Love Your Work

I've always had a passion for photography.

When my oldest daughter was born, I decided it was a career path I wanted to pursue. For a short while I took some mail order classes for photography. I earned my certificate and got minimal experience with my cheap camera. I'm not sure how seriously anyone would take the mail order school thing. I was skeptical, but I did learn a lot about the importance of lighting and how to frame a subject. I remember little of what I learned about F-stops and apertures. I never really took the initiative to really get creative with my camera, because it was too easy to rely on the automatic settings.

I got a job working in a studio for a couple of years. You've probably seen them. They're in most malls across the country. Bright colors in the studio and there's usually a room right in the front window of the store so mall walkers can watch the photographer as she works diligently to make a baby smile, sometimes with amusing futility.

I really enjoyed the job, but there was very little room for creativity. We were given a 15-20 minute time limit to get those smiles, and there were specific pictures we were supposed to shoot. It was a job that could smother an artist.

On my own time, I took wedding and senior pictures for friends and family. I've always taken my children's pictures that I hand out to family members every year. I don't care for the ones they have done at school. They are the same pictures every other child gets and the photographer doesn't always know how to get the best smile out of my children, because like my job at the studio, this photographer is given
a time limit with no room for creativity. Not to mention, she has hundreds of other kids lining
up to get those shots. You know how it goes,
"sit on the stool, look at the birdie, say 'cheese'
*flash* Next."

I took my oldest daughter with me yesterday to help with a photo shoot that my cousin was doing. This cousin has become an incredible photographer, making me quite jealous that I never pursued my own business ventures in the field. It was an awesome and humbling experience. I know I have lots to learn about how to use my camera effectively to get those amazing shots...even if I never pursue it as a career. I just hope that it planted some inspiration in my daughter. Whether it's in photography or writing, or whatever else she might want to do, I want her to find something she loves and be passionate about her work.