MY Story...

Hello,

 

My name is Bethany Blanton and photography is my passion. 

Growing up, my family never had the luxury of things like fancy cameras or summer vacations but what I did have was imagination. Playing Pocahontas in the back yard or by the creek that ran past our cul de sac is what my summer days were full of. Then, one summer, my grandparents took us on a long vacation and gave me and my siblings our first cameras. It was a point and shoot disposable... and I loved it. Taking photos after photos of historic places, buildings, and pretty much anything, then sending out the roll and waiting for my prints to arrive was the most exciting part of that summer and one of the most exciting parts of my older childhood. 

Once I became an adult I realized that those photos were, though not the most memorable times of my child, some of the only well documented moments of my young life. It opened my eyes. For the first time, I saw the precious and immense value a simple photo could hold. I yearned to see me and my sister and brother playing by the creek, swinging on our old tire that hung on the giant oak tree in our yard, and pretending to be Indians; but those photos didn't exist. It was not by fault of anyone’s just circumstances yet, for some reason, it hurt.

 

So, one of the first things I and my hubby (then fiancé) did when we got engaged, was to buy a camera. I refused to start my new life empty of those visual memories I so longed for! I was going to be prepared!  In 2010 we tied the knot and headed off on what has now become our quite adventurous life together.... with camera in tow.

 

A year later, I started shooting seriously as a second shooter to portrait sessions and had the opportunity to photograph my cousin's wedding candid style. Since then I have shot one wedding as a second shooter and three wedding solo. I have also continued photographing families and children.
I have taken many photography courses (and continue to do so as to stay fresh and always learning) including those by Kelly Brown, John Greengo, Bambi Cantrell, and Jasmin Star. 

All these wonderful opportunists have really opened my eyes and given be an experience in different kinds of photography and helped me really see how much I truly love capturing the sweet, fleeting moments  Though I still shoot other sessions, I am primarily a lifestyle photojournalist family, newborn, maternity, and children photographer. This is just a fancy way to say, I take photos as people are, in their most comfortable and natural environments. After all, that is what we all want to remember most. Not a photographer shouting "say cheese" and a stressed mom worried about dirt on a dress and children not facing the camera. So let's save the fleeting moments of now... for later.