the story of my inspiration

Ok, so this may seem like a strange place to start my blog but...

I was sitting in the bathroom just now, not really thinking about anything in particular, except that I'm loving the makeover we just gave it (but that's another blog - with lots of pictures). Anyway... back to it... i was just sitting there when I heard the TV from the other room start bellowing out a song - True Colors by Cyndy Lauper - CLASSIC 80s chick! Love her.

But even more than loving her, I love that song. It has had a profound effect on my life. It all started back when i was a child of 8-9 years old. My father - always trying to give his family the best he possibly could- took us to Disney World. We spent a week in a cheap hotel, as most of the money was spent on the (even then) expensive park tickets and dining out every night. It was that very first year (or maybe the second year) that my mom and dad dragged us along on this boring tour of condos. Can you say "sales pitch"? We didnt really have the money to purchase anything but my dad is no fool - we went on several of these tours in order to grab hold of the "free" Disney tickets they offer just for listening to them for 2 hours. (These days they have it all figured out with kid clubs that entertain the children while mommy and daddy decide on taking out a second mortgage for a vacation rental.)

Anyway, at some point, my dad's company did fairly well and he purchased a small timeshare about 2 miles from the Disney entrance. It was awesome. Some of my greatest memories were made spending time with my family swimming in the pool, paddle-boating on the lake out back, and playing shuffleboard. Some years it was just the four of us (mom, dad, me and my brother) and some years we had as many as 20 other family members taking the trek with us. My dad will often remind me of those years where he had to physically drag me and my cousin Karen out of the pool to go to the parks.

For years and years we did our "annual" family vacation in Orlando. It was such a strong part of my life growing up that, even now, when my dad talks about selling the timeshare, i put my foot down and tell him he BETTER NOT! I have every intension of taking my children there and making the same memories.

I digress....back to the song.

For years, my brother and my cousins all thought Epcot was "the boring park" ... the "adult park". So we spent most of our younger years exploring and memorizing Magic Kingdom, until of course MGM Studios came into play and then finally Animal Kingdom. We became instant experts on the best way to tackle the parks - what rides to go on first, what rides were worth the wait for a second run etc etc.

But somewhere in the middle of all this exploring, I grew up. My desire for roller coasters and thrill rides relaxed a little and Epcot seemed more appealing with its two separate areas of the park: The World Showcase and Future World. Traveling the world suddenly seemed so cool and what better way to do it then hike around the lagoon and visit a dozen or so countries in the World Showcase with authentic food, people, and faux decor. It gave me a taste of a world (or many worlds) I had not explored yet. At the other end of the park was Future World, a taste of things to come - new computer games, new technologies. It was here that I was inspired, not on a ride or in any of the pavilions, but waiting online for the Michael Jackson 3D movie (now the "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" 3D show for you WDW fanatics). Disney doesn't make you wait online without some sort of entertainment. So, there I was, standing in darkness and "True Colors" begins to play as a slide show of photographs begin flashing before my eyes. The show culminated into a story of life, love, living, growing up, capturing moments and spending time with the ones we love. Tears gushed down my face. I was instantly captured and inspired to do the very same. I yearned for a camera and have had one ever since.

Because of this inspiration, I now have hundreds of photos of family, friends, landscapes, people, pets, animals, flowers, trees, the ocean... all interacting with each other. My ultimate goal? To capture people in their element... in their moment... to remind them of that moment... to inspire them to keep that moment alive... remember who, what, when, where, why and how they had that moment. I now have a website, a photoblog. I have had numerous photography jobs. And my inspiration, skills and desire to learn has only increased as time went on. It's a work in progress.

You know how some things just suddenly make sense? Yeah well... I had an epiphany in the bathroom tonight(of all places!). That song has reminded me that there is a reason for my life and photography is definitely one of them.