Personal: On the Other Side of the Lens | Portrait Photography | Anaheim, CA

 A few months ago, I randomly entered a photo contest being put on by a fellow photographer whom I'd never met. I figured, why not? My husband, Rob, and I haven't had professional photos taken of us since our wedding 7 1/2 years ago (always on the other side of the camera!). I thought it would be fun to have photos taken of us and our furbaby, Lola. Well, we won!!

The photographer, Marlena, didn't know I was a photographer until after we'd won. If you're a photographer, you understand that there is a certain fear that comes with taking photos of a fellow photographer! I tried to ease her mind as much as she tried to ease mine about being on the other side of the camera. As a client this time around, I felt so lost! What do I wear, where should we go?! Marlena was great, and provided suggestions and thoughts on everything I asked about.

We decided to hold our session at Yorba Regional Park, in Anaheim, CA. Lola, for lack of a better word, was crazy. She was way more interested in everything going on around us, than actually focusing, and looking anywhere near the camera. Ooh, a squirrel! On top of that, my nephew (who came with my sister to babysit Lola while we finished our session without her) decided he wanted to be in the photos, too.

Marlena was so patient with our little photo bombing nephew,  my husband who is not in love with the idea of pictures, and our squirrel-crazed dog. She did a great job! I'm so happy with how the photos turned out, and had to buy more because I couldn't narrow it down!

This experience was great. Being on the other side of the lens helped me understand what it's like for my awesome clients, and how difficult it can be to prepare for a session. Seriously, I have no idea how many times I changed my mind about what I was going to wear (it doesn't help that I'm not particularly fashion forward, haha). It also confirmed that I love what I do, and strengthened the thought in my mind that photography is a worthwhile investment. I'm so happy to help capture moments for others, as Marlena did for me.


Take a look at some of my favorites from our session with Marlena's Photography!
(Check her out! Marlena's Photography on Facebook)