Pssssst….before I introduce you to today’s amazing momtographer, I want to let you know that if you missed out on the deadline for earlybird pricing for Momtographie Online, you’re in luck! I’ve decided to keep earlybird enrollment open for a few more hours and will officially shut it down at the end of the day TODAY Monday May 19th. Get in early while you still can by clicking HERE.
Back in January I was fortunate enough be able to give away a scholarship during my February Momtographie Online class. The winner no only received a free spot in the class but also earned a Canon t3 camera and 50mm prime lens. In order to enter a video had to be created telling me and a panel of reviewers what this scholarship would mean to them. It was such a difficult decision but all of us kept coming back to this mom, Ally. She revealed a dream of helping foster children in her local area by gifting them with photographic memories of this time in their life. I’m happy to report that Ally put her scholarship to AMAZING use and is well on her way to making her dream a reality. Read and enjoy a bit about her Momtographie journey below!
Name:
Ally McNeill
Camera/Lenses:
Canon Rebel T3, Canon 85mm 1:1.8 prime lens (my go to lens) and a Canon 50mm prime lens. Everyone who picks up my camera is frustrated that I shoot in prime all the time, but I LOVE it!
Tell us a bit about your kids and your family:
We are a crazy busy family of 4 living outside of Charlotte, NC. We moved here about a year ago, and I will have to say we LOVE it! After being in the hot Texas sun for years it’s been a nice change. My husband is an innovative textile chemist, and I am a graphic/web designer and stay at home mom. We have two beautiful children, Jay (6) and Maggie (2) along with our four furry friends. We are an outdoor, on the go family. We strive to have our children experience life and everything it has to offer, all while I am snapping photos of it of course.
Tell us what you love about being a mom.
As a young child, I always dreamed about being a mother, specifically a mother like my own mom. What I quickly realized after having my son is that the job and title of mom is the most important title I will ever have. Watching my children grow, blossom and explore the world around them has provided priceless memories and has stretched, grown and built me as an adult. If I had to choose one thing I love about being a mom, is the tight neck hugs. I never knew my spit could heal a cut or my hand running through my daughters hair could heal a headache until I became a mom.
What sparked your interest in photography?
As a child I grew up in Texas on some acreage. There were plenty of barbed wire fences, misty mornings, and every animal or bug you could imagine. One foggy misty morning before school I walked outside to go explore. I found the most beautiful spiderweb woven on the barbed wire fence and the dew hung perfectly as if it was begging for a photograph. I ran inside to tell my mom, and she let me use your Nikon SLR camera from the 70’s to snap some photos of it. I was so proud she trusted me with her camera. Days later we picked up the photos after the film had been processed, and some how I had taken the most perfect shot! So perfect that I entered my photo into the University Interscholastic League contest at school, and my photo made it all the way to Washington DC at the National UIL contest. I was in the 5th grade at the time, a very vulnerable time in my life, and I latched on to photography from then on. Thanks mom for trusting me with your camera.
What was your biggest frustration before Momtographie.
As a graphic designer I always knew the shot I wanted to get or at least I could envision it in my head, but the result wasn’t always what I wanted. Frankly, it was rarely what I wanted.
Were there any ah ha moments for you during the class? What were you able to put to use right away?
My ah ha moments during class occurred when I was able to finally fully understand lighting, adjusting it and the full effect it had on my lens. I’ll have to say I love being able to shoot in full manual mode, adjust as necessary and get the shots I intended on getting. I just thought I knew what I was doing in Auto because I thought it was doing it for me.
Do you have a favorite photo you’ve taken since our work together? Tell us about it.
Our son Jay has epilepsy, and during our Momtographie class this winter he had a VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulator) placed to help control his seizures. It has been life changing for our son and for our family. I had the opportunity about a week after surgery to take some pictures of him in our back yard. Frankly, I had planned on taking photos of our daughter because lots of the time she is easier to work with. That day though my sons smile was magnetic; it was a real smile I hadn’t seen in months because of his seizures and the medications he took to help control the seizures. Some of the photos I took that day may not be perfect, but my excitement with his smile coming back make them treasured!
Where do you hope your photography journey takes you in 2014?
I have a passion and deep desire to help Foster children after adopting our daughter Maggie out of foster care. Many times foster children are taken out of a home with only a bag of a few clothes and belongings. They often don’t have pictures or important life long valuables. I hope to provide volunteer photography services to children in our local foster care (246 in our county) not only to help give them memories but also to help them get adopted into a loving family. When families are going through the adoption process, many times they only have photos and a short bio to go by. I want their photos to depict the wonderful hobbies, interests and personalities these broken but beautiful children have.
A big thank you to Beryl for choosing my entry for the Momotgraphie Scholarship and camera. It has made a giant impact on my life already, and I have only had it a few months. Goals I once thought were a dream are a reality! For that I am eternally grateful.
One more reminder before you go. Again, if you missed out on the deadline for earlybird pricing for Momtographie Online not to worry. I’m keeping earlybird enrollment open for a few more hours and will officially shut it down at the end of the day TODAY Monday May 19th. Get in early while you still can by clicking HERE.