Photography for me runs so much deeper than making memories

Over the years as photography has evolved and changed...

As we've all been gifted these amazing cameras on our phones...

As my life has take twists and turns...

As my kiddo has grown from baby to pre-teen...

I've realized that when I pick up a camera something inside me shifts, and I feel good

Even if my photos are terrible, I feel good inside

There is an intentional shift of perspective that happens when I look through a camera lens.

And I begin to see the world around me differently

I get out of my head

And into my heart

I capture a slice of our life

in all it's messy beauty

Listen to this mini episode to hear:

• How you can use a camera to make an immediate shift in your mood
• A photo project you can do in under 2 minutes

Photo Inspiration:

Want to reconnect with Beryl during this 8 Episode Mini Series? Today I'd like you to, snap a selfie! I want to see your smiling face on my phone - you can text it to (703) 546-9913.

Not in the US? Prefer to send me a photo over social instead? DM me on Instagram @momtographyceo.

I will reply to every message and I'm looking forward to reconnecting alongside all of you this month!

Beryl's Links:

• Free Reconnect Retreat Registration

Somewhere during pandemic life that days started to all string together and feel the same. So I just stopped capturing everything.

When I open up my feed I see random meme screenshots, a few silly videos my kid recorded for her you tube channel, and items I photographed to sell on our local community boards.

Sprinkled here and there are a photo of my dogs, or dinners, or unexpected family outing. But those are few and far between.

I do miss the feeling of picking up my camera, but for some reason I struggle with looking for the perfect reason or occasion or moment to begin capturing life consistently again.

When I get stuck like this...

Instead of listening to the voice in my head that's on a loop telling me to "just pick up the stupid camera and capture something..."

I get curious.

Listen to this mini episode to hear:

• The surprising way I'm finding a path back to myself.
• The step-by-step path you can take to instantly spark your creativity.
• A simple task for you to connect with me and lean into curiosity more this week.

Photo Inspiration:

Want to reconnect with Beryl during this 8 Episode Mini Series? Today I'd like you to, snap a selfie! I want to see your smiling face on my phone - you can text it to (703) 546-9913.

Not in the US? Prefer to send me a photo over social instead? DM me on Instagram @momtographyceo.

I will reply to every message and I'm looking forward to reconnecting alongside all of you this month!

Beryl's Links:

• Free Reconnect Retreat Registration

It's been a hot minute since the Capture What Matters podcast has been in your feed.

In full transparency, pandemic life turned everything in my world a bit upside down.

I've been focused on unschooling my daughter and giving any of my leftover capacity to our Momtography club community.

Rewinding a bit ....waaaaaaay back in 2020 I had big dreams for Momtography Club.

But with the decision to focus on schooling my kiddo through the pandemic - those dreams got buried in the necessity of keeping our mental and emotional health afloat.

Lately I've finally felt the fog of the past year ever so sloooooowly lift so I can reconnect with my dreams.

What I've discovered through this exploration is a deep desire to help other moms like you reconnect with your dreams too.

As I've started getting out in the world again, awkwardly having conversations with clients and mom friends, reluctantly forcing words onto pages of a blank journal...

I've realized I am soooooo not alone in getting back to my dreams.

For us moms., this has been a year of survival mode.

We are out of practice.

With everything.

So instead of getting back on a bike and going full speed ahead with our calendars, our conversations, and our creativity...how about we get back on a tricycle.

Listen to this mini episode to hear:

• What I'm creating to help YOU get back to creative expression and dreaming again.
• How creativity can help you feel more connected as you get back to "normal"
• Where I'd love for you to create and connect with me in the coming weeks.

Photo Inspiration:

Want to reconnect with Beryl during this 8 Episode Mini Series? Today I'd like you to, snap a selfie! I want to see your smiling face on my phone - you can text it to (703) 546-9913.

Not in the US? Prefer to send me a photo over social instead? DM me on Instagram @momtographyceo.

I will reply to every message and I'm looking forward to reconnecting alongside all of you this month!

Beryl's Links:

• Free Reconnect Retreat Registration

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I'd like life to look like when this is all over.

Admittedly, this pandemic seems to shine a light in the places we've been ignoring far too long. It's uncomfortable and it makes me question my confidence.

Who am I?

What do I value?

How do I want to show up for myself and my family?

Where do I concentrate my time and energy and resources right now?

What is fair to expect of myself right now?

A few weeks ago, we wrapped up teaching our first Teentography kids virtual class and we're starting teaching another one this week.

With the help of these kids, I find the answers to those questions coming into clarity. I've learned from these kids, who are picking up a camera and sharing their hearts with me, how to lean into creativity and let go of expectations

These teens have breathed life into me on the days where I just couldn't for myself.

And they're helping me remember there isn't anything I need to DO or anyone I need to BE in order to claim worth and confidence.

As we travel deeper into our theme of worth this month at Momtography and I think about our Teentography students and my own extreme awkwardness and resistance to feeling worthy at that age, I decided to bring a really special guest onto the show today.

My best friend, Phyllis Myers.

A person I've know since were teens. Someone who is extroverted, and outgoing, and bold, and not afraid to make friends wherever she goes. And one of a handful of people on the planet who knows my own personal struggles with confidence and worth.

Today Phyllis and I deep dive into our past selves, our unique struggles with worth, and how self-discovery and our unique friendship has allowed us to grow and support each other in coming back to confidence when we're feeling challenged.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why I'm so passionate about helping other women with there struggle with self-worth
• How someone discovers who they are and how they know they've made that discovery
• How I give Phyllis credit for helping me break out of my shell and become the person that I am today
• Who I was during high school and the roll our friendship played during those years

Photo Inspiration:

Every episode, Momtography Club community Director Jen - our resident 'queen of photo projects' joins us here at Capture What Matters to share a tip you can use to get more comfortable with your camera.

Today, Jen talks with us about getting into the habit of photographing yourself – getting comfortable with putting yourself in front of the camera.

Beryl's Links:

• Free Capture What Matters Workshop
• Momtography Club

Right now, life is NOT normal.

Our routines and schedules are being tested big time.

When I scroll through my news feed, I see stories of moms trying to make sense of the wacky, cooped-up home-life that we are all trying to navigate right now. I see mom's trying desperately to homeschool – trying to make sense of the distance learning her school system just implemented last week. Many of us resorting to tablets just to keep our kids entertained.

Our mental health and self-worth are being tested. Everything feels upside down.

I want to remind you that your SELF WORTH is not linked to how good you do during a pandemic.

Your SELF WORTH really isn't linked to anything at all.

Know that right here, right now, you have permission to press pause. It's okay to take a breath and find your new rhythm.

It's ok to do this #quarantime (quarantine time) your way.

This month at Momtography we're diving deep into self-discovery, self-awareness, and feelings of worth. We urge you to lean into how YOU most want to show up. To explore what matters most to you right now and remind yourself how that feels.

Today, our guest Judith Richmond will help you on the path of owning your WORTH. Judith is one of our 'empty-nester' Momtographers who reflects back on her experience raising her two creatively wired boys. She talks with us about how her own self-worth was affected along the way, and why it's led her to want to give back in a big way.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Judith's priorities shifted as her kids left the nest and how that impacted how she saw her self and her self-worth
• What were some actions and rituals that she learned to feel more "worthy"
• How working with younger generations has impacted how she sees herself
• How she found a new path through creativity and photography

Photo Inspiration:

Every episode, Momtography Club community Director Jen - our resident 'queen of photo projects' joins us here at Capture What Matters to share a tip you can use to get more comfortable with your camera.

Today, Jen talks with us about getting photos of our kids up on the wall and how this gives them a better understanding of who they are, where they come from, and how they fit into the family.

Judith's Links:

• 3D Discovery
• 3DDiscovery Facebook

Beryl's Links:

• Free Feel Good Photo Challenge
• Momtography Club

Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to be broadcasting right now while quarantined at home.

We're currently on day 13 of my daughter being home from school, and our governor here in Virginia just made the call that schools will be closed until the fall. At the very least, a lot of our friends and their kids are grieving.

And rightfully so. There's a lot of sadness and uncertainty right now.

Because our reality right now is not ever something my imagination could have dreamed up as even remotely possible during this lifetime.

Even though they are not the same, I find myself comparing the Covid 19 Pandemic to our pregnancy loss back in 2009. The trauma of both of these scenarios then and now are real. We had expectations and plans – we had imagined how life would be. And now the reality of what's actually unfolding is totally different. It's tragic and disappointing.

But the cool thing about imagination is that we can use it to shift our perspective even during the hardest moments and find the good again.

Be gentle with yourself.

Be gentle with yourself on the days that you can't get out of pajamas.

Be gentle with yourself when you can't wear all the hats of mom, teacher, CEO, nurse – all of them at once.

Be gentle with yourself when you watch the news and anxiety strikes.

When you're gentle, you soften, shift your perspective and use your imagination again. When you're gentle you allow yourself to see the good that still exists.

I promise there is a gift in the eye of this pandemic and today's episode I know will help you not only to look for it but to capture it from behind the lens of your camera.

My guest today is Lindsay Davis. Lindsey is a documentary photographer who lives in North Florida and loves capturing ordinary life in an honest and unique way.

Through her photos, she will inspire you to treasure life's ordinary moments. When she is not taking photos, you can find her homeschooling her five kids. I know you're going to absolutely be inspired and hopeful after listening to her share about her personal projects and imaginative approach to picture taking.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• What Linsey does to fit her documentary photography in with her life as a homeschooling mom
• How Linsey develops her projects and how she goes about starting them
• How Linsey benefited from learning to "follow the light" late in her creative development
• What led to Linsey's interest in drone photography and what her process looks like now
• How photography can transport you back to a different time and place

Linsey's Links:

• Linsey Davis Photography
• Linsey Davis Instagram
• A Legacy Keepers Guide

Beryl's Links:

• Free Feel Good Photo Challenge
• Momtography Club

Three years ago, our daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety.

Surprisingly, my reaction was not one of sadness or fear or worry. My immediate reaction was one of relief.

Our kiddo's diagnosis brought me relief because it gave me permission to honor and advocate for who she is. Her diagnosis reminded me how lucky I am to mother a child who is so comfortable with her creativity, and it led me to my own ADHD diagnosis not too long after hers.

Here at Momtography we are champions for imagination and creativity, not only for our children, but for us as parents and role models as well.

Today's return guest, Dayna Abraham, is the founder of Lemon Lime Adventures and creator of the Calm The Chaos Framework where she supports parents out-of-the-box kids going from just surviving to thriving.

I wanted to have Dayna on the show to talk about what happens when we infuse more curiosity and imagination into our parenting, especially when we are feeling the most defeated or disconnected from our kids.

We talked about breaking the stigma around raising out-of-the-box-kiddos so we can stop hiding the qualities in our families that often make us feel fear or shame.

We chatted about how the more we talk about these truths, the deeper a connection we can make with our communities and with ourselves.

And we talked about how when we learn to embrace the things that make us and our children different, we are granting ourselves permission to show up in life with more creativity, curiosity, and imagination.

Photography tip:

Every episode, Momtography Club community Director Jen and I sit down together and share a tip you can use to get more comfortable with your camera so you can capture more of what matters in your life. Jen's unofficial title at Momtography is the Queen of Photo Projects. So with that in mind, this month Jen and I will be sharing photo projects to spark your imagination and inspire you to go capture, develop, and preserve more photos!

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How parents of out of the box kids find joy again in their parenting journey
• What happens when we use curiosity and imagination in our parenting?
• How parents who have lost that spark of imagination because they feel so defeated can tap into their imagination again?
• What to do if your interests and your child's interests don't intersect

Links:

• The Chaos Workshop
• Lemon Lime Adventures
• Behavior Quiz
• Mind Your Business Podcast
• Captures What Matters Episode 69
• Momtography Club

I am not a Barbie mom.

The reason I'm not a Barbie Mom is that when my daughter asks me to sit and "play" with her– whether it be with her Barbies or lego or stuffed toys–I freeze.

Imagination is not my superpower.

And...I don't think I'm alone in this.

As a mom, my guess is you are more accustomed to cycling through your endless to-do list or getting your family from point A to point B than expressing your creativity.

Somewhere between childhood wonder and adult responsibility, we lose sight of what it means to play. We forget how to use our imagination and express ourselves creatively.

And that is why all this month at Momtography we're exploring imagination and how we can infuse it into our lives and our photos in a way that makes us feel excited–not awkward.

For today's return-guest, Natalie Allgyer, (Episode #68) photography started like it does for many new moms, taking photos of just her daughter. As her photos improved and people began asking her to start a family and newborn business, something didn't feel right.

She realized her imagination was much bigger than her reality.

Today, Natalie and I chat about her process and the world of fine art photography. We talk about what happens when you step out of your comfort zone, use your imagination, and step forward with a healthy dose of patience and consistency.

Photography tip:

Every episode, Momtography Club community Director Jen and I sit down together and share a tip you can use to get more comfortable with your camera so you can capture more of what matters in your life. Jen's unofficial title at Momtography is the Queen of Photo Projects. So with that in mind, this month Jen and I will be sharing photo projects to spark your imagination and inspire you to go capture, develop, and preserve more photos!

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Natalie's story of going from mom with a camera toward fine art photography and why she didn't go the traditional photography route as most moms do
• How she discovered her process of intricate details and how that process is largely a process of patience
• The importance of mentors when we are trying to learn a new skill
• What it takes to get a foot in the door of Fine Art Photography World
• And how Natalie was able to heal her crippling anxiety by embracing her imagination and expressing her creativity

Links:

• Natalieallgyer.com
• Natalie on Instagram
• Natalie on Facebook
• Fine Art Compositing with Brooke Shaden
• Momtography Club

Quick: what would you do with 10 minutes to yourself?

Just 10 minutes to connect with the blissful peace and quiet you crave.

We know we need it. But how often do we actually give ourselves that time?

I want to let you in on a little secret. If you aren't giving yourself this time, you aren't alone. Many of us moms have far too many responsibilities to be able to connect with ourselves and our creativity on a regular basis.

But there is hope. Because when you do make the time and you do start giving yourself those 10 minutes, your life will change.

When I was still working full time as a teacher and building Momtography on the side, I would often rush out of my school building at the end of an exhausting day and immediately drive to daycare to reconnect with my daughter.

After the brutal commute home, I'd be met with a barrage of to do's – dinner prep, playtime, bathtime, bedtime dishes, laundry... The list goes on and on.

I just needed 10 minutes to connect with me.

Then one day I had the idea to try a little experiment. What if instead of rushing straight from work to daycare, I took myself out to coffee and journaled for 10 minutes before moving on with the rest of the day?

Those after-work coffee dates were exactly the reset button I needed.

When I took those 10 minutes of creative connection, I was able to show up for everything and everyone else with more focus, energy, and attention.

And the same thing is true for today's guest, Tammy Blefeld.

As a high-achieving, working mom, Tammy was constantly feeling like she was burning the candle at both ends. Her go, go, go attitude eventually ended in a breakdown and that's where our conversation begins today, diving into what happened when she turned this low point in her life into an opportunity to connect more deeply with her company, her camera, her family, and herself.

Photography tip:

This month in Momtogaphy Club, Jen and I are challenging you to fill the frame more while taking photos. Today, we're exploring why filling the frame is such a beneficial compositional tool and sharing some specific ideas for using this tool in your photography

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Tammy went from being the go go go, all-in working mom to being the mom who makes the time to journal daily
• What routines, habits, and tools Tammy uses to stay connected to her creativity, even when life goes off the rails
• The surprising result Tammy had from opening up to her boss and connecting with her company around her personal breakdown
• How she even got a promotion because she was taking better care of herself and was in a better mental place
• What effect the unexpected link of accountability and habit formation had on how she now connects with her family

Links:

• Momtography Club

Mom guilt.

My guess is that you are no stranger to the complicated feelings of self-doubt, shame, and uncertainty that come with raising kids.

The guilt creeps in in all sorts of ways.

You find yourself endlessly wondering: am I doing this right? Am I ruining my child? Will this be the terrible moment in their memory 20 years from now?

As a new mom nine years ago, I naively thought that as my own daughter got older, these guilty feelings would subside, but here we are.

Honestly, sometimes I'm not sure how to fill the space besides swirling in more mom guilt, but I also know that my camera is there to help me reconnect, to actually see these challenges and transitions in a more positive light.

This month at Momtography, we are exploring how moms connect, not only with their families but with themselves too.

And in today's episode of Capture What Matters, I'm talking to Valerie Schoenfeld, a mom of three who decided, at seven months pregnant with her third baby, that she was ready to start a photography business.

We'll not only look at her journey through the lens of her business success but we'll also explore her surprising realization about how a camera could bring a more meaningful connection to her family, as well as the unexpected desire she discovered for self-care.

Photography Tip:

Every episode, Momtography Club Community Director Jen and I sit down together and share a tip you can use to get more comfortable with your camera so you can capture more of what matters in your life.

In this episode, Jen and I share a unique perspective on the photography skill of "filling the frame." We will explore some unique tips for "filling your life" with photography that encourage you to pick up the camera more this month!

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How photography has helped Valerie reclaim her own creative confidence and shape her identity as a mom
• What made her decide to start a photography business when 7 months pregnant with your 3rd baby
• How starting a business helped her realize how much she had been neglecting herself
• How the camera has brought Valerie greater connection with her family as they make memories and learn to love photography together
• And what internal tactical shifts Valerie has made to prioritize connection with herself and how she, like most moms, didn't even realize self-care was a problem

Links:

• Valerie Schoenfeld Photography
• Momtography Club