Do you remember the first time you photographed your baby with a *real* camera? Fumbling with the dials. Trying to meter correctly. Composing the shot. Focusing. Click..click..click. They were cooing. Or laughing. Whatever it was, it was beautiful. You remember now, right? And the moment you saw the image. You know the one. THAT one. The one that made you gasp a bit. A photograph that spoke volumes. Not just about your little one — but about you. It was lovely. It was art. Yes, you could DO this. And you did. All for the love of it. Was it yesterday? Or five years ago?

Whether you’re a professional who has lost sight of the reason you began, or an aspiring photographer wondering just where to start, I can’t recommend For The Love highly enough. It’s where our roots are, after all. This amazing eBook by the renowned Barb Uil of JinkyArt takes you back to the beginning and propels you forward. It’s a breath of fresh air. It will stir your memory. But mostly, it will inspire. Other contributors include the lovely and talented photographers Kristen Cook and Stephanie Piscitelli. And artists Nisa Fiin and Corinne Delis.

Can I tell you how flattered and grateful I was when Barb contacted me and asked if I would contribute? My reply was yes – a resounding yes. My segment highlights a “day in the life” of my family and how I photograph their ordinary moments from both creative and technical perspectives.

Documenting our own lives is important. Creating our family archives is where it begins; and it is one of the most precious gifts our talent enables us to pass to our children. Why do I what I do? Why do you? For the love of it. It is as simple as that.

Join the Facebook group here.

I found a link to a quote by Ira Glass on my friend (an amazing visionary) Ben Arment’s blog. So, I created  my own graphic version. And a wallpaper to share. (Enjoy)

For my fellow creatives: When I don’t feel good enough, clever enough, creative enough, unique enough…take heart. And, take heed. It takes years. I will remind myself daily, that it takes time. Lots more of it. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. I will find myself at the end of the tunnel. Let my disappointment in my work be the driver. Refuse to be satisfied by mediocrity or conformity. Just. Keep. Shooting. Keep working. Keep striving. Keep going. “Fight my way through.” One day, my work will be as good as my ambitions. So I will set my sights high. And soar.

Will you?

Yesterday, I had the honor of being interviewed on the Wallflower Friends blog founded by Leah Zawadski and Deb Schwedhelm. I’m participating on an incredible panel with Tara Whitney, Jonathan Canlas and Peta Mazy to judge the Wallflower Friends Scholarship entries. Not only is it an amazing workshop — the women who orchestrate it are phenomenal. Geunine, creative and kind to the core, you couldn’t imagine a more satisfying creative experience (it’s being hosted at the INCREDIBLE Sundance resort in Utah). So take a peek–and explore Wallflowers if you haven’t already. I enjoyed the questions they asked and hope you find a gem or two in there.

This is the first installation of a series of posts targeted just for photographers. I often get questions via email and thought it may be useful to share some of the behind the scenes tips with my photographer friends + readers.

I recently created a new client info site via WordPress and wanted to password protect it. Even better, I wanted to brand the login page to match my identity. Here is the link:

www.lifeographer.com/clients

This is what the login looks like:

Only clients who are logged in can have access to the info. Start by downloading and installing this plugin:

1. Members Only: wordpress.org/extend/plugins/members-only/

Now login to your Admin Panel at www.yoursitename.com/wp-admin/

Step 1: Add a user – it can be a general username + password that you will give to all prospects. Do this in the WP-ADMIN section under the “users” menu.  You can add more than one user if you’d like/need to.

Step 2: Go to the Settings>Members Only menu. This menu will appear AFTER you install the Members Only plugin. Check the box that says members Only. Then, select any other options you prefer:

Now your site is only accessible to users with a password.

But, your login is the default WordPress login.

To create a custom login download this plugin.

BM Custom Login: www.binarymoon.co.uk/projects/bm-custom-login/

You will have to read the instructions to create your custom graphic– they have a flickr group as well if you have q’s. It’s relatively simple, though, as a PSD template comes with the download.

Once you create your custom files, install and activate the plugin.

To further restrict guest access to any portion of your admin panel, you can install the Backend User Restrictor Plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/backend-user-restrictor/

You’re all set…and private