Welcome to my blog!! Its been a long time coming!  First off let me introduce myself…my name is Rachel and I am the founder/owner of Joyful Memories Photography.  In 2008, I started to catch myself staring at professional pictures and so curious of how they artistically captured their pictures.  I had me a cheap small camera and thought to myself, “I can do this, this is all part of editing”.  Boy was I wrong! The desire and love grew in my heart of capturing life’s moments not just for myself, but for other people, that I went out and bought me a small beginner camera. I know the good Lord above put the desire on my heart to start my own business in 2009, praying that one day it will be my full time job. For the next 9 years, I would do photo sessions part time occasionally, still having the desire, but also the responsibility of another full time regular job.  Life throws us curve balls and during those 9 years I would have alot of ups and downs, just like anyone else and kept my business more as of a hobby.

December of 2017 is when I got married to my husband Joseph.  At the beginning of this year, I read the book (for the 2nd time) “How to be a Proverbs 31 woman”, and not even half way through the book, God started to really burn the desire to start picking up my camera.  I had been praying to God for what He had created me for and what dreams were really mine.  Just like all the times before of when I treated my business  more as a hobby, I had fear that set it that I wouldnt make it, or wouldnt be good enough.  I was scared that no one would want me to take pictures or that I just wouldnt get it.  To be honest, theres a science that comes to photography that I just recently learned.  Its not as easy as I thought it was 9 years ago when I first started admiring other photographers work.  I have learned that your camera is a tool and you need to change settings per situation and that the sun has a huge factor in your lighting and shadows and so much more.

My husband has been a HUGE support for me.  He has encouraged me and has helped me research on which camera I should get next and even which website I should have.  His support means the world to me and it has pushed me to be sitting here writing you.  Over the last 20 days I have been researching and starting to make my business into an actual business and I am very proud of myself.  I pray daily to God that I am willing to work and expand my knowledge if He will help send people to me.  I want to be able to help take care of my family doing something that I love.  While my husband is in school I need to be a provider financially and when he finishes school, I would love to be able to quit my regular job and work full time doing my photography business.

Sit back and catch up with Joyful Memories Photography and also me, Rachel with my blog.  I will be sharing with you my business, but also my personal life.  This blog is for you to get to know me more and also to see you or someone you know that has been captured great memories by me.  If you are wanting to find you a wedding photographer or even someone who wants to have mini sessions of your little one, I really want you to know WHO you are giving your time and money too.  My goal for my business is to capture your lifes moments and also get to know you.  I want to be able to capture your engagement pictures, to your wedding, your maternity pictures, hospital pictures, newborn pictures, and all the way to babys first cake smash!  I think it is very important to find you a photographer that you connect with and can communicate your ideas too, because these are your memories forever!

I got my first blog under my belt…..now to the next one!!!