Mary Fields Photography Blog

People always comment on how my assistants and I dance at weddings. Almost every wedding a member of the band or a guest will say, ‘Man, you all like to dance.’ Or they will make comments to my couples and say, ‘Your photographer was out there dancing!‘ It’s a fun fact about Mary Fields Photography…if we are gonna be at a reception almost every weekend…well, by golly we are gonna dance! Yes, I just said ‘by golly.’ My philosophy is that I get to work and party all in the same evening. Don’t worry now, I dance with my camera in my hand, which is a site to see, but you better believe that my toe is tapping as I’m shooting and I take a minute to Wobble with the best of them. In fact, at one wedding my assistant and I taught all the guests how to Cotton Eye Joe. Yep…you not only hire a wedding photographer but also a dance teacher. And you know what I’ve concluded? This is such a good picture of how I do business. I want people to hire someone that feels more like a friend and guest than a hired stranger. I work hard and yet…I want to celebrate with you. So just play me some Cupid Shuffle and I’ll ‘step to the left’ with you and ‘walk it by myself’…all while capturing those fun moments. Call it strange or unprofessional but it’s Mary Fields Photography and I wouldn’t do it any different.

See you on the dance floor!

Happy Friday!

It’s hard to say when it all started, most likely it was a series of things, but I think I know one story that helps me understand it. I was little, like three, and up to that point I had been a pretty reserved child…according to my parents. I was a twin and so I had learned quickly that all of my life would be in comparison to my sister. She, being the carefree one, didn’t seem to mind that but I apparently wasn’t sure I wanted to compete. Anytime there could be any sort of competition between the two of us…I would just bow out. Not even try. My parents tell this story all the time when they try to explain me to people. I was a pretty surly and seemingly unhappy child until one day when we all went to a little fair in my hometown. There was a little caterpillar ride that I suppose could count as a roller coaster but, though I don’t exactly remember, I’m guessing it was nothing super terrifying. However, my twin sister didn’t want to go on it…she was too scared. (Sorry, Beth, don’t mean to throw you under the bus) Anyway, my parents say that it was a monumental moment in my life because it was as if they could see everything that was going on in my head. Here was an opportunity where I could overcome my own fear and do something that no one else would do. That wasn’t to say I wasn’t scared, I’m sure I was, but I could see the opportunity…so I took it. My parents say that I rode that little caterpillar all by myself and every time I passed them, they could see a giant smile on my face that simply communicated, ‘I’m loving this and I did it all by myself.’ My dad in particular remembers this moment and tells the story as a way to explain my personality. What’s funny is that I can totally relate to that little kid. I think there was something that happened in me that day that has shaped who I am today. You see, I love the thrill of doing things that I’ve never done before. Things that scare me. Things that are unknown. Places I’ve never been. People I’ve never met. Memories I have yet to make.

I have an insatiable desire to be an adventurer.

I have been told this often by the people who know me best…sometimes it’s a good thing and sometimes it’s not. At times, my need to adventure can cause me to never be still so I have to be careful but at the end of the day, I think this is central to who I am. Adventures may look different as life goes on but I never want to stop having them.

Here’s to being adventurers…

Happy Monday!