Dulce Photography Blog

“You don’t like change,” he told me. Jake and I were sitting on the couch talking about our move to Texas, when he admitted he’d been worried I wasn’t going to be happy here. My cheeks flushed a little, and I immediately opened my mouth to blurt out a defensive comeback, but then I stopped. And closed my mouth. Because I realized he was right. Once I find a routine that works, I have a tendency of sticking to it with everything that I am. It’s comfortable. It’s reliable. It’s what I know. Such as the eggs, toast, and coffee that I have literally every. single. morning. (Food analogies always work best for me.)

The funny thing is, he didn’t mean it as an insult. But I took it as one. Because I relate someone who doesn’t like change to someone who has become complacent in life. Someone who fears the responsibility that change could bring. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but I’ve come to realize that I related the two because I had become complacent. I had become fearful. I knew I wanted to do bigger things, but I was resigning to “good enough” because I didn’t know if I could do better without falling on my face a few times along the way.

BUT, I’ve finally realized that just staying complacent and letting the fear win is waaaay worse than setbacks that could come along the way. So I’m letting the change happen. I’m doing my best to embrace it. I feel like Mary Marantz of Justin & Mary said it perfectly…

Boom. So true, right?! And speaking of Mary, remember the changes I promised to share more about last week?

If you follow me on Instagram, you might already know this, but a few weeks ago I went to WPPI, a wedding and portrait photography conference held yearly in Las Vegas. It’d been a few years since I last attended, and I was looking forward to a week of learning and networking (and duh, eating at buffets). Little did I know what was to come!!! I went to hear Mary speak, and it was truly one of the highlights of the entire trip. I’ve followed J&M since basically the beginning of Dulce Photography, and through the years I’ve already gained so much from their talent and selfless willingness to pour into other photographers. It was the talk I was most looking forward to, and it didn’t disappoint! I left feeling encouraged, refreshed, and ready to take on this coming year. I also left deciding to enter into an amazing contest they were offering to those who attended their talk.

To be truthful, I almost didn’t enter. In fact I was THIS close to not entering, because I was afraid of the change I knew would happen if I somehow won… But I decided then and there to not let the fear and complacency hold me back.

If you haven’t already guessed, it turns out that was a pretty darn good decision! Haha. Yep, J&M chose little old me!!! So what did I win, you might be wondering?? Some Profoto lighting goodies, a full year of Showit, a website and consult design from Jeff and Jen of Tonic Site Shop, and an entire YEAR of mentoring with J&M!!! I almost passed out. I definitely cried. And I seriously cannot put into words my excitement/gratefulness/appreciation/all the feelings. Here are a few photos from WPPI when they surprised me as the winner (you can read more about it on J&M’s blog HERE!!). Huge thanks to my sweet, talented friend and WPPI roommate Sarah Knight, for these photos! She came along for moral support because I thought I was going to be interviewed as a finalist and I was super nervous lol, and then she pulled out her camera and captured these photos for me when we realized what was happening!!

I was totally shocked. Haha.

This is the design nerd in me being overwhelmed by the beautifulness of Tonic websites.

And this would be my “Is this real life?” face.

Such an amazing moment!! 

I am extremely and incredibly grateful for all of this!!! Just so thankful. And I have to say thank you again to everyone involved in this amazing giveaway, especially Justin & Mary!!!

So yes, things are a-changing this year. And it’s SUCH a good thing! I’m trying to be more intentional, both in my business aspirations and life in general. Even though I don’t like to admit it, change is how we move forward, how we grow. Yes, it’s easier said than done. But we only have one life to live, and when I get to meet my Maker, I want to be able to tell Him that did my best with everything that He gave me, that I didn’t leave anything behind! Except I’ll probably still have my eggs, toast, and coffee in the morning ;)

They say you’ve gotta start somewhere.

I look back at when I used to blog three, four, sometimes even five times a week. I miss those days a little bit. When I had more time to sit down and write out blog posts consistently. When I thought I knew where I would be and how I would handle life one year, three years, five years down the road. I thought I knew everything.

Fast forward to now… a few years, a baby, and a new state later, I’ve realized I knew absolutely nothing! Haha. I even used to wonder why people who had blogs, especially photographers, didn’t blog very often. All you have to do is a throw a few pictures into a post, right? Talk about putting my foot in my mouth! I’ve basically fallen of the face of the blogging planet over the last year and a half. And now I know why. A little thing called time. And it seems there is never enough of it.

As my time got filled with other commitments, blogging got pushed lower and lower on my list of things to do. And I don’t necessarily regret the decisions I made, because they were all made for important reasons. BUT, it’s time to make a change. (In fact, a lot of changes are going to be happening around here this year! More on that next week, though ;) It’s time to put blogging back at the forefront of my to do list. It’s time for some consistency.

So here it is, I am jumping back on the blogging train! I am committing to blog twice a week. Sometimes I might have a lot to say. Sometimes there might be more photographs than words. It’s not going to be easy. But it is going to be totally worth it. And I’d love to have you along for the journey.

They say you’ve gotta start somewhere.

This is my somewhere.

Aaaand since it just so happens to be St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d throw in a little Shamrock Shake recipe to be festive!! Because, dessert.

Shamrock Shake Recipe

1 1/2 cups of vanilla ice-cream

1/2 cup of whole milk

1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

5 drops of green food coloring as desired

whipped cream/sprinkles/other garnishes as desired

Yields: 1 serving

Blend ice cream, whole milk, peppermint and vanilla extract, and food coloring together in a blender until smooth. Pour into one or two serving glasses. Top with whipped cream or other garnishes and enjoy! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!