Vicki is a child photographer based in Springfield, MO. Vicki is another crazy phenomenal photographer I met on a forum as I first started getting serious about photography. I can honestly say that I didn’t really like her that much at first, but what initially turned me off is exactly what I’ve come to love about her. She is honest. There is no sugar coating. I started the way most photographers do-taking pictures I loved and having family that “loved” everything I did, pushing me to possibly pursue this as a business. I believed family and friends and felt like I knew how to take fantastic pictures but then I started sharing them on forums and having someone actually critique them stung. A lot. At first I wondered what she knew that made her feel like she had that right, and then I started studying her pictures and *duh, lightbulb moment* realized she really knew what she was talking about. Her pictures had something to them I wanted to emulate-they were soulful, they drew you in without all the fluff and *gasp* they were stunning (and properly exposed LOL). That was a moment that forever changed my portraits. It made me realize how much I needed to learn. There is so much more to photography than pointing the camera at a pretty subject and getting a pretty picture. And even technically correct photos can lack vision, what leaves you somehow changed after seeing the photo rather than just an oh that’s nice. I credit Vicki with pointing me in a direction of growth and still go to her on occasion when I need a kick in the butt.

Who are you? What makes Vicki tick? Give me a little bio, please.
I am your friendly neighborhood crazy person, I mean, photographer. The thing about me is that you can never take me seriously. I love to have fun. I love to laugh. I always try to make sure my clients have a great time during their sessions. Yes, I’m a complete nut-case and I’m proud of it. It’s what I do.

As for photography, I fell in love with the camera at a young age. I was probably ten years old or something and my sister, Carolyn, and I snuck into my parents bedroom, searched through their stuff (I won’t even tell you the effect finding my dad’s underwear drawer had on us. It wasn’t pretty) and discovered my mom’s camera. It was an old Vivitar 110 camera. Ya know, one of those skinny long monstrosities that looked like a chocolate éclair? Yeah, it was awesome. We decided we wanted to play photographer so we broke into my neighbors backyard (we were little hellions, I tell ya) and took turns posing around the large cherry trees that adorned his property. I still have the pictures from that day and I will occasionally look at them to remind myself of where it all started. Back then, I sucked as a photographer.

After that day, I was hooked, officially and completely. It wasn’t until high school, however, that I started to take my hobby more seriously. It was when my journalism teacher unwisely gave me a SLR camera to take to a school sporting event. It was my job to capture those awesome action shots where you could actually see the sweat pouring from the athletes while in mid-jump. I tried, but failed miserably, realizing I still sucked as a photographer. That’s when I began to devour all things photography. I read everything I could about the subject and practiced as much as I could. I finally started to get better.

Photography was a hobby my husband and I shared. Later on, we started to take impromptu road trips across the country. We would leave home with nothing but a change of clothes and a camera. Those are some of the best days of my life. The resulting pictures are simply priceless to me today.

As for education, I minored in photography in college. I was actually pre-med with a photography minor. Great combo, eh? My college professor was a complete jerk but he made me stop and think about the images I was taking. He made me realize there should be more to the process than capturing the scene they lay before me. He taught me to capture emotion, life. For that I am thankful. I have also taken the NYIP (New York Institute of Photography) course. I took it as sort of a refresher a few years after college.

Other than photography, I have many hobbies, although finding the time to enjoy them is nearly impossible. I love to read. I’ve always had a passion for books. I also love to write. My friends have been begging me for years now to write a novel. I may do so one day, therefore prepare yourselves. I love to sleep, but only manage a few hours a night. Don’t ask why. It’s pretty lame. The most important thing in my life is my daughter, my drama llama, my muse. She’s my life. I wouldn’t be here without her.

So, yeah, that’s me in a nutshell.

What type of photography do you specialize in? Why?
I specialize in child photography. I enjoy it because I can be myself around them. I can be the complete goof that I am and not worry about it. Children simply amaze me. I love their sense of wonder. I adore their simplicity. I love to capture their very soul in an image. It’s a very spiritual process for me.

I also photograph high school seniors. I love them because they actually listen to what I ask of them. I love their diverse personalities. They make me feel younger by being in their presence.

Why Photography?
I had no intentions of becoming a professional photographer. For years, it was only a hobby for me. However, several events in my life made me realize how important photographs were. Life is fleeting, loved ones are gone before you know it. That knowledge spurred me to take photography further. I wanted to help others capture their loved ones in images. Therefore, I decided to go into business and I never looked back.

How would you describe your style?
I would say my style is fun, yet emotional. I try to keep things authentic and uncomplicated. I don’t use many props or a lot of equipment, choosing to focus on my subject instead. My goal is for someone to look at one of my images and feel an emotional connection. I want them to see beyond the exterior of my subject and peer into their very soul. Oh, and I want my clients to cry. That’s always fun. {snort}

What would be your perfect photo shoot?
A beautiful spring day with perfect lighting. A child that is a bit shy by nature but full of curiosity. A parent that respects my art and will let me do my thing. All I need is my camera, a couple of lenses and perhaps my reflector and I’m a happy camper.

What can’t you live without?
In terms of photography, I can’t live without my camera, reflector, 50mm, 85mm and 24-70mm. Those are the things I use the most. I’ve come to realize that tons of equipment doesn’t make you a better photographer. Learning to use what you have is all you need to do to create a beautiful image.

Outside of photography, I cannot live without the internet. Seriously, I’m completely addicted. Facebook and Twitter own my soul. I love my cars. I love my books. I love my BlackBerry. Most importantly, however, I love my little girl. She makes everything worthwhile.

Anything else people should know? What else do you do?
I love music. I can play several instruments. I don’t play them well, mind you, but I play them nonetheless. I enjoy playing the guitar, piano, drums and on occasion the trumpet. I use to be able to play the violin, but it’s been years. Maybe I’ll try it again soon. I would love to learn to play the didgeridoo because I think they are funny.

I’m constantly writing. I love to write stories for my daughter, although, they’re usually silly little things that will make her laugh. I have written some other things, original works I guess you can call them, but I’ve never shared them with anyone. I’ve been working on a project with some others, though, and hopefully it will lead to greater things. And like I said before, I may take on a novel sometime.

What are you listening to?
Well, seeing how I’m crazy, my musical preferences usually reflects that. I have a very eclectic taste in music. My favorite musical style is classical. I love Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart and all the other greats of that era. I love everything from old 80s heavy metal to grunge to pop to hip hop and even some rap. Seriously, I love it all, except most country. I find country music lacking in talent these days so I avoid it as much as possible. When people look at what’s on my iPod they usually hand it back to me scratching their head. Here are a several artists I enjoy:

Augustana
Chairlift
Damien Rice
David Cook
Etta James
Evanescence
Finger Eleven
Foo Fighters
Green Day
Gwen Stefani
Incubus
Jewel
Journey
Katy Perry
Kelly Clarkson
Kevin Rudolf
Kid Rock
Leona Lewis
Lifehouse
Lincoln Park
Lostprophets
Madonna
Muse
Michael Buble
NIN
Otis Redding
Patsy Cline
Pink
Radiohead
Simple Plan
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Thriving Ivory
Timbaland
Van Morrison

Okay, that list makes me sound relatively normal. Trust me though, I’m not. Oh, and I’m secretly in love with Glee. Don’t tell anyone though.

Share some of your favorite images and why you love them (silly forgot that part so I’ll give commentary )

*award winning*

Vicki’s photos are all about showing the real person. Her sessions are fun and capture the essence of childhood. Just look at the eyes in the photos, there’s a real sense of connection with the person.

Thanks Vicki! If you are in the Springfield area, get in touch with her-you won’t regret it! Website

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Speaking of birthdays, I just had one 27. A year closer to 30. Honestly, I’m probably in the minority here, I just don’t see the big deal about 30. But I did sit back and think about where I thought I would be compared to where I am now. I changed my mind a lot about what I wanted to be when I grew up. A photographer really wasn’t one of them because I didn’t realize that could actually be a career. But I always wanted to be a mom. And it’s one of the things that I am most happy about in my life. I constantly question whether I’m doing a good job at it, if I’m good enough, but when my boys tell me how much they love me or climb up in my lap just to cuddle it washes those doubts away. I knew I’d be married, and at some points I hoped I’d be married to my dear husband (remember we’ve known each other 22 years) but I don’t think I planned to be married at 20. Our plan was to start kids around 25, I have a 5 year old LOL. Of course I dreamed of being much wealthier, I mean who doesn’t? But as I look back on what I wanted then versus what I have now, I really can’t think of hardly anything I wish was different. I’ve got a wonderful family, a roof over my head and food in my belly and that’s more than a lot of people can say.

Anywho, over the course of our crazy month we celebrated a wedding of a family member, a few birthdays (including my momma’s the day after mine, a surprise party for an uncle and a dinner out for my father in law), and even attended a Suns basketball game as a family with tickets gifted to us from my in-laws that we rode the light-rail train to (I think the kids enjoyed that even more than the game ).  And then came tax time which was apparently the perfect time for my computer to die. Sadly, it is still dead so while I work off the dinosaur laptop I have no pictures to post I also have been informed by a few people that not all of my emails are reaching me or going back out. If you need to reach me please contact me through my personal email for the time being until I can straighten that out kayla.renckly {at} gmail dot com (replacing at and dot for spam reasons). Scheduling will be light at the moment for personal reasons but I will do my best to accommodate.

With all that, I’m trying to jump back in here and attempt to shake off this blogging slump! I hit a wall and couldn’t think of anything to write about so why not talk about me right? LOL I’d rather talk about pretty much anything else. While my computer is ill, I’ll be sharing with you some of my fabulously talented photographer friends that inspire me daily. I hope you enjoy hearing from them and love their work as much as I do!

P.S. I have lots to share as soon as the computer doctor, aka my husband, has a chance to perform surgery-lots of pictures and look for an upcoming special in May (hint-think lace).

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From one traveller to another (life)
by Jesh De Rox

you are where you are.

let’s start with that. it’s true, after all, and denying it, fighting against it, pretending otherwise amounts to nothing more than a waste of these precious few moments of life we’re gifted with.

you are where you are.

and it is a lovely place to begin. even if it’s painful, even if it’s not where you saw yourself 10 years ago, or 10 months, or 10 days. it’s lovely because it’s what you have, and what you have is so much more than so many others are gifted with,,, more than you often give yourself credit for.

imagine yourself on a map. are you limited as to which direction you can go? certainly there are circumstances of terrain that may provide greater ease or challenge, but the vital truth is and will always remain that any direction is available to you.

even if it’s a direction you’ve never gone before, even if it contains unknowable obstacles,,, the power of choice rests or rises with you.

you are where you are.

and you, as the traveler, now have the privilege of deciding where to go from here. just as, where you have been in no way dictates where you must go, it is equally true that your past cannot decide your future.

yes, it can be scary to leave the paths you have worn, over so many years of dusty repetition, but when the roads you know don’t take you to where you know, in your heart, you must be,,, it is time to quit lamenting the fact and blaze off bravely in the direction of the undiscovered.

what a miracle that you have feet! what a miracle that they will take you in absolutely any direction that you tell them to go! you are blessed with a vehicle far more marvelous and sophisticated than anything the human mind has yet to or ever will conceive.

it is one thing to sit upon the sidelines of life and bemoan your fate, and it is another entirely to shake yourself free of mentally-cobwebbed ideas and start moving.

move!!!

move until your amble becomes a walk, until your walk becomes a jog, until your jog becomes a run, until your feet find their gravity-escaping rhythm and you take flight.

are you facing a fire? it is when you are stuck – motionless – that flames burn the worst,,, remember when, as a child, you moved your finger through the candle flame fast enough, it had no power to touch you.

remember the joy of that, the triumph in it, my friends, and move.

move until the air before you becomes a cool wind on your face, until the scenery rushes past in a celebration of your speed.

move until you find yourself in the clearing you are looking for. i promise you, it exists on the other side of whatever lies between you and that place of rest.

when caught in the frustrating mazes of life, we are often closer to freedom than we realize. a view from above adds the clear perspective we are blind to when we think only on ground levels.

when you cannot go left, and you are blocked from going right,,, when the way in front of you is too tangled, and you know you must leave what is behind,,,

go up, my friends, go up.

you will find there the far-view,,, drink in the picturesque scenery of hope that every weary traveller at some point needs.

you are where you are.

perhaps because you are learning things now that are seeds for blessings in days to come, for plantings you have not yet imagined.

you are where you are.

perhaps because you are accumulating experience that will someday be the common ground on which you meet the love of your life, your greatest friend, or your self.

you are where you are.

because the sometimes difficult, but ground-shaking truth is,,,
you are choosing to be.

we can’t always control where the winds of this life blow us, how far they might veer us from the flight-paths we’d projected,,,

but until the moment our last spark of life passes from this vehicle of our body and moves into the next,,, it remains our choice to rise up from wherever we are, no matter the obstacles, no matter the challenges, no matter the odds, and to move, one precious step at a time,,,

footprint by footprint, handhold by handhold, until at last we find our home.

i love you so much, my beautiful friends, i pray every day that the wings you’ve been keeping secret will one day be loosed.

until that day,,,

jesh *
posted with author’s permission

I hope you are as inspired and touched by his words as I am. And since I’d hate to leave you without a photo, here is one I went back to today and reworked from a different perspective:

If you have any ideas for future posts please let me know!
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