Ask photographer Amy Rich about her favorite subject to capture with her camera, and without hesitation, she'll simply reply, "Children."

"I love children. I love working with them and have always loved working with them," she said with a smile during a recent interview at her Lebanon studio. " ... I'll pose them, but then I'll wait for those moments between poses, when they're really themselves. Children are so dynamic and fluid. I love watching them."

Mother to five children, Rich describes herself as a "former hockey mom" who has always enjoyed creative activities and once worked in a daycare. A conversation with Rich reveals her love for her family and families in general.

Often times, she says, her work allows her to become a "guest member" of the families she photographs.

"It's an incredible blessing. I'll photograph someone's wedding, and later on, they'll ask me to take their pregnancy photos. Before you know it, I'm photographing their newborn baby," she said. "By the time the second baby comes around, I get invited to the baby shower. I love it."

While photography runs in Rich's blood - her great-grandfather was a photographer - she said she hadn't always planned to enter the field. Pictures had always played an important role in her life and, she added, the provide an important link to the past. Her children's memories of their grandfather can often be tied to old tin photographs of him.

"They'll say something about remembering their grandfather, and I'll think of the photograph they're talking about ... it's been so long since he passed that I'm sure many of their 'memories' are tied to those pictures," Rich, who inherited her father's camera after his death, remarked.

Rich's venture into the world of professional photography came as a result of her love for photographs and from another creative endeavor she'd always enjoyed: scrapbooking. She'd enjoyed the design elements of scrapbooking and had seen her work published, but she explained that the best scrapbookers spent much of their time focusing on the quality of their photographs.

Eventually, she gained the confidence to enter some of her photographs in the Wilson County Fair's annual photography contest. She won 'Best of Show,' and her journey toward becoming a professional photographer slowly began to take shape. She began taking classes to hone her skills behind the camera and credits much of her knowledge to dedicated mentors, including Al Ashworth of Lebanon's Custom Color.

At the request of those who had seen her work at the Wilson County Fair, Rich began taking on assignments here and there before setting up a studio in her garage. Not too long after, in August of 2009, she opened Amy Rich Photography at 706 West Main Street in Lebanon.

"I'd seen this house, and I loved this house," she said of the Lebanon home that became her studio. "It was a big decision, but it just seemed like the right time."

Since setting up shop in the studio, Rich has photographed countless brides, mothers-to-be, families and, of course, children. In October of 2009, she opened her doors to the community by taking free photographs of children in their Halloween costumes. In one day, she photographed nearly 150 little ghosts and goblins and enjoyed every minute of it.

"It was so much fun," she grinned. "It was just a fun, fun thing to do, and I'm planning to make that a yearly tradition."

And, when she's not behind the camera, Rich is either focused on learning more about her craft or working with a cause she holds close to her heart.

"I work with an organization called the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation. It's a group of photographers who work with families who have lost their babies. We work with them for free to create and edit portraits and slideshows. Those memories are deeply important to them, and we know and understand the importance of a photograph," Rich said.

By BRIAN HARVILLE

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