I’m a woman of few words.

I like to just cut to the chase.  More often than not, my blog posts are short and sweet.

But sometimes, things hit me and I just have to share.  Or, if you’re my boyfriend, then I’m just sharing all the time. ;-) hah Sorry, sweetie.

Well, with that being said, I want to tell you about my friend Tj.

Tj…

She wasn’t always my friend.  I met her when I was just a wee lass at the University of Colorado, just getting my feet wet in the photography world.  I remember it like it was yesterday: Principles of Marketing with Professor Knock.  And I’m pretty sure I had to do a project on a local business… and I’m pretty sure I convinced Professor Knock that it was a good idea to use my own business. :-) Free advertising, right?

Well, my presentation came and went… my presentation on René Tate Graphic Design & Photography.

… cause clearly I understood the power of specialization. ;-)

Like I said, my presentation came and went, and it wasn’t long before I received an email from a classmate: Tj, who was in need of some family portraits.

Well.  I did her family portraits.  Then the following year, I did her daughter’s senior portraits.  Then I did her family portraits again, then her son’s football portraits, then her boudoir portraits, then a portrait session of just her and her son, then another set of boudoirs, and then another set of football portraits, and then just last week: another boudoir.

And I tell you all this, not to brag, but reiterate.

Yes, reiterate.

To reiterate an old piece of advice that is tried and true.

You see, I got to looking through some of those first family portraits the other day and was reminded how far we’ve come…

We, as in Tj and myself.

Over the course of her nine portrait sessions, both Tj and I have gone through an enormous transformation.  I have grown leaps and bounds in photography.  And Tj, well, Tj has shed over 110 pounds.

So that reiterating-old-advice-part I was talking about…

Sometimes you have to look at where you’ve been to appreciate where you are and where you’re going.

 

So here’s to growth.  And change.  And transformation.  And not posing people through tree branches.  And to avoiding ugly shadows on peoples’ faces.  :-)  And to extreme weightloss.

And, especially, to those old tried and true sayings…

 Rome wasn’t building a day.  Things don’t happen over night.  Patience is a virtue.  

To anyone who has ever felt stuck in a rut, this post is for you.

Much love,
René (and Tj too)