The full version of this collage is pretty large and will take a little while to load, so please be patient! Click to zoom in, and again to zoom out. While zoomed in you can move the mouse to pan around. Pretty cool, huh?!

Hello sweet friends,

A little over seven years ago I crawled around a dear friend’s backyard, shooting her little baby boy Hudson. I’d just received my first digital camera and the pictures we took that day opened the doors for me to officially start The Velvet Trunk. Now, after almost seven years of doing photography full time, I have closed the business. I will always be a photographer, I’m just not going to be doing it for a living.

Over the years there have been some definite rocky patches, but I LOVED my job, and had the best clients a gal could ask for. And I don’t say that lightly—I really did.  But now it’s time for me to walk away and though I guess I don’t need to explain why, I want to. I would be happy to sit down with you over a cup of coffee and tell you all the details, but for now I’ll tell you the two main reasons behind this decision. First of all, after a lot of prayer, I believe with all my heart it’s what I’m supposed to do. Secondly, over the years, shooting has caused damage to my neck which has meant a LOT of money spent at wonderful chiropractors from Texas to Tennessee because of a LOT of pain. So much pain, that I actually was sick after my last shoot months ago—the third time in thirty-three years I’ve gotten “sick” (trying not to give you TMI), and the first time I’ve ever been sick from pain.  Ironically that shoot, unbeknownst to me would be my last shoot-a test shoot for my favorite printing company. My model that day was none other than now eight year old Hudson. Is that not crazy, or what??

As hard as it is to officially close the door on something that held (and holds) so many things precious to me, it’s time to say goodbye and jump into the world of nine-to-five (my new mission field, along with writing.) =) One day, when my neck decides to behave when it comes to the camera I hope I’m able to shoot things that inspire me and share them with you on here!

I’m still going to keep this blog up because there are too many precious memories and people in it. Every one, along with the hundreds I never had a chance to blog about, will always be part of me. For now you can keep up with me best at my personal blog, Gonna Need Therapy After This, or you can catch very sporadic photography posts here as I still have a few shoots I’d really like to share with you.

Above, you’ll find a collage that I have spent the last month and a half creating in my free time between starting a new job (I’m in the 8-5 world now) and moving (I FINALLY moved into the cottage!!).  Thanks to my awesome web guy, you can click on the collage to zoom in to get a better look at each of the SEVEN HUNDRED pictures. The collage is  filled with images from almost every single shoot I’ve done over the last seven years. Some are behind-the-scenes shots, others you’ve seen on my blog, but most have never been seen before.  I cried my way through these, for there are so many treasured memories in them and so much to be thankful for and….so many sweet faces I will miss. But this, in a way, was my way of honoring each of them, for they gave me far more than I ever gave them. I will be forever grateful.

MUCH love to you all!

Off to work I go…. =)

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