DelaLane Photography Blog » {Tell Your Story} Newborn & Family Lifestyle Photography in Yucca Valley, Ca

It’s May. I am officially 5 Months behind with blogging. At this point it’s become so overwhelming to me that I’m having to overcome feelings of panic when I think of the thousands and thousands of photos I’ve taken since the new year that are sitting on my hard drive. But I have to start somewhere.

I recently posted a bit about my struggle with balancing it all, the business and the family, being a photographer and a mom and wife. Just like everyone else, I’m busy. And my to-do list never seem to get any shorter. Blogging is generally one of the first things that goes on a back burner when I get to a point where that balance is in a precarious position. But it’s not because I don’t love it.

In all honesty, blogging is my favorite platform. I prefer it to websites and I prefer to Facebook. Facebook is great for quick posting. Websites are great for showing off favorite images in high resolution. Blogging is a way that I get to share the high points of an entire session as a unit, from my perspective, highlighting what I found most compelling and telling a little chapter of a family’s story in images. A session doesn’t seem complete until I’ve blogged it. There is so much satisfaction in seeing it all put together, a snapshot in time, a period in a family’s life commemorated forever. I just love it. This kind of storytelling through images is a passion of mine, something I do a lot of for my own family.

And I’m blabbing… which I really shouldn’t be doing because I have a couple dozen blog posts to get through. Back to it. I’m just going to take them one and a time and try to pick a few favorites from every session I’ve done in 2013 so far.

Here’s #1, a family lifestyle session I did with cute little 3-month-old Olivia and her parents back in January. I photographedΒ  Kevin & Natasha’s engagement session in 2011 and now have the pleasure of meeting up with them every 3 months to photograph their first child’s first year in a series of sessions, a “Year in the Life” of Olivia package. (I’m currently recruiting babies born in August or later for Year in the Life sessions. If you’re expecting and interested in more details in a baby’s first year package, I encourage you to contact me now and we’ll chat about how we can preserve your little one’s first year. Space is limited. And feel free to check out other sessions from Year it the Life series here.)

Tell Your Story | www.delalanephotography.com

Thanks to all our awesome clients, DelaLane Photography is officially booked for APRIL, MAY, JUNE & JULY. We’ve already taken on twice the number of sessions we had originally planned on, and unfortunately can’t put off this announcement any longer. (The ONLY possible exception might be newborn sessions since those cannot be postponed – and even then, only very limited due dates might be a possibility – OR in the event of cancellations which are very rare.) There are only a couple of spots left in August and they won’t last long.

We are NOT booking fall sessions (after August 31st) YET, but are planning some fun stuff! Details to come. If you’re interested in what DLP has in store for Fall 2013, be on the lookout for various announcements over the next several months (here on the blog and on facebook.) Session dates and opportunities will be LIMITED, different, and fun! (For example, I’ve heard rumors there might be some possible MINI SESSION opportunities….;))

Please read the below details carefully!

If you’re interested in being notified about dates and opportunities (when the time comes and details are made available) feel free to respond using the contact form HERE and let us know that you’d like to be added to the WAITING/MAILING LIST along with others who we’ve been unable to squeeze in this summer. You will be added and contacted in the order in which we receive your requests. So don’t wait! Sign up now. There is no obligation to book, but please, serious inquiries only. (We will not respond directly to every inquiry at this time. If you contact us using the link above, providing your name and email address, assume that you will be contacted with further info at a future date!)

**This does NOT in any way guarantee session availability…** (please hear that part!!)

…but it does allow us to attempt to help people in the order in which they express interest, and we like to try and keep things as fair as possible whenever possible!

I’m blown away, so grateful, and so excited for the future of DelaLane Photography and all the new offers, new clients, and new photos coming up! Stay tuned for announcements and sneak peeks from all the awesome summer sessions we’re in the process of planning. For everyone who has booked a session this summer, I look forward to working with you! Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support.

If I could give advice to aspiring or just starting out photographers, one of the very first things on my list wouldn’t be what equipment to buy, how to price your services, how to get and keep clients, or what settings to use when you shoot (although I do frequently interact and enjoy talking about these things with other photographers!) All those things are important and good, and if we are serious about this business, we grow in knowledge and experience in these areas with hard work over time.

The advice I would give first is this: Consider your Family.

Let me be real. I love what I do so much. But my favorite hobby is my family. My second favorite hobby is photographing my family. My third favorite hobby is this business. It’s still very high on the list, but it’s not first.

And let me tell you. It’s a struggle. It’s a struggle to find the time and energy to do it all. This isn’t meant to be a “poor me” post. On the contrary, I am blessed beyond measure by my clients and the overwhelming support I’ve gotten over the past several years as this business has grown and become something better and beyond what I imagined. I LOVE WHAT I DO! I literally thank God for the opportunities that have come my way every day. It blows my mind! And I am so, so grateful!

I thank God for my family every day too. And being a good wife and mom is my ultimate earthly goal. Dividing my time between family and business (not to mention other family, friends, and other obligations and responsibilities) is a serious juggling act. I am sleepless a lot. And I struggle with whether to give up time with my children during the day so that I can work, or to work in the middle of the night and risk sleep-deprivation-induced grumpiness with my children the next day. I struggle with whether to spend time on much needed and enjoyed family outings or stay home and sit in front of the computer editing photos. I struggle withΒ  whether to spend that cuddle time with my husband in front of the TV in the evenings after the kids are in bed or to sit down and respond to the dozens of emails that require responses from me every month.

I wouldn’t change what I do. But it is a daily battle to keep things in balance. To find the time. To do everything I do to the best of my abilities without sacrificing or compromising anything.

Because my kids will only be little once, and I don’t want to miss out on these years – not even in the smallest way. So, if you’re thinking about going Pro, consider the investment. I believe it can be done, and I do my very best to balance both – being a good mom and a good photographer/businesswoman. But it is difficult. I didn’t know how difficult it would be when I first decided to go Pro several years ago.

Consider your family. And be ready to say “no” a lot if you want to keep any balance in your life. It’s a lesson I am still constantly learning. I am not there. I do not always perfectly manage all of the responsibilities in my life. I need the Lord in my life, a lot of prayer and guidance to make it happen. The reason I try so hard, work so diligently, and invest so much of myself into what I do is that I LOVE this business. I invest my life into it. I invest my heart and soul into what I do. I hope the depth of my feelings can be accurately conveyed by these meager words. I won’t do it if I can’t do it to the best of my ability, to create something unique and genuine. I take the whole thing very, very personally. It can be all-consuming if I let it. I don’t want to give up being a professional, being the person that others come to for help preserving and commemorating their own lives and memories. That is such an honor and I enjoy doing it so much!

This was NOT what I intended to write when I sat down to blog our family trip to the local carnival last weekend. I was going to give a little play-by-play and a few tidbits from our outing. I hadn’t originally planned sharing these images at all. These are the kind of images I’m always taking of everything my family does, and I’ll let these few snapshots tell their own story since I’ve blabbed so much about other things.

I guess I was feeling a little guilty that I spent some time editing these photos instead of catching up on other responsibilities. But I’m glad I did it. Brief hiatuses like this help me remember just how much I love my family and how much I love preserving our lives in photographs. I feel like nothing translates into who I am as business owner and photographer at DelaLane Photography more than that does.

Who doesn’t love Pinterest these days, right? One of my absolute favorite quotes I ran into when I first signed up last year is this:

“Taking time to Live will Only Inspire Your Work.”

It’s true. And I don’t ever want to stop living so that I can work. There is nothing more life-giving than spending time with God. After that, my family is the most important and inspiring thing in my life.

Consider your Family. And then go be the best you can be. It sure is an awesome ride. πŸ™‚

  • Tiani - Just wanted to tell you that you are amazing! I’m still struggling with balancing family and my passion/work of quilting. I finally just started potty training Nathan and am getting so discouraged. (I know it’s only day one) I am also so discouraged that I may not be able to set a family photo session:( I’m still hoping though that I can save all my birthday money (which is June 1st) and maybe have enough with my dlp points. ANywho…I’m blabbing…just wanted to tell you to keep up the great work! I love all your photos and blogs!ReplyCancel

  • Jan Gonzales - BeautifulReplyCancel

I had the privilege of meeting this sweet Australian family right before Dad, who is working with our marines in 29 Palms, deployed to Afghanistan. They decided it was important to them to have some photos of each other to hold on to during the long separation they have to endure for the next several months. Even though I was technically on maternity leave after welcoming our son into the world, I couldn’t say no! I am a photo junky! And photos of my kids and of my family are so incredibly important to me, even when I’m not about to be separated from them for 7 months. πŸ™ Our military families (domestic and those of our allies) give up so much to do what they do. I am always in awe of their strength and dedication, their selflessness. Hopefully these photos will bring some small comfort, and the time with pass quickly until he’s back home, safe and sound!

  • Deja - Beautiful family xoReplyCancel

  • Natalie Mackay - Amanda, when i first decided it was high time we got some new family photos done I wanted to achieve 2 things 1. To capture our time in the desert / the USA and 2. To have these precious memories to help us all get through the year. I looked at many photographers websites, but knew you had a special something i couldnt let go of! Not only did you sneek of maternity leave for us, your beautiful nature & personality shows in your work & I feel so blessed to have crossed paths! I constantly tell everyone you are the best of the best, and they arent just photos to us, they represent everything of our 2 years here. The photos have also bought tears to family back home! THANKYOU is not enough!ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer - I’d love for you to do some photos of us out in the desert this spring!ReplyCancel

  • Erin - I just adore this family! These photos are just what they needed to help with daddy’s deployment. Stay strong Natalie:)ReplyCancel

  • Rebecca Simmons - Beautiful pictures, beautiful family!ReplyCancel

  • Jacklyn - BeautifulReplyCancel

  • Codi - Daddy and kid love…beautiful.ReplyCancel

  • jenny sherwood - nice familyReplyCancel

I have been so fortunate to get to hang out with these two special and very photogenic ladies at least once per month for all of 2012. I’ve done 13 sessions in a little over a year for this family, beginning with a maternity/family session and newborn photos, and ending with these – Felicity’s one year photos – all part of a “Year in the Life” of Felicity series. Her first year is now preserved in photographs so that they never forget all the ways she grew and changed her first year. It’s a fascinating progression watching a newborn turn into a toddler and I feel so privileged whenever I get to help commemorate the process in photos.

And after all that cuteness, it was time for her party. I’ll leave you with my favorite image from her celebration with friends and family. Now THAT is a stellar cake smash. πŸ™‚

I’m going to miss seeing you every month, Miss Felicity! But I’ll be around for now, and I’m still planning on watching you grow up whether you’re near or far! Thank you so much, Nicole, for letting me be a part of Felicity’s and your family’s lives this year. It’s been so much fun. So, so much fun!! And I am in awe of the stash of images we’ve created together. I hope they are a blessing to you and to her for many years to come. Thank you too for all your patience, hard work, planning, ideas, collaboration and for being such a kind friend to me on top of it all. May God continue to bless your family. Can’t wait to meet that sweet baby still growing in your belly! πŸ˜‰

You can find all the rest of Felicity’s Year in the Life Sessions Here.

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