I am not a 'photographer', although I love photography, and taking pictures. And I love taking pictures of people. Since I can recall being able to pick up a pencil and draw, all I ever wanted to draw were people. Faces. Dancers. The human form. It is just so beautiful and interesting and perfectly flawed. Recently, my aunt asked me to take some pictures of her and her family. I was honored to do so, and yet a little intimidated. I had never really been asked to take pictures for someone before, and I had never attempted shooting this many people all together. Let me just say that my respect for family/group portrait photography went up quite a bit after doing this.. It's not easy!! But I took the challenge, and we met up just before sunset in the woods in West Hartford.. And thankfully I had my talented friend Jason Langevin there along side me second shooting so I wasn't so nervous about not getting enough shots.

Needless to say, this was quite a learning experience for me. So much goes into this craft, there are so many things to consider; creatively and technically. And I have so much more to learn. But I am grateful for each one of these moments for they are the moments that allow me to grow as an artist. This is when I gain appreciation for not only the so very talented artists who inspire and educate us on a daily basis, but to people like my Aunt who believe in art, and the artist. People who encourage the learning process by taking a chance on the amateur. This is what makes art. To you all, a huge huge thank you.

(above image shot by Jason Langevin)