Someone once said, "Birth certificates show you were born, death certificates show you died. Photographs show you truly LIVED." I think photos should tell a story, no matter how short or long that story may be, whether it's a family portrait, birthday, engagement, anniversary or another milestone event. These are all memories that will be looked back on, to be cherished and remembered, then passed on to your future generations. Besides your own personal memories, photographs are usually all that are left at the end of the day-- proof that you truly did LIVE. Don't entrust that job of memory capturing to just anybody... these are moments you will never be able to create again.
It is a privilege for me to celebrate each stage of life with you, with natural photography that reflects your personality and style. My style is clean and fun, celebrating life, love and family and simply capturing life as it happens. I always want my images to tug a little at the heart. I strive to create portraits that show your individuality and warm your soul.
Photography is a lifelong love. I cannot recall a time, even as a child, where I didn't have a camera. I remember my mother's frustration when I would snap through an entire spool of 110-film and a bag of flash cubes in less than a day. I am so thankful technology has changed so much!! I am mostly self-taught and vowed many years ago to learn something new every time I pick up my camera or turn on my computer. Decades later, I'm always learning. When you stop learning, your work goes stale - and I will never allow that to happen!
I am a firm believer that the ART of Photography is something you either have in your soul or you don't - there is no in-between. Anyone can learn to use a camera proficiently, but Photography is about seeing things differently. All the time. It's about seeing and framing life and its details through the lens; watching people closely (without being creepy!) and how they interact, and then capturing "moments" between them that nobody else may even notice.
I am a sap for a sentimental story. I cry at weddings, when I see or hold a newborn baby, and when my kids reach their little milestones (I may bite it back so nobody notices). I cry when I am happy, sad, and even when I am mad! Whatever moves me, will usually move me to tears. As your Photographer, this is great because I am feeling that flood of emotion right along with you, then capturing those moments for you, to make them timeless.
I am mom to 4 beautiful children (I'm not biased!), Photographer, writer, and even the retired family resident computer geek. During happy moments, I get this unquenchable urge to snap a photo-- freezing that moment in time and preserving that little joy forever. Then I can go back to anytime my soul may need a little smile.
I have a very small extended family and a small circle of close friends that I have known most of my life. I absolutely have to live by lists (otherwise I forget everything), and love to decorate and do small home improvements. It's not uncommon for me to have 4 or 5 projects going on at any given time! I love raspberries, margaritas, seafood, sleeping in late when possible, and snuggling up with my crew.
I am blessed to have a job I love, and been given the opportunity to run with it. I love what I do, and it truly cannot get better than that!
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Julie Loft received her Bachelor's degree in Communication Studies and Journalism from Canisius College in 1998. She has worked as a yearbook editor, photographer, and designer (1994-98); news and entertainment reporter and photographer for the Hamburg Sun (1996-2000); Southtowns Bureau staff reporter for the Buffalo News (2000-02); chief graphic designer for Erie Park Press in Clyde, NY (2002-04); and owner and Photographer for Timeless Treasures Photography (est. in 2008). She resides in Lake View, NY with her husband, their 4 children, and their dog, Mugsy Joe Malone.