I am in loveee with these photos I got to take of Hannah + Trey in my backyard — It has been a dream of mine since we bought our home to be able to photograph people in-between all our fruit trees. I loved this backyard from the moment I saw it & it is definitely one of the top reasons we bought this home.
We had spent about a year off + on looking for a home to buy after many years of hard work, saving, & paying off all our debt. When we were searching for a home it just never felt like the right timing or the right place until around the beginning of this year. We started to get more serious because our lease at our apartment was going to be ending in April. I kept coming across this house in the middle of Phoenix with this beautiful large green backyard — not something you see often living in the desert. There were orange, grapefruit, lime, apricot, and lemon trees. Though I loved the yard + the location, the house had only two bedrooms + needed lots of work. Like, a lot of work. I probably looked at this house twenty times, dreaming of this backyard but kept feeling like the actual home was going to be too much work + not enough space + was way overpriced. Then I showed my husband. Thankfully he works in construction/real estate & his connections were a massive encouragement to take on a remodel + he had the ability to negotiate the price. After a stressful week, we bought this house! Immediately we (well, Clint) started demo. We took out the kitchen + tile and have since redone the walls, flooring, kitchen, and paint andddd then Covid hit the month we moved in, which was April. The same month all my weddings canceled or got moved. This was not anywhere near our plan when we bought the house, but I know Covid has impacted everyone in different ways + none of it could have been expected. We have since decided the smartest thing for us to do was to sit tight, wait to continue remodeling when we knew what our job situations would look like, and just enjoy our home as is.
I am extremely grateful for this home, for this neighborhood, and for our backyard. I am grateful for my husband’s job that has kept steady + that I am able to photograph people again. I am grateful for all the lessons I have learned this year — to be patient, to love what I already have, & to really cherish time with people. Oh, and definitely grateful for our health.
I have had more time in the last couple of months to dream about what I want to do with photography + a big area that came up was wanting to get more into education. I want to be someone that encourages new + aspiring photographers. I want to come alongside other photographers + let them know that I don’t have it figured out + this takes a lot of work but it is possible to create and capture love + light the way they’ve always wanted to. On Instagram, I have started sharing tips on Wednesdays that are focused on photography, social media, and running a small business. I am also hosting my first ever content shoot for photographers in my backyard next week! — It will be a time to connect, create, and learn. I am so excited about it! I also love how much I am learning from others too. I believe that we are can all be learning + growing so I welcome that with open arms.
This blog post was pretty spontaneous to write but there are some of my updates + feelings. I can’t wait to take you guys along on more of our journey with our home + my journey with photography — I just want to thank you for the endless support + encouragement! Enjoy these photos of Hannah + Trey — they are the cutest.
