Back to the Beginning

The origin of "The Candid Firefly" is more than just picking up a camera and drawing a name from a hat. The Candid Firefly actually started before I had even bought a camera and was originally a completely different name.

2019

In February of 2019, I decided that I wanted to create something that would encourage others so I started a blog/christian apparel website called "daily inspirations" and began running a weekly bible study called "Coffee with Jesus". I felt that both were doing exactly what I intended, encouraging others. I didn't have a lot of orders for my apparel, and honestly most of it was made when I experimenting with my Cricut so it probably wasn't the best quality, but I also realized that my website name sounded to similar to what you would look up to find a daily inspirational quote.

After sitting with it for a bit and praying about it, I remembered all the times I would go to my grandparent's house and watch as the fireflies lit up the tree line in their backyard. My head began to flood with the representation of being a light in the darkness, and I changed my website name from "daily inspirations" to "The Firefly Inspirations".

I tried to write a blog post weekly, attempting to bring light and encouragement to others who needed it. My posts got little engagement, but as long as I was reaching at least one person, I felt I was making an impact. By September of 2019, my small bible study had grown from 1-2 people to 5-10 and I decided I wanted to share my testimony in youth group. Though I got a bit of the timeline mixed up, and my testimony has since changed a bit since then, I felt like I had made an impact and decided to start writing the testimonies of my friends on my blog.

Once I added the testimonies, my blog posts started to get more and more engagement and I felt like I was really starting to make a difference in the lives of those around me. The website and bible study continued strong for about a year until Covid hit and everything shut down.

2020

Once Covid hit everything came to a halt. I was unable to meet face to face with my friends to write their testimonies, and bible study started happening on Facebook Live. Without the testimonies, I began to run out of things to write and my blog faltered away. Facebook live worked for a little bit for bible study, but without the engagement that came from in person bible study, that too began to fade until no one was watching anymore.

By August of 2020, I had officially moved out of my parent's house and into my own apartment. We were now allowed to see each other in person again, so I tried to reboot the bible study. I announced that it was coming back, and invited my friends to join, but when the day came, no one showed up. Some were expecting it to still be virtual, while others just never said anything.

2021

By 2021, I had began to think that was the end of it. I had originally wanted to be a motivational speaker, and at this point in time I felt that I had lost my voice. I felt that I no longer had a message to share, and no one was really listening anymore anyway, so I shut the whole thing down. I began to face a lot of personal struggles, being belittled by my female coworkers, struggling with my mental health, and ultimately losing all of my self confidence. 2021 was a battle for me to try and find myself again.

2022-Today

In February of 2022, I had decided to try photography. I had enjoyed taking photos on my phone and polaroid camera as a hobby for the past couple of years and had gotten a lot of joy from doing so. Deciding I wanted to use my talents to showcase that joy, I bought my first camera. I started taking photos of my family members and pets, and started to build a website and my online portfolio. With the mission being to showcase joy and light I knew I wanted to keep the "firefly" theme I had from my previous website, but I wanted to rebrand it. I went back and forth on names, conferring with my marketing friends, before I finally decided on "The Candid Firefly". I loved the message behind the name, the firefly representing the joy and light of candid moments.

In this first year, I was just starting out, experimenting and showcasing what I could do with a camera. I was starting to get my self confidence and joy back.

Come 2023, I was still working to find my niche, photographing mostly people and pets. I was working a new job with a strong female support system, and through the help of family and my new found friends, I was able to really get to know my camera. I had booked a couple of $50 sessions that year, and was starting to learn how to turn my hobby into a business.

This past year, 2024, I have been blessed with more photography opportunities and connections. I have narrowed down my niche, and have reintroduced testimonies through the development of "Firefly Fridays". I hope to keep growing and continue my mission of spreading joy and light for many years to come.