Been a little neglectful over here, sorry bout that. Just honestly haven't felt the drive to post anything lately. So I figured I'd hop on here this afternoon and post a quick something or another you know, just to let people know I'm still around!
Lately I've seen at least a couple of professional photographers who completely slam "new" and or amateur photographers constantly. It really frustrates me. They were new and amateur once too!
I am an amateur photographer, still LOADS of learning to do. It's a constant learning process. Any professional photographer who says they know all there is to know...is jaded. Because you are always learning.
I grew up in the home of a photographer. I was always in front of my Mother's camera, you know...back in the days of film, and no internet to proudly and loudly boast your photos and your own incredible importance and awesomeness. We all know that PROFESSIONAL photographers are the ONLY ones who matter and their work is all that should be worshipped and loved.
I know several pro's and YES they are completely amazing. I love their work, they are so very talented and I KNOW they had to work their butts off. At least ONE of the ones I know, was COMPLETELY self taught. You wouldn't know at all by looking at her work though!
I love the pro's who take in amateurs and those who are SERIOUS about their love of photography, how they mentor the newbies. You can tell who really seriously loves what they are doing, and those who are just hobbyists and those who are just half assing it, and don't really care but are just going along for the photography popularity ride.
The ones who are meant to be, will stick around. Their work will show that they are awesome and work hard and learn constantly and it shows their love for what they do. If you don't love what you do, it will show.
I started out taking photos of my daughter (though I've always loved taking photos before that). I couldn't afford to take my daughter to a box studio once a month for pics, I couldn't afford hundreds of dollars for a private professional photographer either. I knew I wanted photos of my daughter, so I just did it on my own. I have no regrets. I love every photo I ever took of my daughter, as does she. Same with my sons. I documented nearly every moment of my sons cancer treatment, and there is no way I could have or would have hired someone to do that. They didn't need to be professional and perfect. They were just precious family snapshots of a trying time in our lives.
I have photographed two weddings, and I hated it. That is someone's special day, and you DO NOT want to be the reason those memories are screwed up. I agreed to do both weddings because they had no one else, and I was their last chance at having ANY photos of their special day. The photos were far from awful, but yes, a TRUE professional would have done an outstanding job. Were the people disappointed? No, they certainly were not. They love the memories I captured for them. One woman, would have absolutely ZERO photos of her cake if I had not been there when it was delivered, she never would have seen what her completed cake looked like. I was there when it arrived, and stayed until they had it sat up and I snapped some beautiful photos of it (it was perfectly fine and unharmed when I left a few minutes later as friends and family hurriedly finished last minute details around the room). Unfortunately, before the reception could begin...the cake got too hot and this huge cake collapsed on itself and all over the floor. The poor bride never got to see her cake...only the last two unharmed tiers. Thankfully, I had good photos to show her! She cried when she realized there were photos of her cake, unharmed...and unsquashed.
I've been asked to do a couple of other weddings, and I politely decline. I'm just NOT comfortable with it. There are too many variables and uncontrolled situations. Too many ways in which those memories can be utterly ruined. I know my OWN wedding photos from my special day are far from what I had envisioned. I don't hate them...but I do wish I could redo them and get what I actually want out of them this time around. However, I am thankful to have memories of my day at all!
Primarily, I take photos of animals. Dogs mainly. Started with my photos of my own dogs and volunteer work at the local animal shelter. Those pics, have come a long way. Unfortunately I haven't been to the local shelter in a long while, for multiple reasons.
Photographing dogs all the time, CAN get mundane, doesn't mean I don't love it, because I do! Just it's fun to mix things up sometimes. I also don't always have a steady flow of dogs coming in to photograph. I want to branch out and learn to do other photos as well.
That means....my children and other family and friends become my guinea pigs. Lots of learning happens here!
I LOVE taking photos of children, I LOVE doing maternity photos, I LOVE doing family photos. Newborn photos, I love as well, but I feel VERY much inadequate at taking newborn photos because so many professional and amazing photographers in the area specialize in those, and wow, they are amazing. So they kind of scare me! Especially when some of those same photographers are the ones firing off about how they hate "newbies".
Trust me. I'm taking NO business away from you. The people I photograph for, are far far from your "target" group of people. To be fair, a majority of the photos I take, are free because I'm practicing, learning, trying things out etc. The end results? A disk of photos for the 'model' used. The happy result? The person loves the images they received.
See, the people I photograph for simply CANNOT afford a photo shoot that is going to run them HUNDREDS of dollars. Especially when these are people who can barely afford back to school supplies (that come before family photos, and sometimes other bills). There are no more cookie cutter department store photo places here in town, you have to drive 35mi to the nearest one, and I'm not even sure that town has any anymore either.
I remember those days of bundling up my daughter when she was 6 months old an taking her to good ol' Wal Mart studio for her half year pics. Oy Vey. It did not go so well. The area was SMALL. It was RIGHT by the front doors so it was COLD, it was NOISY and DISTRACTING, my daughter wasn't fond of the woman taking her pics. I couldn't afford the whole package so we just got the ONE basic pose, and to be honest I can't even remember how much that cost, and I'm sure I even had a coupon. In the end....I left in tears because the whole experience had just been harrowing. My daughter left the studio SCREAMING, red faced and DONE DONE DONE DONE with the day, period.
There were only a couple of professional photographers in the area at that time nearly 7 years ago. I checked into it, and yeh...way out of my budget. So I continued to do my own photos at home, which I loved just as much as I would have loved photos taken by someone else. As long as I had photos of my daughter, THAT is what mattered.
I FINALLY was able to get the Canon camera I wanted. I didn't get it for the reason most professional photographers THINK people by a Rebel. I didn't instantly go "Oh wow NOW I'm a photographer!"
I needed a camera that was quicker at taking photos than my Canon point and shoot! I was trying to get photos of dogs at the shelter, and the point and shoot took too much time at snapping the pic, and I was losing poses, and dogs don't cooperate so well, especially dogs from an animal shelter. They don't understand what is going on, many are scared, MOST are hyper and just want to run, or pee everywhere. They don't understand you are under a time restriction either, or that you REALLY need the best photo you can get of them, you know...to SAVE THEIR FURRY LITTLE LIFE!
So glad I got my Rebel. Photos became SO much quicker after that and I wasn't missing shots. Granted, I DO still love my Canon power shot, but just not for photographing dogs at the shelter!
You don't learn or grow in what you love, unless you are out there doing it. It's ok to break away from the same ol' same ol' and try something new.
Not every shot I take is a keeper. Most aren't actually. I still take a gazillion photos, and I think that's something I will always do.
I'm not setting out to ruin anyone's business.
MY thought, is that EVERYONE of every back ground every financial situation deserves photos that mean something to them, that are special. Photos they will WANT to frame on the wall. Photos NOT taken with a cell phone. Photos where they are made to feel beautiful, photos where they don't have to be the mom trying to take the photos and never get to be IN a photo.
If you come to me wanting photos, and decide I am NOT the one for you, that's ok! I promise I am NOT offended. I want you to have the photos that YOU want. I will happily point you towards amazing photogs in the area!
I have a friend who has been taking photos since we were in high school together. That girl has done so many photos for me throughout out friendship (I started out as her primary model, because I used to LOVE being in front of the camera...ok I still love it it's just far and few between now). If it weren't for her, I would have had no senior photos, no wedding photos, no maternity photos (with both pregnancies), no Mommy/Daughter photos, and she took our first family photos when the boys were toddlers. I just simply could not afford the 100's of dollars photogs in the area wanted. I knew it was WORTH that much money, and BELIEVE ME when I say I wanted those photos so so much. I just knew it would be financially out of my reach. I know I'm not the only mom who knows how that feels.
This fall we were actually planning on getting a local photog to do family pics for us, we haven't had any done in a LONG time. However, I wasn't expecting to have to buy my daughter glasses this year, so that came first. So once again, family photos are pushed to the side to make room for what my children NEED. Photos are a luxury. Not a need.
Until then, I'll settle of quick selfies of me and my children together. Or my husband and I together. Or snapping quick pics of the husband with the kids. Or just photos of the kids. Ha! Maybe I can edit them all together for ONE big family pig of us, surely that would work.
Some pro photogs get made when amateurs/newbies/hobbyists make websites and Facebook pages and blogs. I don't apologize for making those. It's wrong for me to be proud of my work? It's wrong of me to want to share the photos I've taken? To want to join photography communities so I can listen to experienced photographers and get feed back and new things I can try to get even better photos.
I may not be a big snazzy fancy PROFESSIONAL photographer, but the ones I've photographed for are happy with the images they have, and they don't look to shabby hanging up on their living room walls either!
Many are just thankful someone cared enough to WANT to do something kind for them. Otherwise they would have no cutsie maternity pics, just selfies in a bathroom mirror with the toilet as the only back drop.
Or no photos of their precious newborn because they are struggling just to keep diapers on their child and their is no where local to do photos. They'd only have cell phone photos where photo quality is low and grainy where photos are dark or blurry.
I think professional photographers are amazing and admirable. Their work is quality and yes, they put a lot of love and time and work into your photos. They have amazing back drops, props, lighting, equipment, lenses, cameras. They are certainly WORTH every single penny you spend on them.
However, do not think for one second that everyone can afford that (even if they really really wish they could!!) They have the right to photos as well, that they can love and treasure for ever. So they have the right to choose what they can afford. Do they need to take out a small LOAN to pay the snazziest pro photog in the area, or can they find something more affordable that isn't going to break their bank and still give them photos that they love. That's their right to choose. They know their money situation, they know what they are looking for.
There is plenty of room in the world for photographers.
You amazing spectacular photographers are more like the high end, big dollar shopping centers that a lot of people WANT to shop, but it's out of reach. We can watch from afar and love and appreciate the styles, beauty, work, and customization that goes into the work, and watch as others wear the name brand awesomeness.
People like me??? I guess we're more like Target, Wal Mart or Old Navy. More affordable and more for the little guy who still has to put food on the table, and diapers on the babies butt next week and has to stop and think about where their money is going.
If that analogy makes sense?
Any who...here are a few images I've taken over the last couple of months...
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| What a gorgeous young lady. |
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| Family photos for a wonderful woman and her beautiful family! |
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| I do not have very many photos of my sister and I together, so this one, I love! |
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| My sister, and her fiancé and their adorable son. |
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| I coached my children's T Ball team this year....and got this photo of my own son playing in the giant sand box....called the ball field.... |
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| The series of fire works photos I got over the 4th of July are the BEST PHOTOS I've ever gotten of fire works! This year I had learned and figured exactly what setting my camera needed to be on to FINALLY get the shots I wanted. See, I learned, by doing. |
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| The wonder of visiting the zoo and watching a seal swim past the observation window under the seal tank! My kids loved this so much. |
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| My kids on vacation running into the lake, with wild abandon. Awesome childhood memories RIGHT HERE. |
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| I LOVE photographing events in the town, especially when the carnival comes to town. IV'e always believed in the idea of always have your camera in your hand, always be using it and trying new things out. If you don't, how can you get better if you are ONLY picking it up to do a photo session? |
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| You have no idea how incredibly PROUD of this photo I am. I've tried FOREVER to get a nice shot of the moon. It may not be quite as amazing as some other photos that I've seen, but I am SERIOUSLY proud of this shot! |
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| My own sons, end of school photos |
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| My daughter end of school photos |
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| This little boy, so adorable. The grandson to a friend of mine. |
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| One of my friends was moving away and she wanted to get some fun photos with one of her best friends and her children, so the whole lot of them got together and we just had a great time! Lots of special photos for each them to have. |
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| I thought this was a great shot of two sisters! |
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| My daughter (in the pink) wanted some photos with her best friend (in blue) who was moving away, so we did a surprise photo shoot of the girls together and they both loved the photos and they each have one hanging on their bedroom wall. Special memories for these girls. |
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| THIS sweet little guy is my neighbor, he's 4 months old now though, and waaaay over due to come see me again for some photos. |
They may not be professional worthy I guess. I mean I don't have fancy lighting equipment, fancy back drops, or fancy props or locations, but I was pretty proud of the shots, and this isn't even CLOSE to all of my favorite photos from each session! The ones that were for other people, they certainly loved them too, and I'm serious, they look darn good framed and hanging on their walls!
Whether you are professional, amateur, or hobbyist....we all have ONE thing in common. We obviously LOVE photography and want to get the best photos we can for what we love to take photos of.
Let's not hate each other, but appreciate the art that is photographing life and all in it. Art is relative. What one person thinks is a beautiful master piece, someone else, might not. They may have a totally different idea of artistic beauty in photography.
Mae
