Judy House is many things — Oakdale native, wife to her high school sweetheart, mother to her six children — but to her clients she is the memory-maker and that’s an honor she takes very seriously.

House, a professional photographer for the past 12 years, fell into the art of photography through her father’s influence, who was a farmer by trade but an avid photography hobbyist at heart.

“I’ve always been surrounded by photography,” House said. “My father had a dark room in the house and I’ve always loved photography my whole life.”

However, her start into professional work started quite by accident.

“It was at my niece’s wedding and I had brought my camera. Well, the wedding photographer who’d been hired to take the pictures, none of his pictures came out and so my niece ended up using mine,” House said.

With a knack for the medium, House’s reputation started to spread by word-of-mouth by friends and family, but before long the work started to speak for itself and House gained a loyal clientele.

“It really just evolved into what I do,” House said in her signature soft, voice.

Recently, House made the big decision to move her business out of her home and into a storefront downtown. She admitted being nervous about the move but she’s happy to have more visibility.

When asked what she enjoys most about her work, she said, “I love capturing people and what they’re doing at that moment. I love the happy times and I love photographing weddings and high school seniors. I don’t do a lot of landscapes.

As a native Oakdalean, House said she loves chronicling the circle of life that she sees through the lens of her camera.

“It’s really neat when I get to photograph high school seniors, then their weddings, and then their babies. It’s really special,” she said. “If I have to work — and I do — I love being able to do something I love.”

Two of her daughters work as her assistants on wedding shoots, another aspect of her profession that she enjoys.

“I’ve taught my daughters what I know and they’re really good, very talented,” she said with a ready smile of pride.

Like many photographers with roots in film — House started out with a Hasselblad camera — House has adjusted to the technological advances of the new age, which includes the digital medium. House is still a fan of film but it’s hard to argue the advantages of instantly seeing the shot.

“With film you had to wait to see your final product but digital is all right there. You know immediately if the picture turned out right. Although,” she added, “you tend to take more pictures with digital and it takes longer to go through them because if the shot isn’t quite right, you can fix it later with Photoshop. When I was shooting with film if the picture didn’t turn out I just threw it away and moved on.”

For House, the job is more than a job; it’s a matter of someone else putting their trust in House’s ability to capture their special moments.

“If you have bad photographs, you have bad photographs for life,” House said. “Life goes by so quickly … if you don’t catch those special moments, they’re gone.”

Currently, House is running specials for high school senior portraits as well as school packages for all ages.

Judy House Photography is at 136 N. Third Ave. in Oakdale.

For more information or to book an appointment, call 840-4947.