I started this year by taking a trip to Nashville with Brian for a Professional Photographers of America conference. We took time, as we always do, at the turn of the year to plan for what was ahead. We are usually pretty specific with the goals and focus we want to have personally and as a business. This year felt different. We let things feel looser and less concrete. Little did we know how valuable that open-handed grip on plans for 2020 would be.

Our youngest son did not have a successful start to the school year in the school where we started him, though I think that trial run was valuable in more ways than I can count. We shifted gears at the semester mark, and he began homeschooling with me in January. That took a lot of time away from photography and writing, which we certainly did not anticipate in August. The transition home for him has been critical to his healing from trauma before he was in our family, but we have also learned that, at this stage, he requires a tremendous amount of time.

The first week of the pandemic, I fell ill, stayed couch bound for probably two months, and have never fully recovered. My kids all also started having peculiar medical issues during that time. We've spent most of this year having tests run on our bodies and our house, and tracking down what in the world is wrong with us. The best we can figure is that we are COVID long-haulers. We've remained at home for work and school (and everything else) since early March, and I've only been out of the house to photograph a small handful of times.

Over the previous summer, Brian and I felt like I would be doing more writing this year and sharing some of the resources building in our home about adoption, sensory integration issues, photography, and how these all interact in our lives. We weren't sure how that would all add up. And though we still aren't sure, I ended up having the perfect solution for this year and into next. I have been guest blogging for Found Families, an organization for which I volunteer as a photographer for fellow adoptive families celebrating the new additions to their families. I'll share links to what I've written at the end of this post.

A friend and Purple Lemon bride texts me occasionally and asks me questions that no one else does, but that I value tremendously. What am I doing to fuel my creativity? How am I expressing my creativity when I am not photographing? When even lifting my camera feels too exhausting and it stays tucked away, I am glad for reminders to use the gifts the Creator has given me. I have been coloring, watercolor painting, and planning out of the box homeschool lessons for my out of the box learner. I have been rearranging countertops, journaling, sketching, and learning how to style my kiddo's ever-lengthening hair in all kinds of ways he dreams up.

I have also been dreaming about a way to record the way I feel every day through color and teamed up with my dad in his woodshop to make a special way for me to incorporate that into my daily life with watercolors. I might share more about that process as I test it out at the new year.

I'm not certain how I'll heal or what I'll be able to handle in the coming days. That makes it challenging as January is rolling around once again, to know how I can plan for photography, writing, and any other pursuits. For now, we'll keep aiming for recovery and doing what I can. For those who have inquired, thank you for your patience and support.

Blog Posts for Adoptive Families and Photographers

• Ways to Incorporate Play into your Photography Session
• Helping your adopted child after a photo session
• Fostering Felt Safety as Photographers
• Preparing your Adopted Child for a Photo Session
• Taking Photographs of Multiracial Family Groupings
• Tips for Cell Phone Pictures of your Multiracial Family

Inscribed in my wedding band is the phrase “none live for themselves.” This is a reminder to me of the vows we proclaimed on our wedding day. In addition to our traditional vows, we included extras that essentially say that we will be true to Christ, kind to people, and spread the gospel to the nations. When Purple Lemon Photography was created in 2008, its intent was to spur us on to fulfilling the promises we made for our marriage. This is particularly key to me as a photographer, since most of my work revolves around relationships and family.
 
Our goal is to use the gift of photography and the profits of our small business to help share kindness and spread the gospel while being true to Christ.
 
Locally, I have photographed for a variety of not-for-profit agencies on a volunteer basis, including those that work with the homeless, refugees new to St. Louis, and also inner-city youth, and newborns. 
 
I am a photographer with Red Thread Sessions which donates sessions to families who have newly adopted children at their homecoming, court date, or for a new family session. 

Additionally, I photograph babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) free of charge for their parents*. After having high-risk pregnancies, lengthy times on bedrest, and almost a month in the hospital, followed by a week of my oldest son in the NICU, my heart was softened for what I am calling “bedrest babies.”

Internationally, we aim to use the profits from our business to help support international missionaries and our personal international adoption costs. We have adopted from Ghana, and hope to continue to grow our family through adoption. To date, we have supported long and short-term missionaries in India, England, China, Nicaragua, Jordan, and Russia, emergency relief funds around the globe, and those serving the local church. We hope to continue to increase our ability to live generously and support those sharing the gospel.

Also, we know that missionaries frequently send out updates to their donors, meet with churches, and try to stay connected with families and friends stateside. In our current culture, photographs are crucial to newsletters and updates. Purple Lemon Photography will also do complimentary mini portrait sessions to these individuals and families who are on furlough and only have a short time in the states.

*This is specifically for families who are using PLP for their maternity or newborn photography.

Choosing the name for my first child was as easy as sipping a cool glass of lemonade. Choosing a name for this business was about as hard as squeezing the lemons to make the lemonade I so desperately needed once I finally chose it. As I look back on the process it took to find that perfect purple lemon, I see that although I tried to have a method to my madness, the madness came first with the method rolling down the hill after it. I was on the phone with my entire family trying some ideas out on them, when in pops my husband from the other room, “Purple Lemon Photography!” Then he went back to watching a movie starring Jack Lemmon with some friends. When he was still talking about it later, he quickly convinced me it was “the one.” The longer we sat with this name mulling in our brains the more and more we became convinced this is perfection in a purple lemon.

I am eager to share just a hand full of the reasons we love Purple Lemon Photography!

Lydia was a successful business woman in the Bible (Acts 16). She sold purple cloth and used the success of her business to support the functioning of the church and its international mission. I want to be like her.

Lemons are a symbol of fidelity in love.

Jack Lemmon is a funny guy.

No one flat out told me they did not like it. Every other option received handfuls of rejects. Maybe they were just …lemons.

In elementary school a friend and I gave each other secret nicknames that used the letters in our names. Mine was Lemon! (Tip: take the initials of my maiden name, put them backwards, insert vowels, and voila!)

I love lemons. Lemonheads, lemon drops, lemonade pie, lemon bars, lemon sorbet, lemons on the side of my glass (Those are supposed to be appetizers right?)

The day it came into being, I was wearing purple pants, purple undies, and was drinking from my favorite squiggly purple cup.

One of my favorite photo assignments from college was my final project that I did on fruit. In my series is a picture of a lemon on a purple napkin.

When I lived in The Netherlands, I brought out the hibernating sketchpad and rekindled my love for drawing in the relaxed pace of life I experienced there. Out of that time of unpressured creativity, I produced a little sketch of a lemon on a purple background.

I got a lemon out of the gumball machine at dinner right in that time frame- and I even took a picture!

One of my favorite parts of photography is the visual appeal of contrast. Yellow and purple are contrasting colors. Who knows, maybe purple and yellow will be the new black and white!

Conceptually, a purple lemon represents so much of what I want my business to be- fresh, modern, unique, and something seasonal.

‘Tis the season to be merry and bright!

One of the things we love to encourage is to Celebrate Family and also to savor each season of life that you may be in.  Some are rather bitter and some are sweet, and as we’re learning quite deeply, many seasons hold both simultaneously.

One of the types of sessions that we offer is a This Season session, when I spend all morning, afternoon, or evening with you photographing the details and candid moments, along with a handful of portraits.  

It’s in the common and everyday things that we find the extraordinary moments that fill us with appreciation and deepen our love for our families.

With Christmastime upon us, I photographed those special moments of decorating for Christmas with my family, which though ordinary with bright blue tubs from the basement are also sacred. Our family is reminded of Christ’s birth and we grow in unity through shared experiences as family joined together from a fragmented past.

Though the muted, vintage decorations may contrast with our cheery, bright decor, it reflects us. We hope through the creativity, order, and presentation of our home that we are also reflecting the Savior.

May the everyday moments of your own season, whether sweet as candy or bitter as chalk, find you thankful. May you take time to simply Celebrate Family as you celebrate with your family this holiday season.

Seasons Greetings from Purple Lemon Photography to you!

We want to show honor to God by valuing people, our resources, and the natural resources in the earth.  Here is how we are doing that practically at PLP.

Using our equipment fully and until they die or show excess wear, rather than adding new gadgets and cameras and creating excess electronic waste and then passing the cost on to you

Reusing our packaging materials when we need to ship our orders

Recycled paper products and minimal new paper or plastics in our packaging choices

Recycled paper in many of our marketing materials

Paperless proofing

Paperless correspondence and billing

Keeping our staff level low so we can pay well

Consideration of our ethics in our purchases

Posting images of our clients and children online only with permission, and keeping children’s names private

Meeting online with our out of town clients, rather than driving

Using real plates, napkins, and cups rather than disposable

Providing handmade, local treats and snacks when possible 

About a year ago when we were updating our website and giving our logo a refresher, part of that process was asking a lot of questions about what Purple Lemon Photography really is. Some parts of how I used to operate were no longer things I was pursuing, and other things have been added to the mix over time.

So here’s the scoop- the fresh view of what makes up Purple Lemon Photography. Each part is like a little slice of my creative spirit.

Wedding + Engagement Photography | Family Portraiture
Fine Art Decor | Teaching + Mentoring | Volunteering + Serving

I’ll be exploring these in more detail in the next few posts, so you can learn more about why we do what we do.

This segment is part three in a series exploring what is Purple Lemon Photography.

Fine Art Decor + Etsy

Since I was young, I have always photographed the world around me. After having a couple of gallery shows in a local coffee shop, we added the ability for people to purchase these prints and others through Etsy or in person (during classes or events).

I’m also dabbling in using these photographs in stock photography.

Teaching + Mentoring

Small, light-hearted classes and individual mentorships are the primary ways that I love to teach photography skills. I offer classes periodically. Also, when I have some interest, I’ll pull together a class to suit those students. Keep an eye out or request a class!

Mentorships are also available upon request, and I’ve also worked with the mentorship program at Webster University.

Volunteering + Serving

One of the main reasons PLP exists is to serve, bless, and celebrate those around us. We’ve done that in many ways over the years. Sometimes, it is through our profits that we support people doing good work, solid ministry, and encouraging things in our world. Sometimes, we are able to use our profits for disaster relief efforts or other challenging situations.

When we were adopting internationally, we used various photo-based events to help us earn the money we needed to unite our family under one roof.

I have also volunteered my skills and time for many local organizations that help with homelessness, newborn advocacy, refugees, families with children in the NICU, Safe Families for Children, and others.

Currently, the most consistent way I am volunteering is with Found Families.  It’s an organization that helps adoptive families like our own receive photographs of their new family through either portraits or documentation of airport homecoming events or courtroom dates. It’s often been a long, expensive road, and this is a gift to those families. It’s really critical for adopted kids to see themselves in pictures of their families to help them gain a sense of permanency and belonging.

We don’t often have sales, but if we do, they are often fundraising based, letting people know that they are participating in serving others.

Miss parts one and two? Check them out:

What is Purple Lemon Photography?
Wedding + Engagement Photography | Family Portraiture

This segment is part two in a series exploring what is Purple Lemon Photography.

Wedding + Engagement Photography

When Purple Lemon Photography was begun, it was out of a love for wedding photography that had developed as I worked as an associate for a wedding photography company in college. I discovered that I love wedding photography. It appeals to my love for creating and organizing events, celebrations, and relationships. The varied, long, fast-paced days are thrilling for me, and gives me much creative inspiration. I love working with the families and blessing the couple in every way I can.

Photographing engagements gives me time to build relationships with the couples I’ll be spending the day with on their wedding day, and find ways to visually represent their story.

Portraits

Alongside weddings and engagements, I also photograph many babies, children, and families. I love using the skills I’ve developed as a parent of children with sensory integration issues to engage children in fun and meaningful ways with their own families during their photography session.

Miss the other parts? Check them out:

What is Purple Lemon Photography?
Fine Art Decor | Teaching + Mentoring | Volunteering + Serving