Hey y’all! I’m Shae!

Why photography?

Since I was a little girl, with the world staring back at me with wild wonder, I knew I wanted to serve others. I wasn’t quite sure how I could do that with my skillset until I had my daughter Emma in 2016. Seeing the world anew again, through her eyes, I wanted to cherish every moment. I was gifted my first camera that year, and the rest… well, it’s a beautiful story of growth and a whole host of people cheering me on as I have refined my artistic eye behind the lens. What a journey it is to be able to say I live my life the way I do because people hire ME to photograph and preserve their most treasured memories and moments. It is an honor and I will never regret time spent serving others.

What inspires my art?

I am drawn to the natural colors of the panhandle plains. The tones from our rich, red Texas dirt, hues of golden yellow wildflowers in early to late spring, all through late fall, as they spread across gentle rolling hills. I am obsessed with the muted shades of green lining our quaint creeks, in tones of sage and olive, a beautiful contrast against wild, flowering bushes. I am SO inspired by the dramatic tones of that famous Amarillo sky at sunset, painted blush pink and mauve, against a backdrop of dusty blue and fiery orange. I cherish the rust-colored bands across wind-blown landscapes covering the canyon floor of our great Palo Duro Canyon.

Some say the panhandle plains are just that — plain. But I have proof that our home is anything but. It’s easy to take beautiful photos against a mountainous backdrop, or by the sea at sunrise— let me show you the magic nestled here in the texas panhandle.

Random facts about me

• I am the mother to a beautiful little girl named Emma Faye

• I have a whole farm- 36 animals and counting, ranging from dogs, cats, a few donkeys, goats and horses.

• I've been with the love of my life since 2003~ #highschoolsweethearts

• I’m a believer. #AMEN

• Coffee + Fresh air = life.

• I have a hearty appreciation for sass and all things art.

• I dig most types of music, but have a soft spot for worship music.

• I am a closet introvert, but I pretend I’m extroverted! #mustrecharge #homebody

• I once studied abroad in London, England. The subject? William Shakespeare. #bardolater #speakpoetrytome

• Besides my focus behind the lens, I'm also a practicing painter and DIY-crafter— Hobby Lobby, anyone?

• I will never turn down a Harry Potter marathon.

• Candles. There is something so inspiring about a candle's first flame. It fires me up to be productive and creative!

I can’t wait to learn more about you. <3

These roots run deep

I now call the plains of the Texas Panhandle home, but I was born and raised in Farmington, NM, an interesting place tucked underneath the Colorado Rockies, right smack in the midst of a desert where wildflowers are miraculously abundant.

My love affair with all things wild started here, in the Land of Enchantment, while rock-collecting and flower-picking. I’d bring my sweet momma a bundle of wildflowers in one hand, and the most pretty little treasures of time-worn + tumbled gemstones I could find on any given afternoon of my childhood. She kept her very favorites, now held captive by her china cabinet. ;)

In adulthood, I wandered through various degree plans before deciding upon a BA in English Literature. I graduated from WTAMU with honors. I sought to teach. But as you might guess, that didn’t happen. I found myself seeking more. And after my daughter was born, the need to document her in every instance turned into a passion I couldn’t easily shake—photography.

I was born a natural storyteller, weaving the most elaborate tales for anyone who’d listen.

So when I was awakened by the power behind the every day, that magic captured in the emotive stillness of an image taken long ago, I’d reached my fever point. There was no denying that God made me to be a keeper of stories—and now I had a powerful tool to immortalize these tales for others, by capturing love as it unfolds, the journey of marriage, families in every season, and the unawareness of childhood we call innocence. My innate ability to nurture and bless those around me, met my yearning to produce art— through photography.

Wildflower Blooms Photography began humbly, amongst a long line of sleepless nights and countless, desperate prayers for rest while nursing my newborn daughter at all hours of the night. Although my womb had been barren for many years, and the hope that I’d ever have a child of my own was slim to none. My body, my spirit, both broken-- I lost hope as many women do. But there she was, cradled in my arms, my miracle--my wildflower that bloomed.

“The flower that blooms in adversity

is the most rare and beautiful of all.”

When I first found out I was pregnant back in 2015, my lifelong obsession with wildflowers had come to life; much like those tiny, beautiful blooms that flourish in the most difficult of circumstances, without water in the hot desert, or above the tree line in those Great Big Colorado Rockies, I had a miracle of my own growing out of barrenness. My growing babe quickly became my “wildflower” an inspiration that continued to give me hope as my pregnancy became more difficult with a long list of complications.

from a barren womb, bloomed a beautiful blessing —

my daughter, emma faye

After my daughter was born, I quickly filled up the space on my phone with pictures of her every move- her first smile, all the adorable outfits, every outfit actually- there was much to document in all those brief, fragile moments. My husband teased me about my need to photograph all the things, but from that a dream was born.

In the middle of one of those harrowing all-nighters with a teething baby girl, my dream to pursue photography came to fruition as the name wildflower blooms had most recently been introduced through my blog detailing my pregnancy journey. It was then I decided to make the huge leap! My business bloomed organically many thanks to a long list of supporters. Never did I imagine my Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature would become the perfect background for telling stories through a lens.

Today, I take great care to highlight the real-- the beautiful truths-- of love, family, and life as we know it. As a wildflower does with an inexplicable ease and grace, as sure as the sun may shine, I hope to inspire those around me to Bloom Wherever You Are, no matter your circumstances. Not everything is flowers and sunshine, but there is beauty to be found. Through my photography, I aim to offer this view to all of my clients as I capture their unique beauty, whatever stage in life they might be, by pressing pause on the moment before it has passed, all the while encouraging hope, love, and faith--even if it’s only the size of a mustard seed.

I would love the opportunity to show you what that looks like through your very own session.

With all my love,

Shae