Rickie Lagana Photography joins the world of blogging!

So finally after a lot of time and hard work I can finally say….I have a blog!! (and a new logo)  I give credit to logo/website/blog designers…It’s not an easy job.  From now on I am just sticking to what I know…the photography side of things lol.  As for those of you who know me and follow my work…thank you!  For those of you who don’t, I will tell you a little about myself.  I am what you would call the typical ‘Momtographer’.  I picked up my first DSLR when my son was about four months old….and never put it down.  I love everything about photography.  Pictures are like treasure to me…more valuable than all the gold, diamonds or money in the world.  The things we learn from a single photo; the history a picture possesses…there is nothing like it.  Once children are grown or people pass on, pictures still remain, allowing you always to hold on to a piece of that moment.; a visual representation of love, happiness, accomplishment, or whatever lies there captured in that four sided piece of magic.  When I was really little (maybe around four years old) I remember my grandfather having a Polaroid camera and taking a picture of me and my little friends.  I sat and watched eagerly as it developed and I remember thinking how it must be magic.  Children have such incredible imaginations and as adults we are not as easily excited by things like that, but I will never forget that feeling of amazement or how excited I was.  Unfortunately that is where my excitement ended lol.  I am not the photographer who had a passion for it my entire life.  I loved all things art, drawing, dancing, anything where I could right brain it, but for some reason I never had access to a camera or enough desire to see where photography would take me.

Fast forward to 2010.  I had been working as a Massage Therapist for ten years and also had a job as an office manager.  I was VERY pregnant with my first child who, after four LONG years of infertility we were finally blessed with.  I knew for sure that I wanted to stay home and enjoy every possible second with this little miracle, so that is what I decided to do.  An amazing friend of mine and fellow photographer Laurel Serra asked me if she could do my maternity pictures for us down in Florida where my husband is from.  This is where my interest was first sparked.  From that moment on I began picking her brain here and there (she later became one of the reasons I learned so much in so little time).   I stopped working and in April gave birth to my son.  I was so distracted with this amazing little boy that was finally here that everything else was put on the back burner… for a little while.  I never had newborn pictures done (Which is what I suspect fueled my obsession with newborn photography).  Laurel lived in Florida and I was in NC and I didn’t even think about having anyone else do it.  I took lots of pictures with my I-phone and that was about it lol.  I can’t even stress to you how much I regret that.

When my son was about two months old my mother bought me a high end point and shoot.  That is the moment when I was first introduced to terms like ISO and Aperture.  From that moment on I took off running.  I read any books on photography I could get my hands on, was glued to the computer reading forums and tutorials and even sold my old car to buy my first official DSLR lol.  I was in love.  What started as a hobby snowballed into a business.  Friends and family I had taken pictures of started referring me to their friends and family and so on and so forth.

Today my son will be 17 months old on September second and professionally I have not been doing photography for a very long time.  There is one thing I want to make clear though to clients, fellow photogs and those just starting out.  You don’t have to be doing something forever to be good or even great at it.  You just have to be passionate and determined.  With photography as with any art a good part of it is based on creativity, intuition and talent.  Then comes your desire to practice and learn.  There are definitely no shortcuts and it does take time and dedication.  You will make lot’s of mistakes and then figure out amazing new things from those mistakes.  I threw myself into it and am still learning everyday.  I definitely know a lot more about the photography side of things and am still learning hard lessons at times on the business end of things.  But I am completely enjoying this journey.

Top Left: One of the very first pictures I took with my DSLR

Top Right: My husband and son

Bottom Left:  Me and my Miracle

Bottom Right:  One of the maternity photos taken by my amazing and talented friend Laurel Serra  http://www.facebook.com/LaurelSerraPhotography