It has been nearly a decade that I’ve been a professional photographer. I can’t even believe it. I have loved {almost} every minute of it. Being a business owner has grown me in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I was 22, pregnant with my first baby and getting my DBA. I am so grateful for the entire experience! Not everyone gets to pursue their dream job on their own terms, and I feel extremely blessed to have been one of those few. But the time has come for me to close the doors of Beth Dreyer Photography.
As I was pondering my maternity leave a few months ago, I knew I would not be able to do fall mini sessions this year at 8 months pregnant. Some women can do it and I say more power to em! But for myself I knew it would not be a good idea. It has always been my practice to work in the afternoons while my kids either napped or had quiet time, but this pregnancy mama has NAPPED almost every day throughout every trimester. So while I was originally planning on picking up again this next spring with Beth Dreyer Photography, the thought that came into my mind was, “But ummm, I’m going to have four kids then! And we homeschool! I’m not going to be able to give up napping!!!” Ha! Again, there are moms that do it, but in my heart I knew that for me, my season has shifted. This season is about kiddos and homeschooling and if I am going to give time to something else, I want to give it to helping people pursue a more natural and organic lifestyle. I always wondered if this ‘retirement’ would happen, and in fact I wondered passively if it would happen when I had my fourth child! It was never a solid exit plan, but when I got here, I realized that God had been preparing me for this moment.
I have loved being a professional photographer. I have loved pursuing that passion for the past decade, and have loved being able to bless brides and grooms and families and my own family with my passion. But I feel fulfilled in that passion for now. I’m ready to lay it down and move on to the next thing. Photography will always be a part of my life, and I look forward to pursuing it in different ways in the future, but now I’m looking forward to a new phase in my life!
To all of the families that I have worked with through the years, thank you so much for entrusting your memories to me, it has been such an honor to capture them with you. I have loved watching your babies grow, documenting their milestones, being a part of intimate family moments, and being a part of the temper tantrums that come along with trying to photograph them. I’m sure you’ve all heard me tell you not to worry, that my own kids were always my most difficult subjects, and I wasn’t lying to you! Thank you for trusting me with your messy, lovely, beautiful, raw, and real moments. I’ve cherished them right along with you.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I am still planning on using this blog to write about life, and oils, food, and other things as to mood strikes. It’s not going away, and neither are all of the thousands of client photos it contains. Stay tuned in five or six weeks for my sweet Lily Kate’s newborn photos!
I am also writing over on my new blog Freedom is Messy about our unschooling journey if you’re interested in that kind of thing.