About 7 years ago I started Becerra Photography because of her, Sofia Sky Becerra.  When Kara was pregnant with Sofia we decided that it was important for her to be able to stay home with our kids. That would mean that I would be the sole provider of our little family.  I realized that my small teacher’s salary wouldn’t really cover our basic needs, and so I started shooting weddings as a side business.  But things started to grow, my business multiplied and pretty soon, shooting weddings was my full time job and teaching was my side business.

This past year has been my most successful in business. I’ve never done more photoshoots. I’ve never made more money. I’ve achieved a dream that many aspire to; I was able to support my family as a full-time photographer.  But looking back on my 2011 calendar I made a stark realization. I had worked EVERY Saturday from March through December 17th.  Up until this point in our lives working nights and weekends hasn’t been a problem, because we’ve been able to make family time during the week.  But in 2011 my daughter Sofia started Kindergarten, and my son Gabriel started pre-school.  Tuesdays can’t be our Saturdays anymore.

Recently a hero of mine passed away, and his passing has made me think a lot about my business and my family. I wasn’t on the Steve Jobs bandwagon, when the iPad came out, or the iPhone or even the iPod.  Nah, I was really excited back in 1997 when Steve Jobs came back to Apple.  I liked that he was a rebel CEO, a guy that combined art with technology.  Steve Jobs took some serious hippy philosophy and applied it to a totally non-hippy environment.  I liked that.  He was tenacious and determined. I liked that too.

Like many Apple\Steve Jobs fans I read a lot about my late hero over the past few months.  I read articles and blogs and Walter Isaacson’s  biography on my iPhone in one hand while I rocked my baby to sleep with the other. The book was inspiring, lots of great insight and personal stories impressed me. But what hit me most was Job’s explanation for opening up about his private life.  He said, “I wanted my kids to know me. I wasn’t always there for them and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did.”

So as I’m holding my baby, Miriam, and reading these words from my hero “I wanted my kids to know me”, I made a decision.  My kids will not know me from a newspaper article, they will know me because I’m going to spend every moment I can with them.  They are growing up so fast.  Sofia blows me away with how fast she is learning Spanish. Gabe is a little stud on the monkey bars, and Miriam makes me laugh every single day.  How can I miss out on that?  I won’t.  So even though I love shooting weddings, I love interacting with my clients and using my creative ideas to capture their memories, 2012 will be my last year working as a professional photographer.

This doesn’t mean I’m putting my camera away forever.  I’ll still do a few photo jobs here and there, but for the most part when 2013 comes around I’ll be going back to the 9-5 Monday through Friday way of life. I’ll be returning to education full time.  Who knows I might actually take pictures just for the fun of it!

Obviously I’ve given this a lot of thought.  I’ve talked with several friends about my decision not to continue my business beyond 2013.  Sometimes people react and say “Oh that’s so sad!”.  I guess there is some truth to that, but really photography has always been a job.  It’s been a fun job, a fabulous job, but at the end of the day, it’s still just the way I put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. It’s the way I’ve been able to provide for our family so Kara can stay home with our kids.  I know there are photographers who are able to make it all work, who can have successful businesses and a great family life and I hope my decision doesn’t come across as judging them.  I’m just trying to explain my situation and what I’ve decided is best for my family.

I’ve had a great ride. I’ve learned so much. I never thought that I’d own my own business, be named Best Wedding Photographer in Oregon, or travel like I have.  I want to say thank you to every single person who has hired me over the past 7 years.  It’s been a pleasure working for you.

Hey photo fans. It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but rest assured I’m still here and still shooting. The past few months have been great to kind of recharge and relax with my family, as we get ready for some big changes ahead.  I loved shooting Marissa, David and Christian. Such a cute photogenic family!  They’ll be getting married at Zenith Vineyard later this year.  Can’t wait!

Yeah so it’s January in Oregon?  No worries.  I had a blast shooting this engagement session with Becky and JD. So many options!

Another beautiful fall/winter wedding to report on.  Shooting Traci and Luke’s wedding was a great experience because it was so intimate and personal.  When shooting at small weddings I feel that as the photographer I get to know the couple a little better, and interact with almost all the guests.  For that reason I think it is really important for the photographer and the couple to click and be on the same page. I got to spend time with Traci when taking promotional pictures of her band and time with Traci Luke and Dylan for engagement/family pictures. Having that time with them made the wedding day go great.  I especially liked getting to know Dylan. Such a funny kid!

Also making run smoothly Susan Duyck from Blush Bridal Group. Highly recommended.

I love fall!  We had to stay in the studio for most of this shoot but just as we were walking out, the sun came out so we ran up to OSU’s campus for some quick shots with all the colors.

I don’t know why more Oregon brides don’t choose to get married in the Fall. Is there anything more beautiful that the colors of a vineyard in the Fall?  This the third wedding I’ve been able to shoot at Beckenridge, and the venue never disappoints. I also had a chance to work with Morgan from A Time 4 Memories which was a great experience.

I had a great time this weekend as Marta and Mike had me fly to Southern California for their wedding at a private residence at Newport Beach.  I always love heading down to the L.A. area because my Grandma lives there and not only do I get to shoot a great couple, but I get to spend some quality time with my Grandma as well.  One thing I loved about Mike and Marta’s wedding is that since it was a little foggy/misty we got to play with that in the pictures which give them a dreamy look that I really like.

Lot’s going on lately! You may remember Traci from when we shot her band for possible album covers a few weeks ago. Well Traci and Luke are getting married next month so we brought little Dylan along for some fun family/ engagement pictures at their home. One thing I love about shooting in the Corvallis/Eugene area is that there are so many great places. The sky was just amazing during the shoot so I’m glad I had a chance to take advantage of that.

For all you gear junkies I shot did the top shot with a 60 inch softbox mounted on a single Alien B800 Head at full power.