I’ve mentioned it before, but just in case you didn’t know: I’m not originally from Wisconsin. My family and I are, in fact, sort of new to Oshkosh (and the whole of Wisconsin), having only moved here in November of 2019. Of course, we had no way of knowing the pandemic would hit only a handful of months later, so that’s put a bit of a damper on our ability to explore and meet people and familiarize ourselves more with our new home area.
A lot of people ask me what brought us to Wisconsin, and specifically Oshkosh. The short answer is: family. We visited family in Oshkosh and feel head-over-heels in love with the city, particularly it’s support of small businesses and the Farmer’s Market. I like to joke that sometimes I feel like we were catfished – our visits were always in the fall, during the brief period when the weather is perfect, with gorgeous colors in the trees and apple picking and dozens of other things that drew us in. When we finally made the move, however, we were hit with the frigid temperatures of winter, more snow than I think I had ever seen in a single winter. (“You’re from Colorado, though, there’s always snow there!” The area I was born and raised was quite a distance from the mountains, and very much so more plains/desert. It doesn’t get much snow, and when it does, it’s usually gone in a couple of days.) Our first winter here in Wisconsin was the year after the exploding toilets, though, so I’m very grateful to have missed that!
Despite being a bit shook by the weather, we still love Oshkosh and all of Wisconsin that we have seen so far. We love the small-town, neighborly feel with all of the city amenities not far away. I especially love the support the communities here have for small businesses! There are so many shops that I didn’t realize existed anymore: from vacuum repair to boutique clothing, to my personal favorite, and actual camera store! The Downtown Oshkosh Association has been so helpful with networking and meeting other business owners, and I love following the Visit Oshkosh pages on social media for new (and not new but still amazing!) and exciting things happening in Oshkosh. It’s a dream living here, and my family and I love being part of the community.
But, chances are you’re not here to read about how much I love this community I’ve fallen into. Chances are, you’re here to read about boudoir.
Today’s blog is going to be just a little bit different. It will be about growth and progression, and how excited I am to see where I am now compared to where I’ve been.
Miss A is a repeat client (and dare I say, a dear friend) who has been with me since the literal beginning. She was actually the first client I photographed after moving to Wisconsin, and has had sessions in all of my spaces: when I was photographing out of AirBnB/hotels, when I had my home studio, when I had my first commercial studio in Downtown Oshkosh, and now in my new studio.
Photographing her in all of these places has given me such a great visual of the changes I’ve experienced in the last 2 and a half years; changes in the location, my style, and my own abilities as a photographer. I’m a very big believer in continuing my education in my craft, and I’ll never stop learning and striving to be better than I was yesterday.
2019 is, of course, when my Wisconsin photography journey began. I’d been photographing weddings for several years in Colorado before we moved, but I knew very few people in Wisconsin. I didn’t have a studio, so I was photographing in AirBnBs or hotels (with permission).
Enter Miss A, who rocked her session. One of the images from that session is actually a large metal sample in my studio, and one of my favorite images to date.
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