Real life is big, messy and beautiful

Look familiar? The family portraits of days when everything was film and you were truly on your best behavior because you didn't know what you were getting for at least 2-4 weeks. Mix in the unpredictability of children and you just assumed that you would have to at least spend money on two sessions to make sure you get everyone smiling. I remember when I was little we would always go to JcPenny's or Sears or somewhere to get family pictures done. Everyone looked beautiful, we would have a grey or light blue background.  We always wished for two things during those half hour sessions, no blinking (even if we looked like creepy dolls) and that the pictures were good enough that Mom wouldn't make us go back.

Photo journalistic? Is that what I wanted?

When I got married I believe it I asked for something along the lines of documentary style. Which now I really laugh at because it wasn't. What I wanted was just "not posed, structured and...stuffy." But I really didn't know how to convey or explain that. I just knew it when I saw it. Years of in front of the camera with my dad who is a professional only prepared me for the list of "do's" and "do not's" behind the camera but not necessarily anything else. This is by far my favorite picture from my wedding below.

So when I am asked what kind of photographer I am, I usually say lifestyle.

Life is about stories

Lifestyle  is a kind of photography mainly aims to capture portrait or people in situations, real-life events or milestones in an artistic manner and the art of the everyday. The primary goal is to tell stories about people's lives or to inspire people in different times. See that? Storytelling.

Each one of the pictures tells a story. I am a big believer in messy lives, big smiles and living life as real as possible.

Life is messy

As a photographer, it's our jobs to take the lives in front of us and record them so that the love, the humor and the joy (or utter sadness) can be seen for years to come. The ability to see emotion in a snapshot. That is why I do what I do at Goldiepix Photography. I believe that pictures shouldn't be perfect because people aren't perfect. The moments in time that you choose to record are the ones where skinned knees, crying toddlers or faces full of missing teeth are the ones that we choose to look back at with a smile.

What is your favorite story? What messy love is in your life that you have had recorded or are waiting to be recorded?

I look at my 9 year old son and realize that I only have 18 summers with him and half of them are over! 18 summers before he's off doing what 18 year old boys do. Figuring out a job, college, missions...I don't know. But as we look at those precious few sweet summers, I encourage you to make the most of them. Get annual pictures of you and your family so you can treasure them for years to come.

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