Everyday Beauty | Guest Blog by Ginger Unzueta

I am often asked how my style evolved and what brought me to this point in my photography. It is no secret that I have a great passion for capturing the story of my children.  First and foremost, I give all the glory to God.  My passion, my talent, and my inspiration are all gifts from Him.

When my oldest daughter (who is now almost 9) was younger I took picture after picture of her smiling perfectly at me in her beautiful smocked dresses, with her pretty bows in her hair, at a planned location of choice.  Sometimes these smiles were even real and no doubt, beautiful, but I found I was bored with these pictures.  Her personality and life were missing.  There wasn't a story to them. 

I never put my camera down. I kept picking it up and capturing the beauty around me. (I have consistently taken over 1000 pictures of my own children per month for years—I KNOW, A LOT.)

I fell in love with capturing the everyday for what it is.  I fell in love with the images when my children weren't aware that I was there.  I fell in love with images where I could look back and feel the connection again.  These images told me a story that made my heart skip a beat and made me nostalgic for one reason or another.   I became so alive and passionate as I learned to capture the light and its’ glory around the scene of my children. 

I am very passionate about other mothers learning to capture these same moments with their own children.  I have teamed up with the Bloom Forum and teach a workshop entitled EVERYDAY BEAUTY.  My next class will begin July 22^nd.  You can read more about my workshop here: http://www.everythingbloom.com/workshops.  I will be announcing early registration on my facebook page and blog in early May. 

This is where I normally write a little snippet about the artist, but her about me is poetic and so much better than anything I could have hoped to write.  Her work is captivating and I love her work in my newsfeed, in fact I look forward to it.  

From her about me:

Ginger is a natural light lifestyle photographer located in Central Florida.  She is a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend.  She is a lover and seeker of the light and she longs to capture the love and connections of the people she is with.  She wants to capture the stories of today to be tetold tomorrow.  Ginger yearns to capture the beauty of the imperfect and the details of everything around her.  She strives to give back to this world;  for she has been blessed in immeasurable ways.  She looks for God's direction in all of this with hopes to fulfill His purpose for her life. 

You can find more about Ginger Unzueta here: www.gingerunzuetaphotography.com

and here:  https://www.facebook.com/gingerunzuetaphotography


If you are interested in sharing or guest blogging with Love Photographs Beautifully, please email hello@lovephotographsbeautifully.com - we love gorgeous guest blogs from talented artists.  

Life, Defined Project

 
I don't know if we stumbled upon Life, Defined Project or Life, Defined Project stumbled on us but instantly we loved the idea!  It's a new project and blog devoted to photographers taking photographs of their families. Personally, I have more photographs of other families on my hard drive than my own.  My iPhone is full of my child.  I think that is pretty sad. 

They will have weekly "Lucky Snaps" challenges on their blog and feature entire lifestyle sessions!  This week the theme is Playtime!  What a cute theme!  

A little from the creator of Life, Defined Project -

Hello, My name is Erica Williams, from Erica Williams Photography. I created the Life, Defined Project to capture those everyday moments we don't always remember when are children are growing up. It sad to know that a moment has passed and that you will probably forget it in a few days. As a full-time professional photographer, I don't take as many photographs of my own children as I would like too. I hope this project inspires others to capture their children, lives, and the world around them. After all, these moments are what inspired us to become a photographer in the first place.

 You can find Life, Defined Project - 

 http://www.lifedefinedproject.com  
&
 https://www.facebook.com/LifeDefinedProject

LOVING WHAT IS | Guest Blog from Jude Wood

“Not a day goes by that I don't still need to remind myself that my life is not just what's handed to me, nor is it my list of obligations, my accomplishments or failures, or what my family is up to, but rather it is what I choose, day in and day out, to make of it all. When I am able simply to be with things as they are, able to accept the day's challenges without judging, reaching, or wishing for something else, I feel as if I am receiving the privilege, coming a step closer to being myself. It's when I get lost in the day's details, or so caught up in worries about what might be, that I miss the beauty of what is.” ― Katrina Kenison

  see the beauty in the ordinary day. spend a day documenting your family from AM to PM. make a point to do it once a month and then just do it. it is never easy but it is always worth the effort when you are done! i find having a few projects on the go helpful for me to make the effort to document our days. there are a lot of blog circles going around doing this very thing. if you haven't been invited to one, start your own! (; it will be the boost you need to get the job done! you will have wonderful treasures to look back on in years to come. remember the details. children grow so fast. don't forget to document the little details. my son's dirty feet on the chair. just love.   get them all in the frame. take lots of photos of your children all together. this is such a special time in their lives when they are home with you all under one roof. capture them in their world doing what they normally do.   let go of perfection. it will free you.   embrace the truth. the raw honest to goodness truth. document it. it's ok, it always looks better in photos. (;   shoot what you want to remember. i walked into my bedroom one night and my nightstand looked like that. evidence of sickness. baby girl burning up. this is the throws of motherhood. i want to remember every little bit.   embrace the camera make a point to get in the photo yourself. it is never easy, but do it for your children. to them, you look perfect just the way you are.   evidence they leave behind in their wake capture images without your children in the frame. things change so quickly. in the moment it is easy to be taken for granted, but looking back you will treasure them even more.   shoot what you see what moves you. life is so full of wonder. close your eyes so you can see. it will come to you.

Jude Wood is an amazing lifestyle photographer in Canada, and you can find more about her here.