Lory Ament DreamShots Photography Blog: A Trip to New York day 1 of 7 | Personal and Photography

Lory Ament DreamShots Photography Blog: A Trip to New York day 1 of 7 | Personal and Photography

A Trip to New York day 1 of 7 | Personal and Photography

Saturday, May 10th 2014 was a really emotional day.  We were getting ready to leave the next day to New York for a week.  I spent the first eleven years of my life in the city and was concerned about how my family would fare in a place so big and populated.  I have lived in the beautiful state of South Carolina for almost twenty years and have grown accustom to our much slower pace and lifestyle.  Two of my girls were at a friends house and had not packed all their belongings yet for the trip.  As I am beginning to fret about not being ready, my husband tells me we should leave that night and that way we could miss all of the traffic and the children can sleep through the night!

We went to pick up our girls who were at the local park with the friends they had spent the night.  Holy Smokes!  My girls and their friends had managed to put together a surprise Anniversary Party for me and my husband.  On the 12th we would be married 8 years.  So many friends and family were there.  We even had family travel from Oregon and Tennessee! Keep in mind these girls are only sixteen and eleven years old.  I was so happy to see everyone.

They made a homemade sign.

                                                                                  My eleven year old got me a Nikon Lens cup :) 

  My parents.

 

                                                                                    All friends who helped them make it happen. 

Josh's grandparents and sisters. 

                                                                               Josh's Grandma,Sister, Aunt, Father and another Aunt. 

A small part of our blended family.   

Once the party was over we rushed home finished packing and loaded the car up.  Yep, I drove from 9 pm to 5 am. I was so tired that I had to turn over the driving to Josh.  He got us the rest of the way.  The girls slept a good part of the way.  When we all woke up we could immediately tell we were "not in Kansas anymore" so to speak.  The highway was lines with trash bags.  It was so odd.  It wasn't like the bags had fallen off a truck.  Many were just huddled together while others looked thrown and discarded. Traffic was no longer friendly.  People zig zagged and cut others off.  I was so glad I was no longer driving.  Our first stop was Jersey City.  We were to meet up with my aunt and cousins. They were attending the one day assembly at The Stanley Theater. The place was beautiful. We couldn't help taking pictures.

 The pictures don't do it justice.

  After eating lunch with the family, we got my aunt's keys and drove to their home which would be our home for the next seven days. We slept... Woke up to spend more time with the family and then slept... Until Monday morning.  The day that TRULY started our NEW YORK ADVENTURE!! 

Come back next week for part 2 of 7 of  "A Trip to New York."

SECOND SHOOTING AT A WEDDING | Photography

Second Shooting At A Wedding

     I have been photographing weddings since the year 2000. At that point in my life, I was an assistant / second shooter for a photographer in Pendleton. He took me along to weddings and I was to make sure that everything was aligned properly, the dress was fluffed and that there were no photo bombers in the background. While I did this for a few years and enjoyed it I really wanted to do more shooting.  He realized this and sold me his D70. I was so excited to have my very first digital camera. I sported that thing like it was the best thing since slice bread.  I was so proud of it; I kept that camera around until last year that I handed it over to an aspiring photographer in my family.  It still works and take beautiful pictures.  Anyway, having the ability to takes digital photos I was allowed to shoot weddings by myself!!  I loved the challenge of shooting by myself a full wedding. Weddings are usually a blur to the bride and groom. They are constantly being pulled by there guests to talk, hug, take a photo, or dance.  Photographers get to capture all of the wonderful details, emotions, food, cake and chaos that happens throughout the day, allowing the couple to look at their wedding story through pictures when they come back from their honeymoon.

   In 2008, I stopped working for a while and dedicated my time to raising my newborn daughter and spending time with my other two daughters at home.

I had three beautiful girls to shoot, but, I missed the joy of photographing others.  So in 2011, my husband encouraged me to pursue my dreams of owning my photography business. DreamShots Photography was born in my mind in high school and became a reality January 2011.  Sometimes we put our dreams off but that doesn't mean they can't come true. I began networking with vendors and other photographers to get back on the wedding scene.  The photographers in South Carolina welcomed me back with open arms and helped me join groups and classes that would further my knowledge and skills.  Throughout all this my husband, Josh Ament, has been a rock by my side, an encouragement to continue with what I love and a true blessing.   Recently, my husband has joined me in my photography business as a second shooter. He is an amazing second shooter and has a great eye for details.

     On occasion I have the honor of second shooting for other photographers in our area and I love it.  I say honor because at that point they are trusting me with their brides and their reputation and style. 

While initially this makes me nervous, I tend to get at ease once we start the day. Second shooting is not as stressful as being the primary shooter.  As a second, I am able to get different angle of a shot the primary has set up. 

I am also able to concentrate on more of the details and candid shots throughout the night.  Many times I have heard a bride say " Oh my god! I didn't even see that person at our wedding!" and they are grateful that they have a photo of them being there.  Second shooting is fun and I think anyone who is interested in photographing weddings should find a mentor and second shoot for them before taking on a wedding by themselves.  I know this has helped me a great deal and I am thankful to all the photogs who have been there for me in the past and will be there for me in the future.