So I had 2 New Year's Resolutions and both were related to photography. Knowing how resolutions generally fall off the to-do list pretty quickly, I decided to start working on them early. The first resolution was to work up the confidence to call myself a "Photographer" out loud, the second was to get into the PrePro program on my forum. I belong to a forum for Child Portrait Photographers and have learned most of what I know from this website. I post photos for critique and I learn the ins and outs of everything photography related. This community has been my been my little alternate reality for the last 5 and half months. I've spent hours a day on there and have made friends all over the world. I communicate with photographers all over the U.S., Greece, the U.K, Denmark, Finland and Australia and they have become such a supportive group of friends.
I originally planned to apply for their PrePro program in the spring as I didn't think I was in any way good enough and because most people don't make it until after being on the forum for a year. 6 months happens, but is rare, especially with no prior photography experience. The PrePro forum is a private section of the forum where you can talk about the business side of photography. They really push skills before business, which is why you can't talk about it in the open forum. You have to submit a portfolio of 30 polished images that show clean processing (editing), a variety of subjects and sessions, technical proficiency and the ability to shoot in a variety of lighting situations and environments. Well I really wanted to start a business, but not until after I got into this program so that I wouldn't have to recreate the wheel and I could learn how to do things the right way by learning from the real Pros of the industry. Therefore, I started to push myself as hard as I could and did over 40 practice sessions (on kids other than my own) in 5 months.
I pulled together an initial set and posted it for critique. I got a good response and continued to polish it up over the last week and posted it again for more comment. I had planned to wait one more week as I have 3 sessions coming up, but I got the itch to just apply as the stress and anxiety over the process was consuming. I should note that it is quite difficult to get in and if you are denied, you have to wait 60 days to reapply and then you have to submit 45 polished images (knowing that you have to take out some of your original 30 that kept you out in the first place). I really wanted to do this only once and just do it right the first time. Well, after getting a lot of support from some Pros on the site, I mustered up the courage to submit last night....and.....I GOT IN!!!!! I still can't believe it! It is so surreal and I'm so excited! I can really move forward now and start working on setting up a business. Now I have to work super duper hard and hope that someday, I can get into the Pro program on the site! :)
I can't believe how much I've learned in the past months and I am so excited to see where the New Year takes me! Oh, and I'm so crazy grateful for my supportive husband and kids who have endured many weekends without me around, and to my family and friends who have supported me and let me use them as photographic guinea pigs!
Oh, and just to put it out there, I AM a photographer! There, 2 resolutions tackled and we haven't even hit the first of the year! Perhaps now I can drag my feet on the resolution to stop eating as many sweets! ;)
Here is the portfolio that got me in:
Showing posts with label Notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Notes. Show all posts
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A few little updates....
I haven't posted in awhile, but hope to get some more up soon. I've had a few more practice sessions (1-2 a week), but need to work on editing. Plus, I've been trying out my new camera & lens! I got the Nikon D300s(!!!!) and an 85mm 1.8 lens. I love the new camera, it has so many more options and features. Plus, it is easier to use and adjust all the manual settings and I can even see an improvement in image quality.
The lens is really nice, but it is taking some getting used to. It's a small telephoto, versus my 35mm 1.8 that I've mainly used, which is a wide angle. This means that I have to get real close to get close ups with the 35, but it is great for full body shots and is good indoors because I don't have to be that far away for a full length shot. The 85, on the other hand, is only really good outdoors because it has a longer focal length and I have to back up so much and it really isn't as good for full length shots...though it can do it, you just have to be super far away. It doesn't create awesome bokeh (creamy, blurry background). The 2 lenses together are a great combo and I love them both. They are great portrait lenses. Next on my list is the 50mm 1.4, which will really round out my group.
Meanwhile, I'm in the process of getting new editing software. I had the entry level Photoshop Elements because it was all I could afford. The full Photoshop is about $600 more than the entry level! I could also use Lightroom as well, but it too is a few hundred dollars. Well, I got a special offer email from Adobe where I can get the full version (CS5) for 70% off and Lightroom (LR3) for 30% off!!! It is seriously the deal of the century and was only offered to those with Photoshop Elements. The offer is good for a few weeks and I'm looking forward to getting it. And of course, now I need to learn how to use them! The nice part is that I can finally follow along with what many of the photographers are doing when I read through my forum threads. I think these programs will help a lot. A photographer friend really urged me to upgrade my software and I'm so grateful for this sale which will enable me to do so.
Of course, I think the camera, lens, new bag & software are my "gifts" for the next few years. As far as Ron is concerned, he has just taken care of my birthday, Hanukkah, Valentine's Day, Anniversary and much much more! Speaking of grateful, having such a supportive husband is priceless!
I equate photography to the books "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond.
If you give a photographer a camera, chances are, she's going to want a new lens.
And if you give her a new lens, then she's going to need new editing software.
If you give her new software, then she's probably going to want a faster computer.
And if you her a faster computer, then chances are, she's going to want a(nother) camera!
This journey continues to be a rollercoaster. I want to learn faster, get better faster, do more sooner! I love my photography forum because it makes me feel "normal". I among a group of creative, passionate, impatient, driven, Type A perfectionists. The highs are high--a great shot has the effect of a bottle of good champagne, but the lows are low--a bad session is like a hangover the day after you've emptied that precious bottle of bubbly.
The lens is really nice, but it is taking some getting used to. It's a small telephoto, versus my 35mm 1.8 that I've mainly used, which is a wide angle. This means that I have to get real close to get close ups with the 35, but it is great for full body shots and is good indoors because I don't have to be that far away for a full length shot. The 85, on the other hand, is only really good outdoors because it has a longer focal length and I have to back up so much and it really isn't as good for full length shots...though it can do it, you just have to be super far away. It doesn't create awesome bokeh (creamy, blurry background). The 2 lenses together are a great combo and I love them both. They are great portrait lenses. Next on my list is the 50mm 1.4, which will really round out my group.
Meanwhile, I'm in the process of getting new editing software. I had the entry level Photoshop Elements because it was all I could afford. The full Photoshop is about $600 more than the entry level! I could also use Lightroom as well, but it too is a few hundred dollars. Well, I got a special offer email from Adobe where I can get the full version (CS5) for 70% off and Lightroom (LR3) for 30% off!!! It is seriously the deal of the century and was only offered to those with Photoshop Elements. The offer is good for a few weeks and I'm looking forward to getting it. And of course, now I need to learn how to use them! The nice part is that I can finally follow along with what many of the photographers are doing when I read through my forum threads. I think these programs will help a lot. A photographer friend really urged me to upgrade my software and I'm so grateful for this sale which will enable me to do so.
Of course, I think the camera, lens, new bag & software are my "gifts" for the next few years. As far as Ron is concerned, he has just taken care of my birthday, Hanukkah, Valentine's Day, Anniversary and much much more! Speaking of grateful, having such a supportive husband is priceless!
I equate photography to the books "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond.
If you give a photographer a camera, chances are, she's going to want a new lens.
And if you give her a new lens, then she's going to need new editing software.
If you give her new software, then she's probably going to want a faster computer.
And if you her a faster computer, then chances are, she's going to want a(nother) camera!
This journey continues to be a rollercoaster. I want to learn faster, get better faster, do more sooner! I love my photography forum because it makes me feel "normal". I among a group of creative, passionate, impatient, driven, Type A perfectionists. The highs are high--a great shot has the effect of a bottle of good champagne, but the lows are low--a bad session is like a hangover the day after you've emptied that precious bottle of bubbly.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
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.
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.
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