A passion of a photographic fashion...

It finally happened; I found my true passion.  I knew it had to be there somewhere.  I could often feel it lurking around, waiting to be discovered.  Many times, I would wish for some sort of career or hobby that would enable me to work for myself, set my own hours, let me be there for my kids, but also provide some sort of creative outlet.  Unfortunately, my MA in Art History would be hard to use in a way that would conform to my requirements.  I do have other skills that friends and family would often say I should pursue such as my handmade cards, painted bow holders or even my writing or organizational skills.  These are things I enjoy, but I'm not passionate enough about them and would come up with a thousand excuses as to why it wouldn't work out.  Although I'm plenty busy now, I have anxiety over a future where my kids would all be in school learning how to someday live their own lives, and I would lose sight of me and not have something left for myself.  For my kids' sake, as well as my own, I need to have some sort of something just for me.

Photography makes perfect sense and I really don't know why it took so long for me to figure it out.  I grew up with photography.  My mom was an amateur photographer with a fancy camera and all the cool lenses and would take photos of all the events at my school and submit me to countless hours of primping and posing for photo shoots.  I've owned some sort of camera for as long as I can remember and was always serious about taking snapshots.  As I grew older, I became known as the family historian.  I would take dozens of photos at every family event and make albums for everything.  Vacations were a thrill for me so that I could try and delve into some creative shots and scenery.  But still, it was nothing more than a snapshot.

Fast forward to having kids and I finally had subjects that provided 1,001 reasons to take photos...and they lived under my roof!  I didn't have to go anywhere and they had no choice but to be my "subjects"!  I would take ridiculous amounts of photos of the same situation just to try and get the right picture. I tried to capture every move they made and have blogged thousands of these photos.  The real turning point was the release of affordable DSLR cameras.  Remember the commercials with Ashton Kutcher?!  Finally, semi-professional (Prosumer) cameras were available to the masses!  I really didn't even pay attention to them until I saw some photos of a friend's kid.  They were so crisp, clear and vibrant!  I tried out a friend's camera and was hooked. 

While pregnant with our third, Juliet, my husband and I decided that we needed to have one of these fancy cameras and the goal was to get it and a neat "portrait" lens by the time she was born.  We did and there has been no turning back!  We played around with it and managed to get a cool newborn photo for our announcement. Actually, Ron (the husband) took it and was showing me how to work the camera and the new flash we bought to add onto it.  When life with a newborn (plus 3 1/2 year old twins) settled down, I started playing with the camera and loved it.  Mind you, I was still using it in the automatic mode which basically made it a really fantastic, but crazy expensive and large point and shoot camera.  I finally asked a photographer friend to show me how to use it.  She graciously came over and taught me how to shoot in Manual mode.  As in, I tell the camera what to do instead of it making choices for me.  It's kind of like driving a car.  As my dad always told me, with a stick shift, YOU drive the car, rather than automatic where the car drives you!  She also explained ISO, shutter speed and aperture and how they form the exposure triangle.  Plus, she showed me how to adjust these camera settings to get the perfect exposure.  This was groundbreaking for me and unleashed the hidden photography monster!

From that moment on, I began researching ISO, shutter speed and aperture on my IPhone and reading as many descriptions and explanations I could until it made perfect sense and felt like second nature.  I practiced often, experimenting with aperture and depth of field and composition.  I even practiced on my friends' kids and ended up taking my camera to a birthday party and trying to take "portraits" of all the kids.  Then it clicked.  I. love. this.  So I started reading more online and found tips and pointers for aspiring children's photographers.

I finally stumbled upon an amazing forum, solely for aspiring to professional photographers.  I have now been a member of this forum for nearly a month and it has changed my life.  I have learned more in the last month than I think I've learned in years of higher education.  Ok, not really THAT much, but still a ridiculous amount and I mean an absolutely INSANE amount.  I've been reading and practicing for hours every single day.  I'm like a sponge.  This forum has tutorials and so many threads to read that the members claim you can learn more there than by taking a class.  I agree and the best part is that it's free!  Amateur to professional photographers are always posting and you can put your own photos up for critique.  I love doing that and having my images picked apart so that I can learn from my mistakes.

My biggest challenge has been post processing, or editing the images.  I got a new editing program and there is so much to learn.  I finally faced my fear, got a few books and have been trying my hand at it so that I can polish up my photos and make them look more professional.  It's amazing what a little editing can do to help turn a "snapshot" into a "portrait".

I totally see the world in a different way now.  I'm constantly noticing the placement of the sun and looking for good light.  I can't help but imagine every building, patch of land or landscaped area as a potential site for a photo session.  It's a whole new world out there for me!

So this has gotten much longer than I anticipated, but this is my journey so far.  I have a long way to go, but I'm so excited for it.  I just sold my camera and some lenses and ordered a semi-professional camera and another great lens that's good for outdoor portraits.  I can't wait to get my hands on my new gear and hope that it will help take my photography to the next level.  I'm using this blog to document my journey and my progress so that I can share with friends, and also as a reminder for me.  For times when I'm overwhelmed and discouraged (and I know this will happen often as there is a lifetime of learning here), I can see where I started and where I'm going.