure of what to expect, scared for the future. I wished I could go up to her and tell her what I know now: "You're going to make it".

Here's the pictures I took while out on the farm...