Meet Charisse Rhodes . . .

Charisse Rhodes

 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things shall be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson

Location: Elk Grove, CA

DOB: March 12

Children: Nature Boy 11yrs & Sweetpea 8yrs. Of course, that is not their real name, however, I believe since it is not their choice that I am sharing them with the public, the least I can do is protect their names to the best of my ability.

Husband: Keith

Animals: No pets yet, although the kids and I are praying for one. My Husband is currently holding out on extending the family right now.

Contact Info

Name of Business: Charisse Rhodes Photography

Website: Under development

Blog: charisserhodes.wordpress.com

Facebook: Charisse Rhodes

Twitter: Charisse_Rhodes

Email: CharisseRhodes@gmail.com

What's in your bag? (if you are building your bag, what do you desire for your bag?)

Currently I have a Nikon D50, 28-80, 50 1.8, 70-300, SB 600 flash, 2 Wescott strobes, and 2 radio triggers.

I am in the process of rebuilding my bag now so hopefully soon my bag will have;

Nikon d300s, either sigma 24-70 2.8 or tamron 17-50 2.8, and a 30 1.4 would be a good start. I also would not mind a tamron 70-200 2.8 in that bag as well. The bag itself would probably be an Jill E or Epiphanie.

What's your favorite editing software?

Photoshop CS3 is currently what I use the most although I will return to Elements 5 for quick edits from time to time. I have recently been playing with Lightroom 3 and I believe it has stolen my heart as my go to software.

Favorite Food?

Thai Food! Love it, love it. I could probably eat it everyday!

Favorite Color?

Well that’s a hard question because it is ever changing! It is different for my home, than it is for my clothing attire. It also changes based on my mood and the season. I am a color girl, but I tend to love warmer colors. In my home I love burnt reds,browns, yellows, greens and even blues. However, I tend to dress in solid colors wearing a lot of black, brown, blues, pinks, and oranges. How’s that for a combination?

A few of your favorite things?

Warm weather & sunshine. Chap Stick is a must, they are stashed all around my house and car! Minerals Makeup is a must these days. It’s just enough without being too much. Learning something new, almost anything will do. I live in Sketchers Sneakers and a Jog suit when I am just hanging around the house. However, I love beautiful shoes, coats, & purses worn of course with a sexy dress! I love going to furniture stores and browsing furniture accessories. I love, love playing with photoshop editing pictures to obtain different looks. I also really love museums. I also enjoy painting. Oh yeah, and lets not forget about the perpetual picture taking.

What or who inspires you?

My mother inspires me. She has such a great outlook on life. My kids inspire me. They inspire me to keep trying to be the best me I know how to be. My husband truly inspires me. His love, hard work and dedication to our family combined with his outlook on life are a reminder to me every day. The things he has overcome to be the person he is, continues to show me the awesomeness of Jesus Christ in our lives!

Name something you just have to have everyday:

This may sound silly but it is Chap Stick! I can barely walk around the house without it in my pocket.

Tell us all about your journey into the world of photography. When did you realize that this is what you wanted to do and why.

As a teenager and young adult, I always took pictures. Our house was robbed one year and I found many of my baby pictures destroyed in the snow covered woods behind our home and it mad me really sad. I did not want to ever be cheated of my documented memories ever again. Along with that my mom always took a ton of pictures. I have always been somewhat creative and artsy. However, I was always taught that when you go to college, you are to come out with and get a “real” job or career. Photography or anything artsy, was never considered as a viable real option. So that’s what I did. I put the camera down somewhere in college and focused on my “real future”. Little did I know then, that was probably the beginning of a slow death for me.

Fast forward ten plus years to when I got my first slr from my husband after having our first child! I was in heaven again snapping away every moment of my little ones life. He had challenges as a baby so capturing every moment was essential for me. I was once again in my happy place other than being tired and exhausted from motherhood and doctors appointments for my little guy. Then my daughter came. She too had some issues initially, so more doctors appointments. I think the slr got too heavy to carry & printing my millions of pictures became too expensive for our tight budget. So again life got in the way and I put the camera down.

One day a few years later, while visiting some friends who had a new daughter, and a budding photography hobby, I felt inspired inside. I also realized that I now had a TON of pictures of my son, and quite a few less of my daughter. I was sad, yet awakened as I realized that I still loved the sight of fleeting moments caught by the camera embedded on paper. It struck my heart like a lost love. For all the years of my marriage, my husband would say “ I only want you to do what you love to do, because you love to do it!” I spent years trying different things for different reasons, but it was not until that moment at my friends that I realized what that actually was. When I dug out my old slr, it was as though I had come home. About, three years ago, for Christmas, my hubby sent me to get my Nikon dslr and we have been constant companions every since. I actually never considered doing this professionally until last Fall. Although, many who saw my pictures wondered why I would not pursue it professionally because they loved my images, I was simply not ready to commit. I also really wanted to hold on to the shear joy of shooting just for pleasure. Since I am a homeschooling mom, it was and still is really important to me that nothing infringed on my time educating my children and being present with my family. When I saw MeRa’s Scholarship…it was the first time that I thought maybe it was possible. So now I am taking the steps in that direction. They may be baby steps, but they are steps never-the-less.

On a side note: I found my high school and college photo albums this summer and cracked up as I looked through them with my kids. They also got to see me as a child, their ages from the pictures my mom took, and it was precious! It was exactly as I had hoped it would be one day.

If you already have a photography business please tell us about it, type of photography you do, how long you have been doing it, etc...

I have not officially started taking business yet. I am still portfolio building although I hope to open officially by the beginning of May.

Who is your favorite photographer that you follow and why?

I have a few. MeRa Koh for one. I love her heart for women in this business & women finding their way in general. Carey Shumacker, next because of the way she has been able to intergrate the business into her family, not the other way around.

Besides photography, what else do you do , i.e. work, domestic engineer, volunteer?

Besides photography, I am a wife and full-time mom, homeschooling two children ages 11 & 9.

What are some of your other hobbies and/or things that you like to do besides photography?

I am also learning how to trade in the stock market, figure out this blogging thing, and learning anything else that I can get my hands on. I also like to plan vacations and travel with my family. I used to really enjoy reading a good book, but now I really only enjoy it if it is teaching me something new.

Do you have any other businesses that you are incorporating and/or combining in your photography business or that is separate other than photography?

Not at this time.

If there is one thing in the world that you would like to change, what would that be and why?

Racism and social injustice for sure and the labeling of children in our school system.

Any type of cruelty towards humans or animals should stop. Especially human trafficking, slavery and any kind of abuse. It is just so sad!

Name three things you would like to do before you die?

1) See the 7 Wonders of the World

2) See my children grown up, happy and living fulfilled lives. Prayerfully, that would include contributing to society in a very meaningful way.

3) Myself & my husband to accomplish the things that God has destined for us to do.

List three goals you would like to accomplish in 2010:

1) Officially begin my photography business and be profitable.

2) Be confident and satisfied within myself that I am exactly who and where God wants me to be.

3) That I have a system in place that ensures all that I need to do in a way that is most effective for all who will be affected.

Please tell us about the photos you are submitting and why they are your favorites.

I love this because I captured a rare public display of affection between my kiddos.

I call it “a rare moment .”

 

I love her expression and the excitement she had being on this carousel. It was effortless.

While technically this is probably not the best shot, I still love it because they are having fun.

I also love the reflection of the floor in their glasses.

This was taken at the same location our wedding pictures were taken ten years before.

Any additional comments you would like to add?

Thank you so much Marla for taking the time to do this. It has been great getting to know you all! I pray we all sail in TwentyTen!

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Thank you Charisse for participating in the spotlight!  It was so nice to get to know you and learn about your photography journey.  I am overwhelmed by your dedication to your family and goals and hope that all your dreams come true - this year!  I love the photos of your children too, especially your daughter on the carousel!  Keep on soaring and have a Happy Birthday too!  ♥