| Let me introduce myself: my name is Jenn and I am a photographer, a college student, a writer, and a dreamer. But above everything else I am a single mom. My daughter is my miracle baby. I had been told since the age of 15 that I was probably never going to be able to have children. So when I |
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found out that I was pregnant, after a surgery to cut out the endometriosis that had taken over my body, I was ecstatic. My daughter's name is Kaitlyn, and quite frankly, she is the love of my life. I took myself away from the dating scene when Kaitlyn was just a baby, because I was afraid that she would somehow become hurt by me dating. So, it's just me and her for now, but truthfully, I'm okay with that. I am a very optimistic person. I know that no matter how hard things get, they can only get better; and with God's help I am able to fully support myself and my daughter, both financially and emotionally. In fact I am truly blessed. I have everything in this life that matters; food, shelter, and love. Everything else is meaningless without those three things, especially without love.
I am a country girl at heart; even though the first half of my life I spent rebelling against my parents and declaring that I was really a city girl. The longest I've lasted in the city was three months. Not that I couldn't have made it longer, but the smells and sounds really got to me. In fact they made me quite nauseous. I prefer my air to be fresh, with subtle hints of wild flowers and cow dung. The smells of exhaust, burnt fast food grease, and unwashed people really did me in. I knew after those three months, that I was no city girl at all. I was a country girl through and through, and so I came back home.
I currently live outside of a tiny town in Eastern Washington State. I've lived in this area my whole life, with the exception of four months last summer. Last summer I went to North Pole, Alaska, but I got home sick right off the bat; especially since I couldn't see the stars, with it being bright outside for almost 24 hours a day. I will admit that we had quite the adventure though. We drove up through British Columbia and the Yukon Territory to get to Alaska and back. The drive up was spent mostly in the car (we even slept there) and we saw a total of 9 bear while driving in Canada (thankfully none of them were spotted at the Rabid Grizzly Rest Stop in BC). The first three bears were spotted just 15 minutes across the Canadian border, a mama and her cubs. It truly was a magnificent sight.
I have often wondered if I'm built differently than other people because of the strong connection I feel with this area. After the Alaska experience, I am positive that I could never live anywhere else. Many of my highschool friends have moved away, and love where they are currently living, but I can't understand voluntarily leaving this area for good. I feel that this is where I belong, and that this area is my home.
In 2007 I made a big decision; that I did not want to be an employee anymore, I wanted to be an employer. Or at least be self employed. So I took my passion for photography and started my first photography business called Moonlight Photography. That business ended last year when I left for Alaska, where I started another photography business called Cherished Moments Photography (I couldn't use the name Moonlight Photography anymore because it became registered to another business owner). That photography business lasted a full four months, when I decided that I had had enough of Alaska and I wanted to come home. Before I actually got back down to Washington, my cousin had been talking with me about joining me as a partner in another photography business, because she also has a passion for photography. We decided that we did not want to have a business name that anybody else in the country had, and let me tell you, our options were very limited. The name we finally chose was A Timeless Treasure Photography, which is quite a mouthful, but it says a lot about us before people actually decide to hire us. To us; every portrait session, every wedding, every memory that we can help capture is a treasure. And people hire us to make it timeless, so that they can remember it forever. So far, business has been decent. For a fairly new photography business, we are doing wonderful. This month, in particular, is especially busy, with lots of senior portraits, family portraits, and a wedding. I love the fact that I love my job! As a matter of fact, we are currently in a competition right now, and would love it if we could get some more votes (we're currently in 4th place out of 30+ local photographers). The website to visit is http://best.krem.com/a-timeless-treasure-photography/biz/576373. An account will need to be created before voting, but it is a fairly simple process. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to do this.
My mom, Wanda (who also writes for PhancyPages), has been here helping me for the past couple of days to organize Kaitlyn's room. My child had three major problems in her room. 1. She had way too many toys (I'm talking three full toy boxes , two large totes, a plastic dresser full of dress up clothes, and of course a Barbie Dream House, cruise ship, and jet plane). 2. Her bedroom is only a tiny bit bigger than a closet. 3. We didn't have a bed for her, so she was sleeping on the hide-a-bed in the living room. However, even if we had had a bed for her, it always went back to the first two problems. Her room was too small and she had too many toys!! So mom, with her awesome organizing skills, came over and we hit that bedroom head on. I am now proud to say, as of tonight, Kaitlyn has a bed in her room (given to us from a wonderful lady), only two toy boxes (one in the closet and one at the end of the bed), and I have a storage unit full of toys to mark for a yard sale. Of course she still has the Barbie dream house, cruise ship, and jet plane. I think my daughter would kill me if I got rid of those. My mom is truly wonderful!!
This week has been really busy, and I feel like my rear end has been permanently glued to the chair in front of my computer. I cannot believe the amount of inquiries we have had in regards to our senior sessions, weddings, family sessions, babies, pets, etc etc. It seems like all I've been doing for the past 5 days is answering emails. Is it weird that nobody calls anymore? My phone number is listed everywhere that my email address is listed, but since we started almost a year ago I have received only a small handful of phone calls about the business. Everybody else emails me, unless they're a telemarketer.
I have attached a few of my favorite pictures that I've taken of clients, and one picture that I took of Kaitlyn with the very first fish she caught on our last camping trip. I promise that the next time that I write I will attach more personal pictures. However, the chances of seeing me in a photograph are really slim for two reasons: 1. I hate my picture taken, which is probably why I have always enjoyed being the one to take pictures. 2. I'm usually behind the camera. Enjoy!
Jenn Lynch
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