This is the end......

Here I sit, five days before Christmas, eleven days before the New Year and a little over a year into a full time career that I would have never dreamed possible.  By now, you have all heard about my journey through life and pretty much know how I got to where I am.....so I will spare you the details AGAIN!

As I type this post, I am looking down at my calendar for the past year in amazement.  I am amazed that so many people follow what I do.  I am amazed that I get to meet beautiful people every single day.  I am amazed I can help support my family doing what I love.  I am amazed that you choose little ole me to preserve your families memories.  One word can sum up how I feel........BLESSED.

The photography community has grown leaps and bounds and over the last year I have been so honored to talk to and work with some of the most amazing people in my field.  I have developed friendships that will last a lifetime and working relationships that will be cherished forever.  A year ago, I was scared.  Scared of what I was going to do.  Scared of how my work compared to others.  Scared of how I was going to get to where I want to be.  

I am still so far from where I dream of being, but now I am inspired.  Inspired by the kind words of others.  Inspired by other photographers.  Inspired by the person I have become and will continue to be.  Inspired by YOU.

YOU have brought me here.  I am simply a passenger on your plane and you are flying me there.  Without YOU, I wouldn't have the encouragement to continue on or the passion to keep reaching for my dreams and for that, I wholeheartedly THANK YOU.

With all this being said, I want to fill you in on things to come in 2013!  Next year I plan on making a schedule......and sticking to it!  I will be taking Fridays and Saturdays off to spend with my family, with the exception of previously booked sessions or events that I schedule per my agenda.  I will be making a new blog post for each and every session I do as well as a blog post every Tuesday with random subjects :)  I will be more on top of emails and messages and will be creating an auto response for non-business hours so that you are at least in the loop of what is going on.  

I figure if I put it all down on here, I will be more apt to stick to it, right?  

Also, as far as my business goes, I will now be a member of the PPA {{Professional Photographers of America}} and PPOK {{Professional Photographers of Oklahoma}}.  In the next year, I will be attending several new workshops as well as taking part in a few collaborations with some amazing photographer friends.

New things for NRP start NOW and I am so excited to see what the next year will bring!

I love you all and can't wait to see where we will go in 2013....together!

This is the end of 2012 and the beginning of a beautiful life!!!

I love giving.....

I get more joy from giving to others than I do when receiving things myself.  I have prided myself in giving back....to children, families, the community and anyone else along the way.  This past February I organized a toy drive in honor of my birthday and it was a HUGE success.  Thanks to so many great friends, clients and companies, I was able to donate over 150 brand new toys to Saint Francis Children's Hospital.  Seeing the joy on the children's face was worth a years salary to me.  The kids, their families and the employees were so thankful and I was so honored to be there to do this for them.

Now it is turning cooler out, the holidays are upon us and many of us can take for granted the warm houses we live in and the meals that we have on our tables.  I want to do something for the people of Tulsa this year and I have asked for help from my loving friends.  I put out on my Facebook that I wanted to challenge AT LEAST 5 friends to help me collect 500 non-perishable food items OR MORE and within minutes I had 15 friends that were committed to help.  For that, I thank you!  I couldn't be where I am today, as a person and as a photographer, without your help and the fact that you all are so willing to help me with all of my ideas is just unbelievable.  We can make a difference.  Each of us can change the life for someone that may not be living as they would like.  I want to encourage you to do what you can to make this holiday season one filled with LOVE and JOY for everyone you meet.

It is not too late.  If you want to be added to the list of "contestants" there is something in it for you as well.  To be qualified, there is a 100 item minimum and click HERE to see a list of items that are considered non-perishable.  To the person that delivers the most items to me by November 10th, you will receive a year's worth of mini sessions ((4 sessions total)).  There will also be something for every single person that brings 100 items or more.  The drop off will be at Sweet Pea Couture, which is currently located in the Farm Shopping Center at 51st and Sheridan, but please note that they will be moving to their new location as of November 1st and that will be on the northeast corner of 91st and Yale, behind QT.  When dropping off your goods, please leave a note with number of items you have counted.

My goal is to collect over 2000 items to deliver to the John 3:16 Mission, just in time for Thanksgiving. I have had others ask if they were able to donate monetarily as well and you may definitely do so, by visiting John 3:16's website and clicking the 'donate money' tab.  I have linked that for you directly by clicking HERE.

So far, the list of contestants is as follows:
Keli Pace, Olivia Riggs, Ally Azar, Misty Tharp, Andrea Taylor, Lesa Moyer, Nikki Stonebarger, Sarah Anderson, Crystal White, Morgan Pettit, Briana Cupp, Shannon Culler, Jessica McCarty, Jennifer Victory and Corean Cearley.

If you would like to donate items but do not feel that you can meet the 100 item goal, I would love to collect anything you may have.  Please email me at natalierenaephotography@yahoo.com and I will personally pick the items up from you or you may drop them off at Sweet Pea.

Help me make this the best holiday season that Tulsa has ever seen!

Mediocrity is a Joke

When you think of people that are important, those that influence where you are going, where you have been, and what you want to become.....who do you think of?  Some will say their parents, others say a close friend that has been through something huge, others will name a celebrity or well known person.

Who would I name?  I would name Rachel Brenke, Amy Cook, Julie Paisley or Sue Bryce.  These are women that share the profession that I have chosen.  They are some of the best in the business and I hope that one day soon my name can be said in connection with theirs.  I want to be a household name in other photographer's lives, I want others to look up to me and see me as someone they want to be like one day.  I want more....I will do more.....I will have more.

A year ago, when I left the life of a nurse and started in on the wonderful full-time world of photography, this dream was not realistic to me.  It seemed like a dream that others talk about but never really chase after with their heart and soul.  Of course, everyone wants to be the best, know the best, work with the best.  But me?  I will get it.  I have worked my tail off and have moved leaps and bounds in my world over the past year and though it is NOWHERE near where I want to be, trust me when I say....I will be there.....ONE DAY!

I want to teach others.  I want to travel to amazing destinations to teach others the art of photography.  I want to start my non-profit and watch it grow.  I want to teach the world that there is so much in a picture and that picture leaves so many words unsaid.  I don't want to be known only in the town I call home, I want to be someone that other's notice when out about. When you think of Natalie Renae, you will think of beautiful images and a girl that is living her dream :)

I will never settle for where I am.  Even when I get to where I want to be, there will always be something more I can do.  One more person I can reach.  One more lesson I can teach.  Always growing, always improving.  Please trust me when I say that my journey has only begun. Thank you for being here with me, I love you more than you could imagine.

I was introduced to racism......at 12 years old!

It was Thanksgiving day.
I was 12 years old.
It was the scariest day of my entire life thus far.
It was the day that I was introduced to racism....by the person that was always suppose to protect me.
It was the day I decided that I didn't need a certain man in my life.

I will leave out the details because I have had my share of debating over the topic, but most that know me, know the story.  It was a day that I have nightmares over.....A LOT!  I am 16 years older than I was then and I still don't understand it.  I don't understand a lot about life, but I have grown to understand a multitude of things.  I don't see color.  I don't form opinions on a person because of the color of their skin.  I don't know what "interracial" is.

No really.  What is "interracial?"  My mom and step-dad are interracial.  My mom is a card carryin' Cherokee indian and my step-dad....well he isn't!  So there it is, they are interracial.  My sister-in-law is married to a hispanic man.  They are interracial.  Chances are, if you really take a chance to look at your marriage/relationship/children....yep...interracial.

So why is it that some people put such a stigma on those that are in a black/white relationship?  I have been with my husband for almost 10 years and can't wait to be with him for the next 50+ years, God willing.  We have been met with more skepticism and questioning over the last 10 years, but that is something we both laugh and brush off.  You want to know what bothers me the most?  The looks.  The people that look at you with disbelief and whisper something.  Those people need lessons on whispering under their breath, because none of them are good at it.  There was one time, while shopping at the mall, we were going up the escalator as another couple was going down.  The lady literally looked straight at us and said, "that is so disgusting!"

To be honest, I have grown a thicker skin over the last 10 years, but I have also become more aware.  Aware of looks, aware of snickers, aware of the ugliness of this world.  Why have I become more aware?  I have two amazingly beautiful children that I am going to have to send into this sick world.  These two children do not know color and my prayer is that I can teach them to never see the world and the people in it as "colors."  They are special.  They are strong.  They are brilliant.  I hope that they never have to be taught what racism is by anyone other than my husband and I.  They will be taught that there are people who will not accept them for one reason or another.  Perhaps it is because they are smart.  Athletic.  Nerd.  Or maybe it is because their skin is absolutely beautiful, just like them.  My sister once told my nephew that there will be people that don't "like" him because he is black and others that may not "like" him because he is white.  As true as that statement may be, I wish it weren't so.

We live in a time that everyone is different in one way or another.  Perhaps it is your sexuality, or the way you dress.  Maybe you have tattoos and piercings or different hair.  Or maybe you are a bit of it all.  We are all different, some are just more proud of their differences than others.

My wish is that there is one person that reads this and agrees to look at people a little differently.  There are bad people in this world, but let them prove that, not their skin color.  One bad thing, by one person of the race you don't like and automatically they all are the same.  Is that fair.  What if the shoe were on the other foot?  Just step back and realize...you are different too.  You are an individual.   You are loved by someone and so is that person that is being made fun of or criticized.

What will it take to stop the bullying?  Stop the stereotyping?  Stop the hate?  Make life worth living for everyone you meet.  Shake a hand of someone you would normally pass by without acknowledging.  Smile.  Laugh.  Love.

I have left a job after being called a racist.  I have lost clients DURING a photoshoot when it came up that my children were mixed because they "hated" blacks that much.  I have been bashed on a public forum in my hometown for having the family I have.  I have been through more than you could probably imagine, but I don't let it get me down because as far as I am concerned I have THE BEST family that has ever been :)

Love me or hate me, it is up to you.  I am a good person and will give you the shirt off my back, but talk about or mess with my family and be scared.  Be very scared!

It is with love that I hope this message comes across as positive and that tomorrow.....well tomorrow I hope you talk about it.  Let someone know that you are proud of your interracial relationship.  Or better yet, you are proud of your colorless relationship because remember, Jesus loves the little children........

Why photography? Why not?

My entire life I was going to be a doctor and deep down I really wish I would have chased that dream a little longer, but....life happens.  Right as I was going to start getting all my ducks in a row, two lines appeared on this little plastic stick!  Yep!  I was pregnant.  Could I got to school for 10 more years, take out a ridiculous amount of student loans, rely on my husband to support our family of 3 and be away from my baby for hours and hours and hours every single day?  Nope.  It wasn't in the cards for me to be a doc.....and I am cool with that.

So I decided to take it down a notch and become a nurse.  The medical field has always been the only way I wanted to go.  I loved blood and guts.  I loved helping heal people.  I loved a stethoscope and scrubs.  Yep, I am that girl.  So I did it, even though there were plenty of people that said I couldn't, I went through a fast track program and was a nurse before I knew what happened.  When I say fast track, I mean FAST TRACK.  I went to school Monday-Friday from 745-4 or 5....so when am I going to work?  Well....I'm not!  Yeah right!  If you know anything about me, you should know that I like money.  I like my own money.  I like to shop.  So....I picked up my camera like I had done thousands of times in the past.

Right before I started nursing school, I had been really enjoying a part time stent as a "fauxtographer."  You know? The mom that got the camera, that thought she was good at picture takin'?  I had a few families toot my horn and tell me that I did good and they wanted me to do their pictures....so I did!  Never would I accept money....I couldn't do that!  I wasn't good enough.  I may have an "eye" for it, but that eye didn't produce images I would hang on my wall.

Once I started nursing school, I started not only studying how to start an IV and put an NG tube in, I also started reading up on my cool camera and all the neat things it could do.  I was hooked!  Three months into school, I started advertising for sessions for literally dirt cheap.  Not because I wanted to be rich, but because I wanted to help my hubby pay some bills and support my Starbucks obsession.

I did sessions periodically, more for family than for clients, but I practiced.......a lot.

Then nursing school ended, I had my ugly white nursing cap and see through white scrubs.  I had my first job lined out before I even graduated and literally got pinned on Thursday and started working on Monday.  So much for down time after graduation!

That first job....yeah I hated it.  It was not the "nursing" job I had dreamed of.  There were no needles, no splints, no blood pressure cuffs....heck, we could hardly wear scrubs.  I toughed it out for a while, but people are people and it ended on a note that we can discuss in private if you so desire LOL

Then came my dream job.  I was working amazing hours at an Urgent Care.  I loved the company.  I loved my coworkers.  I loved the randomness of patients that came through the doors.  I loved the job.  I would literally work 7 shifts in a row, ranging from 12-14 hours.  Then I would have 7 days off.  That's right, a vacation twice a month.  It was beautiful :)

Then.....I got pregnant.  No biggie, right?  Until you are put on bed rest at only 15 weeks :(  There I was at a job for 4 months and then comes the unthinkable.  I was told they would hold my job because I was great at what I did.  We all thought that I would have a couple weeks of bed rest and then I could talk my favorite doc into letting me go back to work.  Nope.  Quite the opposite happened.  I was told I needed to see a high risk doctor because things were not looking good.  I was not only put on bed rest.....I was put on STRICT bed rest at only 20 weeks.  That soon followed with hospital bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy :(

That's right!  HOSPITAL BED REST!  Let me tell you how much that sucks!

Unfortunately, my two weeks of leave turned into 25 weeks followed by 6 after delivery.  They couldn't hold my job that long.  I couldn't make them.  So there I was.  Jobless.  But that is ok.

They took Ryan 6 weeks early and she was small.  Really small.  Nothing like the 8 pound chunker of Brock.  Not only was she small, she had 3 heart disorders that she would need to see a cardiologist for. Surgery?  She may need surgery?  No way.  Through God's grace, she has been able to live a normal life thus far without any surgeries or complications and I pray it stays that way forever.

But how could I leave my little girl at home while I went and worked 12 and 14 hour shifts?  You know most nurses do that?  Geeeesh!  I couldn't!  So I picked up a part-time job doing pediatric home health and once again, I fell in LOVE with my job and my patient.  I really found what I was meant to do.  Pediatrics had always held a special place in my heart, but after starting this job, I knew that it was where I was meant to be.  Time went by and Ryan grew bigger and got healthier.  I needed more.  More responsibility.  More work.  More money.  More. More. More.

I did it again.  I started taking online photog classes and mentoring sessions with my photog idols and I really started pushing my business.  My baby.  My other love.  I worked hard.  I practiced different manual settings.  I just did it!  I dove into one of the top 3 amazing creations that I MADE....my photography.  I talked to an attorney.  I got insurance.  I hired an accountant.  I got all my ducks in a row and I advertised, and marketed, and networked.  I literally poured my heart and soul into my business and though it is far from being where I want it to be, it is me.  I did this.  I had no help, just lots of support.

Please know that this is not a get rich quick kind of gig.  I seriously LOVE what I do and could not imagine ever loving something this much.  I see other people all the time that think that it is merely a cool camera and a person to push the button.  It is so much more than that.  Actually, that is not even 10% of the job.  If that were all it meant, I would be a superstar by now.  I wish you could sit with me just one day and truly get a feel for what I do.  It is a lot more work and sweat and tears than you could ever imagine.  My day is centered around my kids first and foremost, but when they are asleep or it is my editing day, I am slaving away at my computer.  I spend hours each day marketing in various ways.  I pay 35% of every single dollar I make back in taxes.  I pay an attorney.  I pay my accountant.  I do these things because I want to be the best.  I want to have that name that other photographers are like, "I want to be as good as Natalie Renae one day!"  I want to be better.  I strive to be the best.  I am here to stay and I am thankful for all I have been through that has led me RIGHT HERE!

So.  Now that you know even more, I hope you stick around and let me share my passion with you!

Small town girl, big city dreams

I asked a question to a few of my clients the other day.  I wanted to know that if I could make a blog post, what they would want it to be about.  After a little discussion, two of the three clients said they want to know more about me.  They see my work and hear my jokes via Facebook, but few know who I am.  Where I came from.  How I got to be where I am today.  This post has been a work in progress because I go back and read it and have to delete a few things here and there or add something to the timeline, or start all over completely.  Truth of the matter is, I like to consider myself an open book when it comes to my business, but when it comes to my life, I am rather hush hush.  So here I am, three days after starting this post, getting ready to hit that one orange button.....PUBLISH!  Eeeekkk....I hope to not scare you away :)

Well, most of you know me as Natalie Renae.  I get asked all the time, "what is your real last name?"  My name is actually Natalie Renae Chilton.  I wear that name with pride because thanks to my husband, my saving grace, I was able to leave behind the last name that I resented for my entire life, but I will get to that later :)

I was born and raised in a little town about 2 hours from where I am currently.  That little town was Sallisaw, Oklahoma, the county seed of Sequoyah County.  I attended school at Sallisaw from Kindergarten all the way through my senior year (((Class of 2002))).  I knew early on in life that it was not the place for me.  I needed more, I needed bigger, I needed....well.....better.  I always dreamed of graduating high school and moving far off for college and I had the grades to do so, but due to finances and family circumstances, that was not logical.  A full ride scholarship will get you to the school, but it will not pay your bills, or buy your food or put clothes on your back.  So....there I was.  Stuck in Sallisaw.  No worries though, I had a fantastic group of friends that made it worth my while to stay for a little while.  I got an amazing town house when I turned 18, moved out on my own, worked 40+ hours a week waitressing at a local steak house and went to college full time at a local JUCO.  I was having a ball and living life as most other 19 and 20 year old kids do :)

My best friend, Tierney, had been going to OSU, as did my boyfriend, so I made it a habit to stay in Stillwater almost every weekend.  Stillwater was my getaway.  My home away from home, my reason for getting away.  We went to parties and games, met lots of amazing people and did lots of shopping.  I LOVE Stillwater and the atmosphere that surrounds it.  Tierney moved back home, the boyfriend and I didn't stay together and there I was....back in Sallisaw!  But I had my BFF in town, so we lived it up!  A few months later, she told me she was moving to Tulsa :(  Well....I could live there.  I didn't say anything to my mom other than I was coming to T-town to see Tierney and her mom.  It happened to be the same weekend that she moved here.  I literally drove to Tulsa in my shiny green, country girl truck and T and I went applying for jobs....all over Tulsa!  We had no idea where we were, what side of town was "good" or "bad," what we were going to do, or where we were going to live.  By the end of the first day we had accepted jobs at the same place and found an apartment, right by where we always said we would live....next to a mall LOL

I drove home later that weekend and told my mom I was moving to Tulsa THAT NIGHT! OMG!  Of course, she cried and asked for me to stay, but I knew that if I didn't leave then, I would never get out.  I would always be that girl that never left her hometown and I do believe that I have more dislike for my hometown than any single person ever has.  Why?  I had a, well...for lack of better terms....not so great childhood from an early age.  My parents divorced when I was young and the man that should be my "dad"......well he isn't.  Not only is he not my dad, he is one of the "big wigs" in the town....you know...the Sheriff, the city commissioner, yada yada yada.  I am not going to harp on it because I have spent many years not liking where I came from and to be honest, not liking who I came from.  I am over that.....I just hate going to the town that a lot of others think so highly of him and want to ask me how I have been and if "he" knows I am in town.  It never fails.  It always happens.  So....I stay away.

Well....here I was in Tulsa!  I was moving into an apartment I couldn't afford.  Working at a job that didn't pay well.  Loving life!!!!  Then it happened.  I had been in Tulsa only a few months and spent all my days off at the swimming pool in my apartment complex.  One day, I was laying out at the pool and there was this guy there with two kids.  I assumed they were his siblings.  Come to find out it was this cute guy and he said his name was Nico!  What kind of name is that?  He had gone and got his niece and nephew to spend the day with them and they wanted to go swimming! After hours of not even noticing he was there, he came up to me and introduced himself and gave me his number....and the rest is history LOL!

Now here I am, the person you know as Natalie Renae.  Since that day at the pool, almost 9 years ago, we are married with two beautiful kiddos, Brock and Ryan.  Not a day goes by that I don't think my lucky stars for my family.  I also think my family, both the good and the bad, for teaching me that I could never walk away from my family.  That unconditional love is forever and that no matter how bad the situation gets, your husband and your kids will always come first!

I hope this answers some of your questions on who I am....for real.  Where I came from.  Why I am the way I am.

It's all {{fair}} in Tulsa!

Cotton candy. Turkey legs. Funnel cakes. Beer. BoBo the clown. Worlds smallest horse. Bands. People watching. Rides. Shopping. Outdoors. Carnies. Running into old friends. Family time. Photo contests. Did I mention people watching?

We were at the fair on opening day last year and happened to be on the news!!!

The fair symbolizes fall.  Fall means cooler weather, sweaters, scarves, boots, hot chocolate, pumpkin spice latte, movies, hanging with friends, festivities at my sons school, Halloween.......oh the list could go on and on.  I love fall and I love the fair!!!  This year I am going to make the most of the two weeks that are set aside for the Tulsa State Fair.  I am going to be doing photo shoots while at the fair.  Though to some all you can think about is crazy people in the background and dirty carnies, please know that none of that will be seen in your images.  I want to capture you, your family, your kids in an element that is guaranteed to make you smile.  Can anyone go to the fair and not have a good time?  I don't think so!  That is why it is the perfect time for family photos.  Not only will I be doing a few posed shots, but as always, the ones that I love the most are action shots......eating cotton candy, walking hand in hand down the strip of rides, playing the games, riding the rides, trying to dunk BoBo the clown, enjoying the bands, etc.  What better way to capture a family being just that, family?

I announced several openings a few weeks ago and they filled up rather quickly because I am only doing 3 full sessions at the fair.  Why?  Because this is MY family time too.  Brock LOVES to ride the rides, but only the "big kid" ones.  He gets all bent out of shape when we walk into kiddie land :)  This year Ryan is big enough to actually enjoy the fair and ride the "baby rides."  My favorite part is walking around the QT Center, checking out the amazing vendors and doing some shopping.  However, my hubby and I share a favorite and if you haven't already guessed, it is people watching {{don't judge us}}.  It is always funny to see the people that come out to the fair, between the carnies and everyone else, there is no shortcomings when it comes to variety.  A few years ago we were at the fair and while Brock was riding one of the rides, the carnie got to talking to Nico and said he was so drunk he didn't care if the kids stayed on the ride all day.  Nico was laughing so hard and got to actually chatting with this guy and next thing we know the kids had been on the ride for 17 minutes according to his timer : /  Hope none of them left with a belly ache!

I want to offer up 2 more sessions though!  I have been asked by several if I would do a session for their family and I just can't say no!  Sooooo.....here is your chance to get a FULL session at a discounted price.  Normally a full session with a custom DVD would be $225-$275, but if you want a session either this Thursday or Friday, please comment on this blog post with your email and I will contact you to set something up.......for $150!  That will include the custom DVD of edited images :)