I signed up for an intro to photography class my junior year of college. To be honest I was really bad at it. My class projects were a mess and I didn’t understand the logic of a camera. I almost gave up, until my final class project when I got to pick my own subject: people. There was something I was good at. I now give that credit to my studies in directing. People I understand.
From there I had a few friends who were actors who wanted me to take their head-shots, and I fell in love with capturing a moment in a photo. This was my niche, and this is what I wanted to become the best I could at.
In 2011 I got a job working at a professional photography studio. I started by doing sales appointments and looking at thousands of photos from the perspective of the client. What did people like? What makes or breaks a portrait? Then, I began 2nd shooting weddings for the studio. I learned everything I could about how a camera works and how to shoot manually. Then I perfected the kind of photograph that I love and gravitate toward. I learned how to take photographs in all kinds of weather, lighting situations, and times of day. I learned how to photograph people of all backgrounds, shapes, and sizes.
A few years later and I was employed as a full time photographer! I became skilled in wedding photography, senior portraits, family photographs, and newborn portraits. I also was fortunate enough to work full-time in post production, editing hundreds of thousands of photos. I had the best opportunity to grow my photographic eye in a way I could never have imagined. I learned to be picky about what makes a great collection of photographs.
What does this mean for my clients? Experience. Trust me, experience matters in photography. Right now everyone you know is a photographer, or can at least pick up a camera (a nice one if they’re lucky), and take your photograph. But what I provide is a unique blend of being able to direct and coach my clients to feel comfortable and natural in front of the camera. I also use my experienced eye to make sure that your portraits are well done. To me this means that your photos are exposed and cropped correctly; that the framing is intentional and that important parts of you aren’t cropped off by accident. It means being able to fully trust me to photograph you to the best of my ability, and to be a part of the amazing collaboration of having your photograph taken.
There are so many reasons that you should get your photo taken now. Choosing to be part of a photographic experience means you get to remember your life now in all the beauty and perfection of this moment.
If you’re anything like me, you find gratefulness for this moment of your life. You know that time is passing far to quickly, and you know that you would love to have a new amazing photograph of you and your loved ones hanging up in your living room or hallway. You deserve this, and you deserve a fantastic experience in this endeavor.
