Celebrating Birthdays and Friendships and Art. This all matters...

Amber J Photography started when I was wide-eyed and ready to take on the world, not realizing (or not wanting to) that 1.5 million other people were thinking the same thing, but I ended up with an advantage no one else had.  Shelly.

This blog post is not about photography, but more about how it's brought about friendship and art.
Today, is Shelly's birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY! If anyone knows me, I LOVE birthdays. LOVE THEM!  It's with great pleasure I can wish my friends happy birthday.  My business found it's stride when Shelly came along.

How we met: I don't remember exactly, but I do remember our first conversation on the phone was almost 2 hours. That scared me, I don't like the phone!  We started talking about school portraits and I used to think that was a good idea. haha.  Shelly owned her own business and decided photographing weddings was not for her.

It began: I decided I loved weddings and asked if she would occasionally second shoot with me. She agreed.   A few weddings in, Shelly was coming around to the magic that was in a wedding day again.

Little Leagues: I photographed a few little leagues with Shelly.  It was almost the end of me. She is amazing with lots of small children.... I am not.  Little leagues was not my magic. But I watched how awesome she was handling parents, paperwork and well, lots of kids.

Work: Shelly makes things happen.  Her extroverted personality pulls my introverted one away from hiding.   She isn't in it for anything more than to work and produce art and photography.  She was willing to come along side me and do anything to make my vision happen.  Who does that?  She did.

It Worked:  As Shelly let go of her own business to join mine, it was the ultimate promise of "I'm in this".   The rest is history.

We now fully book our wedding season every year with some amazing vendors and equally amazing couples.  We have unique portrait work for our teens, high school seniors and children.  She grabbed the teen market by the horns and got it rolling.


So, today I don't celebrate just a birthday, but a selfless friend who has walked into this vision with no clamor for her own identity or art, but simply to be a part of this adventure. 
And...oh what an adventure it is!

Happy birthday Shelly!!!