Welcome to the blog!

A Summer Engagement:

Wendy & John

This was a very, VERY long awaited session. With the pandemic in full swing, my only choice was to reschedule my March - April sessions. If I remember right, I rescheduled with Wendy at least 3 times. Each time hoping I'd FINALLY get to work with her and John. At the very end of May we finally got to create together. And HOLY HECK was it great.

Not only was it great to get to express myself through photography again, but I also loved getting to connect with these two. You may know John as our state representative, but to me I see him as "Choco" (a nickname coming from the last name Hershey. like chocolate. get it?). It was awesome getting to reconnect with him outside of where I met him as a kid (at the Christian Retreat Center).

It was the perfect evening filled with authentic and real moments. This business of mine is not one meant for stiff poses and fake smiles. Getting in front of the camera can be scary, I get that. But I'm not asking for Vogue models. I'm asking for you to just be YOU. To help create these real, unposed photos, I gave these two simple and fun prompts.

For example, I may have you draw a shape on your partners cheek using the tip of your nose. Kinda weird, I know. Your partner then has to try to figure out what the heck you just drew. (note the photo above) This not only gives ya'll something to do while I photograph you, but also creates moments of genuine laughter. That's what I'm here for.

I can. not. wait. to work with these two again in the fall when they finally say "I do."

3 Things I Wish I Would've Known When Starting Photography

Hey there! Welcome back to the blog! I’m so grateful you are here.

Today I’ll be sharing a few things with you that I wish I would’ve applied and practiced earlier on. I hope this encourages you to keep going. Especially during these quarantined times when we are unable to work with our clients.

1) Utilize Your Editing Tools

Get to know your software.

I am someone who lives for authenticity. For raw, real photos. Nonetheless, I’ve learned to take advantage of my editing tools. (note: I use Lightroom CC)

My go to tools are the healing tool and the distortion tool. Healing comes in handy when you have unwanted objects in your photo. I personally like to clean up the foreground when there are scattered stones, stains, or anything of the like.

Here are a couple examples of how I’ve utilized the Healing tool:

On this photo I cleaned up foreground, take notice to the ground on both sides of her:

On this photo I took away the unwanted light pole:

Distortion comes in handy when my photo is a little too close for comfort. As you move your distortion into the positives, your picture appears farther away. The best way to describe this would be by calling it an inverted fish eye effect.

Here’s an example of my photo after applying distortion:

2) Show Up Every Day : There’s Always Something To Do

If I would’ve heard this a few years back I’d question you. What if I have no session today? What if I’m completely caught up on my editing?

I’ll be transparent with you. It’s been difficult to stick with this during the pandemic. I have no new work to show and no sessions to work on.

It’s important to remind yourself that every little thing that goes into your business counts.

Here are some ways to show up every day:

Respond to your messages, emails, etc. Make sure to let your clients know you are there and willing to answer any and every question.

Show up on social media. Even if you don’t have any new content. Stay active on your feed and story. The more you do this the more people will recognize your name. Which is a huge part in this business. Just getting your name OUT THERE.

Work on your website. Work on your blog. Work on your email list. Work on making your social media more appealing.

Even if you have no clients, you can still get behind the lens. It’s practice. And practice leads to improvement.

In conclusion to point #2, show up and do the dang thing.

3) Comparison : The Thief of Joy

A great thing about social media is staying connected with other photographers. I love feeling included in the community. But just like anything, it has it’s negatives.

My newsfeed is filled with outstanding work. And often I find myself saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” or, “They are so much better than me.” While it’s good to challenge yourself, having a competitive mindset can be toxic.

You have no idea how much practice, education, and years it has taken for these people (that you compare yourself to) to get where they are. Challenge yourself, but be patient. Work to create what makes you proud. But remember that someone else’s talent does NOT take away from your own.

I hope this blog encouraged you. Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you back soon.

All the love,

Carli 🖤

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Hey There! : Introducing Me

I’m so glad you’re here!

As you saw in the blog title, my first blog will give you a little more information about me - Carli.

I’m a recent graduate of Juniata High School. My senior year I struggled to figure out what my future would hold for me. There was always the constant questions of, “Where are you going next?” and “What are you doing after high school?” And my constant answer was always a big I DON’T KNOW. Closer to graduation I finally figured it out. I was tired of pondering which job could bring me a fair amount of income. I decided I was going to do what I love. For me that didn’t involve college, and that’s okay. Today I am pursuing my goal of being a full time photographer one day at a time.

In the next 5 to 10 years my goal is to be just that - a full time photographer. I would

love to focus primarily on couples, weddings, and seniors. In the next year my goal is to book ten 2021 weddings. In the next week my goal is to stay active on social media throughout the craziness of COVID-19. My goal for today is breathe and know that this will all unfold in God’s perfect timing.

Apart from photography I fill my time with music, thrift shopping, and lots of ice cream eating. I play ukulele, guitar, and piano. I enjoy occasionally helping lead worship at my church. A few days of my week are also spent giving wine tastings at Juniata Valley Winery and babysitting.

What’s Should You Expect From My Blog?

I’ll be sharing some sessions via my blog along with a short description about our time together. I’ll be mixing in some other random blogs among my session blogs.

I hope to see you back!

Carli 🖤