Sitting, waiting, wishing…

For the past few months I seem to have been sitting, waiting, wishing… waiting for everything to align before I start my photography blog. Wishing I was better than I am right now before I start posting images that represent Linda Baylis Photography, and sitting…  sitting in front of the computer trying to find a wordpress theme I really like instead of gathering content and going out to shoot!

I think it’s time. Welcome to my photography blog. I want this to be a place were people can get to know me. The authentic me – not just the professional me. I think this wordpress theme will do just fine until my new custom blog and website is ready to launch in a few short months.

This week the SOAR website is all about dreams. On yesterday’s blog Me Ra Koh challenged us all to explore our dreams.  Hidden dreams. Impossible dreams.  Saying your dreams out loud. I can’t think of a better beginning here!

When you dream alone it is only a dream…

In my life I have had many dreams. Some I’ve pursued with energy and ambition. Some I’ve outgrown and some I’ve let go. Some I’ve realized were not really my dreams but the dreams of others I admired. And then there’s those dreams that never fully got voiced but lingered vaguely in the back of my mind like a wispy cloud on a windy day. Vague and impossible to grasp. Becoming a photographer was one of those dreams that’s been with me since I was twelve years old messing with my Dad’s 35mm Pentax camera.

Then late last year something incredible happened. I stumbled upon Me Ra Koh Photography, the SOAR Scholarship and the opportunity to follow a dream. A dream I had never dared to voice was suddenly captured on video for all to see on the world-wide-web. What followed has been an unbelievable experience equally challenging and rewarding that is shaping the future I want for myself and my family. It is gently pushing me forward into the world of professional photography but for various reasons I feel I am still teetering on the edge… afraid to to fully commit.

Until this week.

This week I realized I’ve been holding back. The hidden dreams, the bigger dreams, the seemingly impossible dreams I’m afraid to voice, convinced they may never happen. But these are the dreams that inspire me, that motivate me to be better, to try harder, to just do it.

So, with a deep breath, here goes…

This year I said I wanted to be a portrait photographer and focus on children, families, maybe high school seniors. That’s not true. That’s not my dream. My dream is to be a WEDDING photographer, a dream inspired by own experience with my wedding photographer.  I LOVE weddings. I love everything about them. The emotion, the romance,  the entire experience and I want to document each moment as it unfolds. I want to provide an exceptional experience that turns brides into friends, and a unique product offering that will set me apart. And I want to do this now. No more excuses – no more fears. Before the clock strikes midnight signaling the end of 2010 I want to have booked my first wedding. I also want to learn how to incorporate HDSLR video techniques and products into my portfolio.

And here’s where it gets bigger than me. I want the clarity to be able to structure this dream in a way that will incorporate our desire to move back to New Zealand and live in the lifestyle location our hearts are set on. I want to incorporate my love of travel and my love of my homeland into this dream and I’ve got 18 months to make this happen. I want to create a story that will position me as a unique photographer for weddings in New Zealand and not just that… but destination vacations. If you make the trip of a lifetime, I want you to want me to be there to capture it.

So back to that wedding I spoke about booking? I want it to be in New Zealand in an amazing location and I don’t want to do it alone. I want to bring someone with me. Someone who has become an integral part of my story. Someone with a dream to have a TV show of her own  to empower parents to capture their beautiful kids, someone who I have no doubt will soon be in front of every mom with a camera. Someone who inspires me to dream big and to voice even the CRAZIEST of dreams.  😉

“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.”
Douglas H Everett

I have been so fortunate this year to find myself in the company of ‘those who turn one into the other’. Not only am I able to learn and be inspired by these people, I am challenged to think bigger myself. I don’t know where my dreams will take me, but as scary as it is to put it all out there, it’s also empowering and exciting. And Me Ra is most definitely right – once you let your dreams out of hiding – prepare for unexpected opportunities to come your way.

Can’t wait to hear your dreams!
Linda
xx

PS. The picture above was taken at a recent bridal shoot that my friend Melanie Jaramillo set up and invited me along to. She is featured on Me Ra’s blog today and truly is an Amazing Mom!