My Past, my present, and my amazing future

So we all have a past, right? We all have to remember where we've come from. This isn't just a personal growth thing, but professional as well. Four years ago I started this photography journey. I bought a Nikon d5100 DSLR camera on Black Friday in 2011, and what blossomed from there is my story. Actually, my story probably started years before that.

I've always been fascinated with photography and taking pictures. In fact, my aunt and uncle got married when I was probably 11 or 12. It was a simple ceremony in my grandparent's yard, but it was still lovely. Imagine this…your 11 year old niece taking your wedding photography on this…

Yes I know what you're thinking! "Wow! That's an amazing piece of technology there." Haha. This was probably my first gig in 1993. (I believe that was the year…) Unfortunately, that "hobby" was set on the shelf until 2011 when I decided that I needed pick it back up again.

So my first few (and by few I mean like 10) sessions were, ummmm….practice? I mean, I guess everyone has to start somewhere. Where I started felt like the baby pool. Wading and trying to stay afloat. It seemed like I was just stuck in the same spot over and over.















Exhibits A and B…photos from my first year. Left is my goddaughter Paige. I've taken her photos every single year since then. Some times twice a year. Right is my niece Kayleigh. Every time I see that edit, I cringe. At that time, I knew nothing of bokeh, the rule of 3's, or good editing style. I was just so excited to be doing something new and different for myself.

Fast forward 4 years….I'm still using my Nikon d5100. However, I've gained a love for prime lenses that I can't fully describe to you. My 50mm lens is my absolute favorite, but I have yet to try the 85mm. I'm told it's the bomb.com! I've taken a photography class, which was definitely helpful. I won a mentoring class with the totally awesome Joanne from Josephiney Photography (check out her site http://www.josephineyphotography.com/), which was super exciting! She's one of my absolute favorites! I've also been able to purchase some actions and presets from Sarah Beth Photography (http://www.sarah-bethphoto.com/). She's got amazing talent not just with photography. Her actions and presets are some of my favorites!

 Meet Violet stage right. Her family is one of my absolute favorites, and I've done at least 5 different sessions for them ranging from maternity to newborn to wedding and back to maternity. Haha. She is the most adorable little girl, and I have so much fun working with her. The basket and chalkboard were the same ones that I used during her newborn session.                                                                                                                                      

Meet Maddie! She's the second senior session I've done for a friend of mine. She's got such cute kids. Maddie and her sister were completely different, but each were so much fun on their own. Maddie was very laid back and willing to do almost anything for a picture. We had a very dreary day on our hands, but we definitely made the most of it! 

Sweet little EJ….look at that face! I mean, come on ladies!!!! Don't act like you can resist it at all. It was like pulling teeth to get a smile or a giggle out of him! But he really enjoyed the lovins from his momma. It was another gloomy day. Actually, it started sprinkling at one point, and we had to take shelter under one of the orchard trees. But alas, the rain stopped. And we were able to get some great shots in! 

“We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it.” 
― Rick Warren,

Sometimes it's difficult to look back and understand that we all had to start somewhere. Those beginnings don't have to be embarrassing. They can be proud moments where we tell people that we kept going. We strived on to make ourselves bigger and better than how we started. We just have to be brave enough to take the first step. 

My favorite maternity shoot yet...

I asked if she'd let me blog her maternity shoot, and she just couldn't resist being the subject of one of my blog posts....Tammie is a friend that I've met through work, but she's just too awesome to not become more than just a work friend. Especially now considering we won't be working at the same place within the next few weeks, we will definitely be keeping in touch.

So as I embarked on her maternity shoot, I had one goal in mind....not to screw it up. She had, after all, not had the best experience with a previous maternity shoot. So I was determined to do my absolute best to have her and her adorable hubby really enjoy the photos I took. Disappointment for someone isn't something I'd like to do. So I set off on a 3-4 hour journey that included so many photos to make sure I had as high quality pictures for her as I could get.

I mean if we're being honest here...it wasn't very hard for me to make sure great photos emerged because she was an awesome subject, doing almost anything that I asked! And she's just too cute!!

The above is my favorite photo. I'm still working on learning photoshop, so this is all done in lightroom, but it was still pretty easy to edit out all the color but the bow. 

That sweater was like a perfect find for the maternity shoot. I swear....fit perfectly, went with her skin tone, and overall just accented that beautiful belly Julia has helped create! 

I can't decide which is better....black and white or...

Color? I love them both equally I think. The sunlight came through that window perfectly! 

I haven't quite mastered the silhouette photo. The above is my trying. Still gotta work on it, but she loved this one just the same. 

Daddy was of course a good subject. He did as he was told. Moved things when he should, and was out of the way most of the time. :-)

Nothing like parent's love. They are such a cute couple. I can't wait to meet little Julia! 

Daddy was super excited that his hands made the heart shadow. I can't lie...I kinda was too. Too too cute!

When asked if she really liked the photos, Tammie said yes. So mission accomplished. Now I wait for little Julia to get here so I can photograph her as well. 

Day 35...Project 365

So every day I drive home, I pass this one house that apparently has issues with hoodlums hitting their mailbox. And every day, there either isn't enough light to photograph it, or I don't have time to stop. However, I got lucky today. It makes me giggle a little every day I pass it. I'm not really sure the story behind it, but I'd be willing to bet that the homeowners do not find their mailbox issue as funny as I find it. But I am awarding them an A for creativity. No one likes boring old mailboxes on wooden posts. So what did this homeowner do??

They shoved a stick in it. Finished apparently with fixing the mailbox problems? It's barely hanging on in the wind. Nothing a little duct tape can't fix! That's what is wrapped around the bottom that is keeping the mailbox holding onto the piece of rebar (spelling?). My dad always told me that duct tape fixes everything! 

Day 33...Project 365

I struggled today to find something to photograph. Especially considering I waited until after daylight was gone to decide what to take my daily photo of. I am definitely not good at non-daylight photos. I can't seem to grasp the white balance on fluorescent versus incandescent. It's so frustrating. That and the lighting is just never quite right for me. It explains why I love the sunshine so much.

So today, day 33, is my picture wall in my room. I absolutely adore looking at photography and taking it. But for some reason, I can't manage to fill up my own frames. It's a shame really. All those frames completely empty. Thanks to my best friend for designing and hanging all those frames for me. Lord knows I can't walk a straight line, let alone hang a bunch of picture frames straight. I am making it a priority...after all, I took the great advice from my other best friend that I need to start taking time for me. And this would be one thing I should do for myself. Photos make me happy, which is why I chose to put a photo wall up. So why not actually be able to enjoy those things? 

Day 32 Project 365

I took another little break from editing my last maternity session...which I hope to blog as soon as my beautiful friend gets to see it! I found an old photo that I first took when I got my new camera. It's been some time ago, but I absolutely love this photo, and I had totally forgotten about it.

This is my Rustaford Rufus....Rusty puppy or Rusty for short. He's also been call Houdini and devil dog other times. LOL. He's my doggie nephew, and I love and miss him very much. He is my BFF's dog, but he owns a little piece of my heart. He's a great snuggler....when he wants to be. 

In almost all of the photos I've taken of Rusty, he never looks at the camera. I don't know if he's being shy or he is really confused as to why I have this contraption held up to my face. It could also be the fact that when I got the camera, he happened to be my only subject on a daily basis. So I might've actually scarred him slightly. That and I make him put clothes on regularly to photo....he really despises that. So I hope you enjoy my baby. 

Project 365...yea I'm a bit behind

For those of you that don't know, Project 365 is a photo a day project that is supposed to help people develop their skills with photography and share beautiful photos. It "technically" started January first. For those of you that may know me, you know that I am a bit of a procrastinator. And by bit I mean a ton! So I've finally started my project...on the last day of January. So here is my first photo....

I have come to love the depth of field feature. It's so cool to keep most of the photo blurry while focusing on one general point. I took this photo at my aunt's house shortly before Christmas. I'm still working on the focusing on a single point or multiple points. And I played with the color slightly. What do you all think? Is there something you suggest I do differently? 

So day 31 of Project 365 is simplicity. There's not much happening in the photo, but I still like it. 

So as I start my very first post of my very first blog, all I can think to myself is...don't spell anything wrong! I am a stickler when it comes to grammar and spelling. So I will try to remember as the time goes on to not only blog, but blog properly. Maybe, if I'm lucky, some people might even follow me. A girl can dream right??

My blog is labeled "Confessions of an Amateur Photographer" because that's what I am. I have always loved taking photos, and within the last year or so I've been able to take that love and turn it into something a little more for me. I have my hands in many cookies jars, so it's hard for me to concentrate on my photography as much as I'd like, but it's coming to me slowly. Practice, practice, practice.

This first photo collage you see above is a before and an after. It's a little embarassing actually. But everyone has to start somewhere, right? So the very first "people picture" I took was the upper left photo. My niece Kayeleigh Jo. Simple keep peeking around the tree, right? LOL...wrong! I didn't have an autofocus lens at the time. Very difficult when working with a toddler. Same thing with the upper right photo. I love the thought for it, but it wasn't in focus like I wanted. The lower two photos are more recent. I'm gaining experience working with color and my photo editing software. It's been a slow journey, but when I look at things from then till now, I've definitely grown.

So hopefully, you've found enough interest to follow the blog. And maybe you're a photographer yourself, and you'd like to send me some tips or hints. I'm fine with that. :-)