20 on Tuesday: Shannon Joy Heimsoth

My passion for photography began when I wanted to learn to take fantastic pictures of my own family.  I wanted to capture my children “in the moment”.  When I joined Clickinmoms, I “met” Shannon Joy.  She was always quick to comment on my posts with encouragement.  When 2010 began, several of us started a personal photography project, posting a picture a day for a year.  My project stalled mid summer but Shannon’s is still going strong. She even has a “theme”, 365 Simple Joys.  I LOVE it!  It’s one of my favorite 365 blogs to follow.  She is a master at finding the joy in every single day, no matter what.  I’m inspired by her and her wonderful attitude!

Hi Shannon!

Where are you from?  I was born and raised in Marengo, IL… a small town about an hour northwest of Chicago.

Where is home now?  Union, IL… an even smaller town just 5 minutes from my hometown.  It is such a blessing to live so close to a majority of our family.

Are you formally educated or self-taught in photography?  I was actually an elementary teacher for 8 years before staying home with our four children. I’ve always said “If I wasn’t a teacher, I would love to be a photographer.” Everything happens for a reason.  Having four children has proven to be a blessing in countless ways… one of them is that it has allowed me to make my dream of becoming a photographer a reality.  Five years ago, I purchased my first DSLR and dove feet first into learning all I could about photography.  I have taken several online workshops, read MANY books, and am a proud member of a few photography forums where I have “met” so many WONDERFUL friends who are caring, encouraging, supportive, and truly inspirational.  So, to answer your question… I’m self-taught :).

What words would you use to describe your style of photography?  Honest.  Simple.  Joyful.   I want my work to reflect who I am.

Talk to me about personal projects.  Are they important and what have you done lately?  It seems that I always have some sort of project going on.  Whether it is trying to complete a scrapbook album or deciding what color to paint our bedroom.  However, these projects just need to be checked off of my growing “to do” list.  The personal project that I am most proud of and has more significance than any other project is my 365 Simple Joys.

How did you come up with the idea for your 365 Joy project?  I feel that it is important to capture and document life.  I used to scrapbook to do just that.  Scrapbooking was my way to be creative while preserving memories and showcase my pictures.  Who was I kidding?  It would take me a minimum of 2 hours to complete a page!   Heck, I’m STILL working on my wedding album and we have been married for almost 7 years!  LOL!!

I found out about the 365 day project on the forums and decided to try it for 2010.  Little did I know…
It all started with naming my project.  “Joy” is my middle name so I wanted to incorporate that into the title.   To me, documenting life isn’t about capturing just the big events (birthdays, trips to the zoo, Christmas, etc.).  It’s about capturing every day… no matter how simple the day may be.  I wanted to focus on the “joy” of each day that God has given me.  Right now, I have 252 joys.  My simple joys do include sickness and sadness.  I have somehow found joy in those times as well.

My 365 Simple Joys have blessed my life in so many ways.  I am documenting my life as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend.  I am capturing the growth and constant change in my children.  I am practicing and improving my photography skills.  I have met and built great friendships.  I am seeing the positive in my everyday life.

The thing that has surprised me the most about my project is how others have noticed it.  It seems that my daily Simple Joys have inspired others to notice the simple joys in their life as well.

I am about 3 months behind in my 365 project and the guilt is palpable. Do you ever miss a day of your 365 project?  Wendy, you shouldn’t feel guilty at all!  As you are well aware, this project is extremely time consuming.  I follow your blog and know that you are still very committed to capturing your personal life while building a successful photography business.  There are only so many hours in the day!  Lose the guilt :).

Surprisingly enough, I haven’t missed a day of shooting.  I have missed some days of posting my pictures on my blog and facebook but have somehow always managed to catch up.  There are certainly days where I just don’t feel like shooting or wait until the last minute.  It seems like those are the days when I get a nice email or a comment about a specific picture or my project in general.  How thankful I am for those acts of kindness!  They have kept me going!

If you could be invisible for one day with your camera… LOVE this one!  Well… I would LOVE to photograph a birth.  I was so fortunate to have had wonderful (for the most part 🙂 ) pregnancies, labor, and deliveries with each of my children.  Our family is complete but I am somewhat sad that I will never experience personally bringing a child into the world again.  I would absolutely love to capture the look of concentration, the intensity, the joy, and the love… all of those miraculous moments of bringing a child into the world.  Maybe someday…

Name a photographer you would like to take a portrait of?  Just one???  LOL!!!  A “big name” photographer would REALLY intimidate me.  Plus, I would much rather take a portrait of a fellow photog friend… or Matthew McConaughey!  LOL!!

What’s your best advice for balancing photography and family?  Family will always be #1 priority.  Period.

What’s in your camera bag?  Canon 5dII, 50 1.4, 85 1.8, 100 2.8, gum, lip gloss, candy, and tissues (someone ALWAYS has boogies) in my Crumpler bag.

When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?  Home. With 4 young children… I’m always home.

What’s the first reaction you get from your kids when you pull out your camera?  They run, turn their heads, tell me “no more pictures”, etc.  I’ve been known to bribe with money and treats.

If you could live anywhere on this awesome planet where would you build your dream home?  I am in love with South Haven, Michigan.  The town is adorable.  The people are friendly.  The beach is breathtaking.  (Does this “dream home” come with a winter home?  Winters in the Midwest can be brutal.)

What talent would you most like to have?  I would love be able to sing. That is one of the things that I miss about teaching kindergarten.  I would make up songs and my students thought I was the best singer.  They also thought I was the prettiest, smartest, best artist…

What are the three words your spouse would use to describe you?  From his mouth… “creative”, “inspiring” (wasn’t expecting that one), “cranky” (It was a rough morning.  LOL!!).  I think he meant to say “loving” or “giving” or “hot”:).

Something that is over rated… sleep and technically perfect photos 🙂

Your favorite movie of all time?  Steel Magnolias You know it’s a good movie if it makes you laugh hard and cry hard.

Who would play you in a movie of your life?  I would have to say Julia Roberts simply for the fact that people have told me that I look like her.  I don’t see it but I’ll take that as a compliment.

Name one blog you stalk regularly I cannot name just one:).  I love Erin Cobb, Jasmine Star, and Pioneer Woman.  I am also inspired daily by several of my forum friends and fellow 365’ers!!!

Go bookmark her 365 Simple Joys HERE.  It will become your new obsession!

Thank you, Shannon!