WELCOME TO MY NEW VENTURE
Where do I begin? Elle May Photography has been a dream in my head since I fell in love with photography at age 10. My dad gave me my very first 35 mm, manual focus, film camera when I was probably 13 years old. At that point, I didn't know what it was that drew me to photography. I just knew that when I looked through the viewfinder, I could see exactly how I wanted the final image to turn out when I received the printed photos from my local CVS pharmacy - ha!
In college, I was the unofficial "official" photographer for my sorority and friend groups. I documented all of our homecoming events, bid day celebrations, and formals. At the time, I didn't understand my reason behind it, but I was capturing my story - our story.
MY WHY
Years later, after marrying my college love, moving homes five times, teaching Kindergarten and first grade for six years, I became a mom to our oldest son. My lifelong dream was to be a full-time mama to my kids, and I have been blessed to get to do that for the last (almost) six years. Watching my two boys grow has given me my why and my passion for finally making my photography dream a reality.
I have seen firsthand, how fast the years go when you are raising children. My favorite photos I have captured of my kiddos are the ones I know I will want to look back on when they are big and I long to be transported back to these fleeting childhood years. The ones where they are playing with their favorite toy, watching the garbage truck through the glass door smeared with their handprints, or their little feet are splashing in mud puddles in our front yard.
YOUR ROLE IN MY DREAM
While I love a photo of my family all looking at the camera, the ones that make me "feel" our love and transport me back to a certain moment or memory are the ones that are taken "in the moment." The ones that tell a story. Our story. The story of our family that I love so much. My goal is to create the same for your family.
These moments at home create joy. These moments at home create love. These moments at home create your family's legacy. It's what builds the foundation of your family for generations to come. From your child's first days, until they leave your house and make a life of their own - all of the seasons are worth capturing and remembering.
YOUR FAMILY LEGACY
As I have been dreaming and planning to make this a reality, I have imagined you, my clients, seeing your images for the first time. The look of delight on your face, the deep feeling of love and happiness you will feel in your soul, and possibly the tears of joy that will well up in the corners of your eyes. When I imagine this, I feel a deep sense of pleasure and satisfaction that I get to be the one to help turn your family into art. I want to capture these fleeting seasons of your life - the little moments that are becoming your family's story, your family's legacy. These sometimes seemingly simple moments are important to the story of your family.
You will look back on these photos when your children are grown with families of their own and remember when you were a young mama.
Your children will look back on these photos someday, possibly when they are parents themselves, and try to incorporate some of the magic they felt growing up into their own family story.
