Thank you
I've been reading a lot about the benefits of blogging as a photographer, and I decided to jump on this ship. I wanted to start this adventure by providing background on me and why I decided to pick up a camera.
I've been tapped into my artistic side for as long as I can remember. I used to spend a lot of my free time drawing in my bedroom, scrapbooking, paint by number, and the all the other crafts you could pick up at the local Michael's. I was also a dancer. I took ballet as a littler girl and was in dance all through junior high and high school.
So while looking for electives in high school, I decided to try something new and enrolled in Beginner Photography. It was something I have seen peers do, and it looked like fun! When they introduced us to the first day of class, they let us pick whether we wanted to work with film or with digital images. I picked film. So everything I initially learned on a camera was with film including how to develop film! I had so much fun learning the ins & outs of photography, composition, the light triangle, and everything in between.
But for some reason, I put my camera down and never picked another back up.
My oldest sister became a photographer for some years, and its something I wanted to try too... but I doubted myself. Good cameras were expensive and who would want to pay me for that? We already had a photographer in the family... I didn't feel that there was room for two.
Then 10 years later I started following a friend from high school and her amazing photography journey. Every time I saw her post something new, I thought, "I want to do that," or "Dang, I wish I could take photos like that!" I watched her for 3 years before I finally found the courage to get my own camera.
So in 2022 I told my husband, "I want to learn photography, but I am nervous I won't get over the learning curve and I will just give up." He told me to just GO FOR IT.
Okay... here I was two days later buying my first DSLR... watching every single video I could find for help learning how to use it... and begging my kids to sit still so I could practice on them. Man I was so proud of my first images (as everyone who takes this leap should be)! It was exciting. I literally took my camera everywhere and forced my way through that curve. I was talking to my oldest sister everyday asking for advice about this, that, or the other. Actually, she's still one of my first points of contact.
I was posting for models on every Facebook group I could find in the East Valley. Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, San Tan Valley, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Florence, Phoenix... The list goes on. I wanted people in front of my camera. I still do! I took photos for free just for practice, then it moved to super low cost because lets get serious... gas prices are so wild in Arizona right now. I was soaking everything in that I could and learning something new every single time whether it was about exposure, lighting, the sun, my camera.. there was always something. There still is something new every time I shoot, and I think most photographers would agree that we never stop learning.
I'm so thankful for this whirlwind of a ride. I've had such an amazing time, and I have met such amazing people. I see my photos get better and better with each and every photoshoot. I cannot wait to see what my photos look like in another year.
So to wrap up this blog post - thank you to each person who has picked me to document their moments, thank you to each person who has shared or supported my little business, and thank you to each person who is considering to use me in the future. I couldn't have done any of this without my husband's encouragement and the support of my clients and followers.