The Very First

A few years ago, towards the end of summer 2006 I believe,
I had a life-changing "First"...

It was in Vermont at the home of one of my Mom's college friends, whom we call "Aunt Nicky". She was doing work around her home, such as planting a garden and painting her garage/shed and wanted some help. The shed and garage were being painted white with a beautiful green trim, but at the time, only the shed was finished. My sisters and I were picked up to go to Vermont early so we could help start planting Nicky's garden with her. 

Towards the end of our visit, before the rest of our family had joined us, there were quite a few rainstorms. After a long, hot day's work in the garden, the storms were a welcome source of cool refreshment. Sometimes, I would just sit by myself on the porch and watch as the steady wall of raindrops would bounce off the roof of the recently painted shed and spill down its steep, shingled slope. 

It was breathtaking.

At the time, I didn't have a camera of my own. But I knew that as soon as my parents came with Dad's camera, I was going to get that picture. Not being able to take a picture of the rain made me so fidgety that sometimes I wasn't able to simply enjoy the experience. I was nervous of the possibility that, by the time they arrived, the storms would have passed and I would never be able to show what I had seen. I so desperately wanted to be able to share just a snippet of what I had been experiencing with others. I prayed and begged God to not have the storms pass until I was able to get this picture. 

When my parents finally arrived, there was no rain. There were clouds in the sky, but rain was not on the forecast. However, just after dinner, when everyone was inside, it began to drizzle, which turned into rain, which then turned into a complete downpour. I remember rushing around trying to find the bin that had Dad's camera in it and then finally running out onto the porch. At last, I stood beneath the shelter of the porch roof, camera in hand. I took off its cap; slid the power button over; stepped back; and pressed my finger ever-so-lightly on the button to focus the shot. And then, I had done it. The picture was taken.

I would say "It was all over in a flash" but that would be way too punny and I actually didn't even use it. ;)

When I walked back inside, I stood in the kitchen and stared at the tiny display screen. I finally had the picture. My  picture. The moment I saw it, I knew that I wanted to do photography forever.

  Little did I know that that picture would be the start of something beyond what I could have ever imagined at the time.

Little did I know that I would continue to seriously pursue photography as a hobby.

Little did I know that the very first step in my new hobby, would also be the very first step towards Heart*Soul*Mind Photography, my very own photography business.  

Little did I know that, through my photography business, I would have the opportunity to touch people's lives by sharing with them not only wonderful memories of family and friends, but also God's handiwork throughout His Creation. 

 To you, it may seem as though I'm "Only saying that" and "This might be just a little over the top," but I am being completely honest. Everything in this blog post is 100% how it happened and what I was feeling both at the time and in this very moment. 

So now, without further ado...
Here is my very first picture:

(The only edit that was made to this picture was my watermark)

"For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God." - Hebrews 6:7

I have another two or more posts on my photography coming up soon, within the next week or month.

Until then, God bless; have a great day; and I hope you enjoyed my blog post.

:)

With love and a sun-filled day,

-Courtney