I've lived in Walton County since I was 9 years old. My great grandparents lived here as well. Needless to say, I've seen ALL of the changes along 30a over the years. I mean, I was here before Seaside if you can believe that. Friends and family have described me as fun, adventurous, generous, kind and vivacious. A workshop made me ask for adjectives about me from friends and family. haha Also been told that I'm particular and stubborn. So there's that. Click to see what others have said about me.

Now let's go back to the beginning. I'll try to be brief.

I remember using a 110 film camera about 8 years old with the flashes that were REAL bulbs.You could only use each flash bulb one time. Can you imagine photographing a wedding with those?

I had a fascination with documenting life and people. It's just my absolute favorite. Our memories are great...but the brain often fails us. Having a tangible, visible memory is the best. You can't leaf through your brain to find certain memories at a whim. But you can with a photo album.

I started a scrapbook at about 10 years old and kept it through High School. IT's not very full because you had to pay for developing back then. My parents weren't as excited about my hobby as I was. Fast forward and I had children. Sitting ducks for me to practice on. Literally. :)

My first company began by good old word-of-mouth in 2000 with my first 35mm FILM Canon camera. Since you see that my last name is Owens...here's why. I was named after my grandmother, Gray Gwynevieve. When I was little, every time I went to her house, I'd walk down the hallway that was lined with rows and rows of pictures. I remember looking up and just staring. I never tired of looking at every single picture every time I visited. I looked through photo albums, over and over and over. And well, since I believe the beginnings of my photography fascination started with her house...it's fitting, don'tcha think?

Funny story, I was planning to legally change my last name to Gray. But then I went and got TSA Precheck and Global Entry. That is good for 5 years...so no WAY I'm changing my name on everything I have until that expires. Oh, the funny part. My maiden name is Brown. So, my brother is a Brown. My sister married and is now a White. If I change my name, all of us siblings will be a different 'color' last name. hahahaha . Well, it amuses me.

I love capturing moments. details. real smiles. emotions. and even bad attitudes. I'll admit, at a family session, if a little one is pitching a fit, I WILL take a photo. All because there was a picture of me taken around 5 years old....pitching a fit....and it's always been a funny memory. As a mother, I enjoyed torturing (er, photographing) them as they grew. I'm a natural historian and creating photographic memories is my happy place.

So, non-photography related loves......

I'm a mom. My greatest achievement in this lifetime for sure. I sure love my chirrens. I have the coolest kids in the world. Seriously, ask me. I gave birth to 4 daughters and acquired a house-broken son. Twins: Eryn & Tannyr(Alex), Eric (Libby), Karsyn, Blayke (Bryce). The in-laws are in parentheses. They are the funniest, sweetest, hardest-working and most caring group of people ever. I often get asked if I'm brave enough to tackle a family of 2 or 3 toddlers or more. I'm not even worried about photographing your family of small, rambunctious children, because, been there-done that. And I survived. I'm also now a GIGI! Best thing EVER!

I ADORE travel. I have never liked staying in one place. I'm a free spirit, no question. I enjoy experiencing the energy of a new town/city. I really enjoy architecture and seeing what's out there. I'm obsessed with CITIES! Maybe because I grew up in a rural tiny town and I thought I was gonna suffocate from boredom? That's harsh I know. Some people are content to stay home. I'm not. There are new smells, new people to see and meet, new cultures to explore and regional food to EAT! I love to eat.

Did I mention I love to eat? I so enjoy trying new food that I wasn't exposed to growing up. Which is everything except southern cooking. You want pot roast, biscuits and homemade gravy, or lemon meringue pie? I got you. But I had never heard of curry until I was an adult. I had never heard of a kiwi until I was an adult. I'm serious.There's so much to experience in the culinary world! It has been pointed out that I wiggle when I'm eating something I'm excited about.

I also kinda enjoy an adult beverage. My tastes are very broad these days. I LOVE me some tequila. I know... you don't because you got sick on it in college that one time. Yeah, I've gotten sick on it multiple times and I still love it. I'm weird. Shrug. My favorite tequila drink is my own.... Malibu, pineapple and tequila. Don't make that face. Try it. You can't make a bad one. Doesn't matter the ratio lol. I really enjoy a good old fashioned with black cherries and a burnt orange peel slathered on the rim. Drool. I'm a hard core cabernet drinker. I used to say that Pinot just tastes like watered down cab. heh. I never used to like white. But yay...I've found 2 that I like. I like a Portuguese Vinho Verde, Pouilly-Fuissé (french chardonnay and I had to look up the spelling) haha and my new find is Israeli Chardonnay. Who knew?!. Oh and beer, let's not leave that out. I sometimes like a hoppy beer. So a Pale Ale or an IPA with a low IBU of less than 70. But sometimes I need to hydrate and will drink a Stella or Shock Top cuz it's basically water right?

My favorite color is red. Not any red...but maple leaf red. Deep dark... blood red. But I'm not creepy I promise.I also am obsessed with black and white. ALL things black and white. Stripes mostly but patterns. ALL the patterns!

Some more of my favorite things.... , breakfast with eggs, bacon, music, cruise ship vacay, learning, New York city, Shoes, the beach, sunset, bacon, silhouettes, organizing, cabins, mountains, the moon, tattoos, bacon, being outside, potty humor, NOLA, stripes, shoes, art, and speak-easies. Oh and bacon. Maple Bacon.

I'm VERY organized. I thrive on it. I usually know where everything is in my house. I'll organize your closet if you want. Really! My clothes are organized by color and sleeve length. As a teen I'd stay up late cutting up old cardboard boxes to make dividers for all of my drawers so i could re-organize my clothes. Maybe a little OCD mixed in there.

Some of my least favorite things:
running on purpose; horror movies; black licorice; being hungry; taking selfies; public speaking.

Some weird facts about me:
I can go cross-eyed one eye at a time. My hair turned curly after my 3rd daughter. My feet grew with each pregnancy (rude). I can do some pretty decent animal sounds and cartoon voices..no, I won't do them at a session. I love green bananas. I love eggs. Too much. I eat them pretty much every day of my life if not twice a day. I can loosely wiggle ONE finger independently of the rest. It's the ring finger on my right hand. If you hold all the other fingers with the thumb you can isolate that finger muscle. Can't do it with the left one. You just tried it didn't ya. I was on a reality TV show for a hot second. I photographed a vow renewal for one of the couples on Southern Charm New Orleans.

Favorite Quotes: "I haven't been there yet, but it's on my list." "I only run when chased."

My favorite wisdom from Marcus Aurelius:
"The best answer to anger is silence"
"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts."
"Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears"
"A man when he has done a good act, does not call out for others to come and see, but he goes on to another act, as a vine goes on to produce again the grapes in season."
"You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."

Text me!

I upgraded with a disk camera after that. I'm sure most of you won't know what that is. Round negatives. It was nice and compact for sure. Ya'll, I'm kinda old. lol