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I'm sure you hear it all the time. Shop Local! Support your mom and pop shops! Don't go to that big box store. Stop giving your money to Amazon and Walmart! I'm sure you also think to yourself, well, why should I? Amazon, Walmart, Target, Meijer, etc, have the best deals! They always have what I need! Plus I never have to wait for shipping! What can a local small business do for me that they can't? Let me tell you something. It's not just what that locally owned small business can do for you, but what you can do for THEM! When giving to those big box stores, you're just lining someone's pockets who already has a ton of money with even more money. I'm sure they've worked pretty hard for that money too. Good for them! But when supporting local small businesses, you are helping someone put food on their table. You're helping that single momma give her babies a great birthday party or a good Christmas that year. You're helping that dad fix the roof of his families house when something unexpected happens and he has to pull from his savings from those side jobs he does on the weekends. You're helping to pay for ballet lessons, for new shoes when the kids run through them too fast, for birthday cakes, and ice cream cones from the ice cream truck on those hot summer days. You're helping someone pay for that new suit/nice professional outfit that they may need to get a job so they can pay their rent. You're helping someone become more independent and have financial freedom in a relationship with someone who doesn't allow them to hold any of the money. You're helping someone keep their home when they thought they would end up being homeless. You're helping someone's sister/brother/mother/father/grandmother/grandfather provide for their family or their friends when they are in need of help. You're helping your local community grow and flourish. And in return, they are providing you with outstanding customer service. They're providing you with one of a kind products. They're taking the time to listen to your ideas and give you the absolute best product that they can to meet your needs. They're providing you with years and years of skill, learned from perfecting their craft and giving you the absolute best of themselves. They're giving you a little bit of their heart in each product that you buy, that they make with all the love and care that they can. This isn't some machine, pushing out mass products of the same things, This is someone putting their heart and soul into a business they are growing themselves, that they are proud of. That they wake up every single day, hoping to stay open to be able to provide more and more customers with quality products and to grow their business to maybe one day pass down to their children. I've worked for multiple small family ran businesses in my 30 years of life. One, I watched completely fall apart and it was devastating to everyone involved, owners, employees, and customer alike. They had many loyal customers who had used them for years but with big box stores taking over, the service they provided just wasn't in demand and sadly, they had to close their doors. Another, I've watched completely flourish! To the point of needing to expand their business into other locations! I, myself, run a small business. My photography not only allows me to provide for my two boys as a single mother, but also lets me capture so many memories and create so many life long friendships along the way. It has helped put food on my table, buy clothing for my children, and given them good christmases when I thought I wasn't going to be able to provide for them. My point is, it takes nothing for you to support your community and shop local. But it does mean EVERYTHING to those small businesses that you choose to support! Below, I've listed some local businesses that I support and that I know the owners of personally and I'm telling you each cent goes to something meaningful and helps them make their goals every month. Take a moment to check out their facebook page, Etsy shop or website! I'm sure you'll find something amazing to take home with you and I promise it will be made with love. I will be updating this list as I find more local businesses to support so please check back when you're able to! Loaded Jewelry (Custom made jewelry, she also makes custom paintings!) Crafty Mama Designed (Custom signs, cups, wreaths, shirts, pretty much anything you could think of!) Comfort and Co. (Custom shirts and boutique clothing, Tumblers, keychains, organizers and more!) Mama Llama Creations, LLC (Custom made Tumblers, hot cocoa bombs, and other sweet treats!) Fem Fat Fun (Custom shirts, and sweatshirts, she also sells lingerie at Fem.Fat.Fun.Friends!) InkHouse Apparel (Custom shirts, masks, baby onesies, beanies and more!) J Ray's Customs (Custom shirts, leggings, wall signs, home decor and more!) Steel Magnolia Boutique (Custom cups and tumbles!) Bailey's Scents (Custom candles!) Sarah's Styles (Amazing Hair stylist!)
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Why did I decide to start my photography journey....
Well, that is a loaded question, and the answer starts with when my journey started. My love for photography started at a very young age. My first "gig" was my parent's wedding at 5 years old! They gave me a disposable camera and let me go nuts. The photos are a sight to see, everything from waist high and up peoples noses. That wedding is where I caught the photography bug. From 5 years old, I have always had some sort of camera in my hand. I can't tell you how many disposable cameras I've been through, at one time I had a polaroid camera, and I have had all sorts of digital cameras, from cheap ones to $100+. I took photography all throughout middle and high school, and learned how to properly shoot on a film camera. There is nothing as wonderful as shooting on a film camera and developing your own photos. It is and always will be my favorite part of photography and I loved staying in the dark room as long as I could. I took so many of my friends out to do photoshoots with that camera and I still have all of the negatives in a binder. On my 21st birthday, I was given a nice point and shoot digital camera and I started offering sessions for very cheap. Mostly just for fun, I edited on pic monkey, and it was really just because I LOVED taking photos and I couldn't stop shooting. In 2015, I was gifted my very first DSLR camera and I have never been so excited. The father of my oldest child and my father worked together to buy me my first professional camera (Canon T5) and from there, I have been perfecting my craft ever since. It is my biggest passion and I have never been as happy as I am behind my camera. I started with taking photos of my son Asher, and offering free sessions to friends and family. My first official name was Faerietale Photography, because of my love for faeries and faerie tales, and because I love doing creative photoshoots. But eventually, over the years, it has officially grown into what it is today, Midnight & Lace Photography. Now the WHY... The why is for many different reasons. Because I love capturing memories for people to treasure forever. Because people don't typically think about a moment being gone forever and wanting to revisit it in the future. Because watching families grow and love change with the seasons is the absolute BEST thing to me and I love having repeat clients who I get to be a part of their lives for years and years to come. Because watching a woman learn to love herself and see herself as other people see her and watching the tears fall because she's finally seeing herself as beautiful makes all the hours and hours of learning and editing and shooting so freakin worth it!! Because this is my passion, the thing that sets my heart and soul aflame. The driving force behind me wanting to get up and do this every single day of my life! But most importantly.. because when I lost my best friend Kara at 18 years old in a horrible car accident that took her and her precious unborn baby.. I realized that she was hardly ever in front of the camera. She was always taking the photos, always living in the moment, always being the light in everyones lives and the life of the party, but there just were not a ton of photos of her with her friends and family. I have a handful of photos with her that I will cherish with all my heart for the rest of my life but how I wish I could go back and make sure there were more. This is the main driving force behind why. Because you never know when someone will be gone from your life forever and all you will have left are stories and memories and photographs. If I can give even one person memories to hold onto for the rest of their lives, I will have left my mark on this world and done something with this life I've been given. And that is all I have ever wanted to do. Give back to anyone and everyone. Make someone feel beautiful. Make someone look at my photos and laugh because of a funny memory or cry because of the emotion that they feel when they look at it. This is not just a job. This is not just pushing a button. This is my life's work and my art that I get to create and a little bitty piece of me and my heart that I give away with every session. Every single person who gets in front of my camera becomes a friend and eventually that friendship grows into family. Midnight & Lace Photography is more than just some pretty pictures and a business to me. It is my heart and my soul, my home. And I hope that each and every person who shoots with me feels the same. |
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