Love Local: Freeze Frame Yogurt Shoppe // Columbus, Georgia Commercial Photographer

I'm really loving commercial photography. There are are so many unique, small businesses in this area and it's been a real treat having the opportunity to photograph some of them. My latest shoot was for Freeze Frame Yogurt Shoppe. They are located in the heart of Uptown Columbus and serve a wide variety of frozen yogurt, toppings and they just added cheesecake and coffee to their menu. Folks, there is no exaggeration when I say it's all delicious--especially the chocolate-lava cake! This particular yogurt shoppe is unique because of their desire to support local artists. All throughout the store they have artwork created by members of the community and each piece is available for purchase. In addition, they offer a sweet military discount which definitely wins our little, military family over.Crazy enough, I connected with this shoppe in an unusual way. Shortly after we moved to this area, I posted an Instagram picture from my commercial shoot with Maltitude. An Instagram friend that had been following me commented and told me they owned the yogurt shoppe down the road. We ended up getting together for a playdate and I instantly had new friends. Small world, right?Enjoy the pics and if you live in this area, be sure to stop by and sample one or two of their 24 flavors!

Meet Gina: A Portrait of a Truly Beautiful Woman

I remember when I met the McElroy's for the first time. We were outside of the Disney store at the mall and had randomly bumped into them. We chatted for a bit and talked about how we should get together for a BBQ. I remember walking away and telling Ethan, "Gina is beautiful."Gina had been having consistent headaches and nausea since October of last year. The doctor kept dismissing it and by December they found a 1.5 inch tumor by her brain. She had to have brain surgery for it's removal but something still wasn't right. It wasn't until February of this year that she was diagnosed with cancer. This changed everything for her family. There were constant trips to the hospital, long, overnight stays without her kids, hospital bills piling up and she was in a constant state of pain. It wasn't until later that they found out the cancer was not just in her brain, but also in her spinal fluid, leaving tumors coating her spine. Gina had to start radiation immediately, but despite all of this she told me she didn't cry once. She knew she had to be strong for her family and in addition to that, she saw God doing a great work in her life. He used this period of pain and struggle to humble her, deepen her walk with Him and grow to appreciate every single day of life."I started coming to realization that maybe having cancer wasnt such a bad thing. I grew closer to God, my family and friends. I started to appreciate life so much more. Everyone's kind words and prayers humbled me so much. Whatever the outcome of my life was going to be, I accepted it."And that's when they got the call that the tumors in her spine were gone and the one in her brain was/is shrinking!It's been an incredibly long journey for their family but I've been able to watch them on the sidelines and let me just say that they are some of the strongest people I know. Despite everything that they have been through, Gina consistently attributes God for the strength He has given her and acknolwedges that even though things may not have panned out the way she would have planned, she fully trusts that He is in control."I'm sure my story isn't any different from anyone else battling cancer. I never expected that that person would be me though but I trust in God and just let him lead."Since getting into photography, one thing that has remained is my desire to bless others with the talent God has given me. This may sound corny but pictures truly are worth a thousand words. A single photo can bring back a flood of emotions and memories and I wanted the McElroy's to have something to look back on. I want them to remember the moments after Gina finished her radiation treatments.After photographing them, I can honestly say the same statement I made a few years ago...Gina is beautiful, both inside and out. She is a living testimony of God's goodness. He has done an amazing work in her life through this trial and I can clearly see how her story has touched so many hearts and lives. I'm encouraged to see all the love and support she has been shown through her family and friends, and I would ask that you would take a moment right now to stop and pray for their family. She is still in a lot of pain and they still have much to journey through but I know that your prayers would mean the world to them.

The New Blog-Site!

When we first moved to California several years ago, I was busy pursuing the wedding business. Shortly after our move, I found out I was pregnant with my son Kaiden. We weren't planning on having a kid just yet and that news rocked my world. All the dreams I had for myself were quickly muddied. I was obviously happy about the news but I still struggled with it. Even after his birth I had trouble balancing my desire to pursue my business and being a wife and mom. God used Kaiden to do a tremendous work in me. He taught me a whole lot of humility and revealed the selfish heart that held on so tightly to human plans. Over the months my heart grew more and more to love my role as a mom and now I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Now we have two beautiful children and I can truly say I'm blessed. I still shot weddings and portraits over the years but last August, I pretty much stopped pursuing business unless it came my way.I write all this all because this past week I made a big decision. I've decided that I'm getting back into the photography business but instead of weddings I will be focusing on portraits. I never could have imagined how having kids would drastically improve my photography. Kaiden was a real, living and breathing subject to practice on everyday...except it wasn't practice for me. I was busy capturing memories. Every day life became art to me and I love looking back to see how my eye has developed since his birth. I've learned to shoot in far from ideal conditions (poor lighting, fast toddler feet running, etc.) and I've also learned how to look at life in a different way. This translates into my portrait photography with complete strangers.I love portraits for a number of reasons. For one, they are a controlled setting. Unlike weddings, I don't have the stress and pressure of getting "the shot." If I mess up, (because I'm human still...I do mess up) I can re-take it. I also love portraits because of the importance behind them. Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life but there is soooooo much that happens after marriage. I believe photographs taken at your five or fifty year anniversary display a love that has worked at marriage. A love that shows deep commitment and faithfulness to one. Or how about the portrait of your new baby? There is no moment sweeter to capture than the looks that loving, new parents give their children. And then there are veteran parents with a slew of kids in tote...you know, the family of four that have been through thick and thin together. There is always an occasion to take portraits and I'm happy that I have found my niche.I have a vision for JAGOFOTO and my goal is to give my clients a wonderful experience from beginning to end. This October I will be introducing an awesome line of products that are made from eco-friendly materials, are made in the US and completes the artistic vision I have in mind. I will be a full service studio giving a personal one on one experience to every client that steps foot in my door. My role as a wife and mom still definitely come first but I believe they give me the ability to see life in a totally different way than I did before. All this to say, that is the reason for the new look of this blog-site. I'm still a mom blogger and all my old content is still here but I just wanted to stream line my look for the direction JAGOFOTO is headed. I still plan on writing my honestly writing my heart out and showing off my kids but I also want a place for clients to come and see what JAGOFOTO is all about.So, click around the new blog site and explore! Be sure to click the "Home" button so that you can see what the site looks like not as a blog post. There are some minor things I have yet to work on but for the most part it flows pretty well. If you are in the South Georgia area or know of anyone that is, please pass my name along to them! I will be serving the following cities: Fort Benning, GA // Columbus, GA // Phenix City, AL // Pensacola, FL // Seasonally >> Wisconsin and Pennsylvania