A year of Change 2011

This year was a stepping stone for me. I took a leap off faith and left my Job . A job that I had been at for 10 years . A job I had studied my butt off for , became state certifed for , and .. well was quite good at. I meet so many wonderful people there and I do miss them dearly. In my journey this year to become who I should have been all along .... I have found many new friends along the way. So many people have reached out to help me grow as a person and as a photographer. I do believe everyone enters our life for a reason. God will put people in your path just when you need them most. And I am thankful this year for all the people in my life who have come and gone . Each one of you have taught me something that I will carry through to the next years of my life. Thank you to all my clients who believed in me and gave me the chance of a lifetime. You never know what it is like to follow a dream ... till you take the first step. And no matter how long this journey takes I am in it for the long haul. Looking forward to a new year , new friends, new adventures, and to continue my journey to become who I always should have been. Wishing for all of you that 2012 take you places you have never dreamed possible!

To see some of my latest work please feel free to vist my webpage

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Therepies Plus ... a lesson in a strength of the human spirit

Not to long ago I was hired to photograph a session at Therapies Plus in Wisconsin Rapids. My goal was to express just how hard little things we often take for granted .... can be for so many others . I left the center that day with a new attitude about life. These kids and young adults struggle so hard just to do the simple things in life. To lift a glass to take a drink, to walk or even crawl across the floor. To say I love you to there parents..... to speak a word at all. Many communicate through sign language their needs. A life saver for anybody whom lives with a non verbal child or adult. It is so frustrating for these individuals to communicate there basic needs. With sign they are able to ask for food, drink, what they want to do that day... These therapists that work with these kids and young adults work so hard to make a difference in the lives of these clients. They teach them how to live with the limitations they have and how to get around them. Each child I met that day had such a personality ... so loving and happy. When I went home that day I thanked God for all the blessings I have. So many things we all take for granted. And I thank God for giving us the people in this world who get up everyday and help someone in need. Be a therapist , parent or friend.. It takes a special kind of person to understand and to reach these kids . And a special parent to love them through it all.

Time to have a holiday contest. I have posted a link to my Facebook Fan Page. The contest will be posted there with more information. Share my Facebook fan page with everyone you know. There will be two lucky winners to win a free holiday session in the wisconsin rapids area. Please see my Fan page for more information. Let the holidays begin.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/THawke-Photography/294517010570765#!/pages/THawke-Photography/294517010570765

Meet Zach

Meet Zach.

Here is a preview of my Senior Session .

I took so many pictures of this handsome guy

I don't have a clue how anyone is

going to choose.

I enjoyed the several hours

that we spent together and I

am honored to have been chosen

to capture such an important

event.

I ordered my new promo cards today..

Now I just need to come up with my holiday promotion. Feel free to leave suggestions . What does the world want . More individual prints , more holiday cards? Coming up with a session plus.... deal.  Haven't figured out a price yet . How many holiday cards do most families send out? Feed back would be great. I will be posting my Holiday promotions just in time to schedule sessions for Christmas. So leave your feedback everyone. I know you are all reading.. time to start talking!!!

Warming up in studio with first test shots.

The weather is getting colder by the day. I thought I would take advantage of the bad weather and try some indoor shots. Maybe I am tooting my own horn here but I think they are amazing. I have a solid Black , grey as shown, and light blue backdrops. I have begun to pick up some christmas props as well. Cute little christmas bears, and I will soon be wrapping some presents and decorating a small tree for christmas themes. I am about to kick off my major advertising . Just waiting for the brochers. Space will be limited so book soon.

Building a dream day by day.

Hello everyone .Fall is in the air and I love it.  I have been so busy getting things put together for my new studio. I am so pumped. I will be posting pictures soon. So many things that have to all come together . I always wondered why the heck photographers charged so much for there services. After all it takes them 30 minutes to take a few shots and there done. Easy money right.. holy cow far from it. I can not even begin to explain how expensive it is to get just a few things to get started. Then there is all the permits, camera equipment, props, backdrops.. which by the way cost your left leg and some blood to. Then there is the this idea that people have..that I had.... that all photographers do is take pictures. And bam. They just made X amount of dollars in 30 minutes. Oh so not true.  There is the drive time if on location, there is setup, there is cleanup, there is the pictures themselves, and then... editing. You can never imagine how much time photographers spend post production.Some spend entire days proofing pictures and getting them ready to showcase online. So when all is said and done we as photographers probley make 5 dollars an hour. LOL. Sign me up baby.. because I would do this job for free if I didnt actually have to feed a family . I love what I do soooo much. Stay tuned for updates with my new studio pics.  And if your looking for christmas portraits.. I got backdrops on the way. And a cozy studio.

My Sweetest Customers Ever

These three dogs just might be the sweetest customers I have had yet. Hokulani ... In Hawaiian means Heavenly Star.  Very fitting for the star of the show . My trouble maker of the shoot. Can you guess which on of these three that might be? Thats right . The one smiling in the middle. Marley to the left. Appropriately named in my opinion for his mellowness. Very sweet and laid back. And Malia... my favorite. She just might be the most loyal and loving dog I have ever seen. I could have taken pictures of her all day. These three made my day . I had so much fun photographing these dogs. This photo shoot by far is one of the best I have ever had. The pictures are beautiful . I can't say enough. Except that I feel for the owners of the precious animals. They might need to take out a small loan because they will never be able to pic from the many many beautiful shots I have of these wonderful dogs!

fall in the making

Bring on the fall colors mother nature

I have always loved fall. The crisp cool morning air , the beautiful fall colors. I only wish it lasted longer. It comes and goes so fast. My backyard in near complete. There is nothing more adorable then pics of your little ones in a natural setting surrounded by fall . And don't forget your pets to. For many of us our pets are our children. The leaves are turning and fall will be over before we know it . Book your session today! Visit me at  thawkephotography.zenfolio.com and know that when the leaves have all fallen and the weather turns cold .. you will have captured that little .. something beautiful... before its all gone.

Kicking off the fall sessions!!

For those of you who don't know me I am sure you have assumed by now that I am new to the business. I have been taking pictures since I can remember. I think I might have been born with a camera in my hand. Over the years I have been told so many times... why don't you do this for a living. And I guess one day I just decided ... Ya know . Maybe I should. Its the one thing in this world I have always loved doing . What better job could a person ask for.

That being said. I am kicking off the fall with mini sessions. My studio is due to be built the end of this year. So until then I am an outdoor photographer. What a beautiful place to be. Natural light. The gorgeous fall colors. Endless ideas. Personally I wish there would have been someone like me back when I only had a point and shoot camera. I couldn't afford most of the photographers in town. So like many others I had to go with the little chain studios that offer cheap pictures.  I hated those horrible cardboard background's. The same ones year after year. Complete and total stress. My daughter is one that can not sit still for more then 2 seconds and for me to try to get her to sit in the studio was a nightmare. I like to think I am middle of the road. My prices are affordable and the quality of the prints are very good. I have ordered test prints of my own to verify my Labs quailty. I offer a fenced in yard , with various decorated scenes for fall portraits. Hay bales, pumpkins, flowers, etc. I also happen to be lucky enough to live near a wooded park. Lots of great places there as well. When I speak of on location charges in my ad I am referring to areas in wisconsin rapids. The fireman's memorial is a personal favorite. I am open to suggestions. But I do have to charge the extra 10.00 fee for the sitting to cover the dreadful gas my van eats and the added time. On location sessions will be for 1 hour including drive time. I will be posting pics of my backyard as soon as it is finished. Currently I am booking for weekend sessions. But may be able to do a weekday if one is really needed. All sessison fees are due before shoot begins. I am not able to take checks or credit cards at this time cash only please. I am currently looking into credit card processing. However proofs will be posted via my website for your  viewing and ordering purpose. The orders are placed through a professional lab that is linked to my site. You will be paying them directly and will be able to use your credit card at that time if you wish to do so. I am so looking forward to a beautiful fall and making some wonderful memories.

It is never too late to be what you might have been -George Eliot-

The very words I wrote almost 2 years to this date... Written on Sept 10,2011

 

I use to sit at my job and wonder .. why am I here. I spend most of my life right here in this building . Am I doing what I enjoy? Well I was to some degree. But I was never truly happy. The truth of the matter was like alot of people I was stuck. I needed the money and this was a good job and I enjoyed what I was doing . But I dreamed of being one of those people that got to do what they really wanted in life. The ones who became what they wanted to be. I came across a quote that inspired me . It said... its never to late to be what you might have been -George Eliot-. Little did I know that those twelve words were about to change my life.  Ever since I can remember I have been taking pictures. I may not have always had a nice camera but I was capturing every moment of my life . I always felt I had the vision and the talent but lacked in a proper camera and the chance to .. take a chance so to speak. In high school I was able to use the SLRS at school and bring my images to life in the darkroom they made available. Back then things were alot more complicated if you planned to  produce your own images. Now flash forward to the present and everything has changed. That is everything but how to actually create an exposure. I stared at those 12 words and read them over and over. And in those moments an idea was born. I would take the talent that God himself has given me and do what I love. And this is were the story begins....... one step at a time I will become who I should have been.

 

Aug 30,2012

 

"Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there's a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living." Anonymous

 

Its been almost two years since I started my journey . And what a journey it has been. I have grown so much in the last two years . As a mother, photographer, a wife, homemaker. To say this has been an easy ride would be lying but it has been an enjoyable one . It is said that God will put the right people in your path , those who will help you become what you were meant to be. And he sure has not given me a short supply. I am so grateful for all the people whom I have met , and even not ever met but have become a part of my life. My journey would have been much harder had they not been there to lend a hand to me. Some believe that to get to the top you should climb over everyone in your way and don't look back. I believe that the best way to get to the top is to push the person in front of you from behind . Lift them higher, help them get to the top . Because sooner or later when they reach it guess what. So do you. I look back now at when I started and can not believe how my work has changed. Everyday I try to photograph something. Even if it is just a flower. Because everyday is a chance for me to learn something new. And of course my family has always been my favorite target. My children are so use to being photographed it has become second nature to them. Some day when I leave this world for the next I will surely leave behind a legacy that my children will cherish. For no matter where this journey takes me I will be documenting there lives every single day. This is a sometimes frustrating business to break into. Spending hours and hours trying to come up with the new best idea, the promotion that everyone will love. Striving to always be better then the day I was before. Never really happy with my work no matter how perfect of a shot I get. I am always challenging myself for bigger, better, the learning curve in this business never ends. In these few short years I have now become active in school and church script programs. I am volunteering my time and images to the humane society to help find homes for the animals there who desperately are in need of a portrait makeover.  I have even had several chances to photograph horses. One of my photography bucket list entry's. Senior portrait's, family sessions, pet portraits, threw all of them one thing has not changed. I still love to photograph children. It was my first love and continues to be . There is something so precious to me to have the opportunity to follow around a child and capture there little personalities. Yes I will probably never be able to pull of a 30 min session. When I first began for some reason I believed this is what I needed to do. I guess that is part of what makes me different. To get what I want ... takes time. So if you are booking a session with me plan on at least an hour. I cant ever seem to walk away from a session any sooner then that when it comes to children and families. Yes I have been told I over shoot sessions. But you know ... that is ok . Because at the end of the day when I am in front of my computer and I see the images I captured. And I begin to piece little glimpse of there lives together . When a photograph of a child can bring a lump in my throat and they are not even my flesh and blood.. well to me that is priceless. And well worth the extra effort. And now two years later my story continues.. having become who I should have been and striving to be so much more. Thank you to everyone whom has helped me get this far. I am truly grateful!