Eleven years ago, I was sitting in a tiny classroom teaching a group of kindergarteners how to sing. I was a happy, small-town wife, mom, and teacher with dreams that looked like going to Disney World and spending time with my family on the beach...

When I picked up a camera for the first time I had no long-term vision except to capture my kids in a more authentic way than those stiff JCPenney portraits. And yet, the world opened up for me in ways I never could have imagined. I fell in love with capturing warmth and genuine emotion behind my lens and slowly but surely built a business with connection at its center. And my business strategy worked...