The Etymology of a Post

Top: c/o Emmer and Oat; Jeans: c/o Emmer and Oat; Sunglasses: c/o Shady Rays; Shoes: c/o Vionic

Have I ever shared my background? Probably not much. You see, I’ve never really used my PR and English degree. In fact, this blog is the first time I’ve even come close (I got married shortly out of college and never really aspired to greatness- I am living my dream with a nice house, babies, and a faithful husband). Ironically (or not, I never can figure out if I’m using that word correctly, thanks Alanis), I’m not using the word etymology (which means the study of words) properly. But, when I sat down to post, that’s what came to mind. What I really mean is background. I talked about that last week with my post Behind the Lens. Since it stuck out again as I looked at these pictures, I thought I’d share a little of our creative process.

It all starts with a brand- usually found on Facebook or Instagram through ads or other influencers (often friends- thanks ladies;). I like what I see, reach out (that’s where my PR degree comes in handy), and cross my fingers. Sometimes it’s a no, sometimes there’s no response at all, and minimally compared to the sample size (being the emails I send out), it’s a yes- yay. After which begins the choosing of items, planning of posts, and rarely a consulting of the calendar (fair warning, I don’t often get paid and likewise, don’t always stick to a schedule- but I do always try to put out content that is worth more than the cost of the product I receive).

Here’s the part that struck me anew as I was looking at these photos: you’d never guess where we took them. It looks like a cute little bridge in the country by a sweet waterfall and I guess it kind of is. We drive past this spot without a second glance on the daily and I would never have thought it picturesque. It’s a busy bend in the road that welcomes you to our small town on a country route that stretches for miles and miles. In fact, the day we took these, there was a truck parked just behind the photographer and an emergency vehicle across the street (though we did not see anyone injured, thank the Lord). All this gets me thinking, how do we choose a spot to take our pictures?

If you’re a loyal reader, you already know we have four children. My husband (the photographer) works from home. And, we homeschool. That’s a lot. We don’t have time to plan out a perfectly scheduled photo shoot with the sun in peak position. In fact, we often just take a picture or two on our way somewhere (this day we were heading to return stuff to Target- don’t be jealous of my glamorous life). Normally, I’ll throw on an outfit we need to shoot (this one from Emmer and Oat is now a closet staple- so good), we all pile into the car and just drive. We seldom have a destination in mind. However, as we’ve progressed in this blogging influencer journey, we have become more in tune with our surroundings. We are always on the lookout for trees- not literal ones- but as in “can’t see the forest for the trees.” In portrait photography, you don’t want to see the forest. It’s all about the trees. In other words, you have to see the world as it fits through the lens or in a one by one Instagram square.

That day, the trucks and the kids were all distractions that I know were there, but you cannot see.In fact, that’s kind of how blogging is. You see snippets of my life, but the whole forest? That’s just out of frame. It has been challenging and rewarding to see the world more intimately. It has opened my eyes to a lot of beautiful things in my life that I might otherwise take for granted. And, if we hadn’t stopped to take a few pictures, I might never have seen that quiet waterfall for the busyness around it.