A Look Into My Journey
Take a look at this...
And this...
And this...
These pictures may not seem like much to you, but they mean the world to me. On the left are photos that I originally sent out as final edits to clients a year ago. Not bad, but compared to the photos on the right, they're definitely not great. On the right are the exact same photos, but edited with everything I've learned over the past few months. As you can see, the difference is dramatic. Looking at them side-by-side I laugh at the fact that I actually sent the ones on the left out as final edits! I am so proud of my new edits, and I only wish that I could go back and shoot these sessions again with everything that I've learned to make them even better.
I want to give the world a look into my journey as a growing photographer, and I hope that you follow along to watch my growth over the next year. I've already learned so much, but I'm excited even for the things I've yet to discover!
The Backstory
A few months ago, I decided to invest into myself and my photography education. I had been slow to do so because photography was just a glorified hobby to me. It was something I did to earn a little extra cash, but now I have a goal. You see, being a youth pastor and getting to pour myself into my students is my dream job. It's what gets me up in the morning! I get to do what I love every single day and I know I am making God smile. As people have noticed my trend into taking my photography more seriously, I've been asked if I want to eventually do it full-time. The answer is no. I love my full-time job and have no intention on changing that. I have been taking my photography more seriously and legitimized it as a business because my amazing husband has a dream too. He wants to start his own recording studio in our home. Photography is a more reliable source of income while he gets things off the ground, so my goal is to provide a safety net for our family so that he can launch into his dream!
The Turning Point
Once I decided I wanted to help make my husbands dream a reality, I took the plunge and bought the Shooting & Editing Course by Amy and Jordan Demos. Saying that it has drastically changed the way that I shoot and edit my work is an understatement! I am continuing to learn so much from them, and am so excited to start shooting with everything I've learned! Amy and Jordan have taught me the importance of finding the right lighting and background to compose a photo that looks great in-camera, and even better edited! I used to say that I was an okay photographer and a great editor (because I was able to take a terrible photo and edit it to look acceptable), but now I am confident in knowing that I am becoming a truly great photographer! I've established my style and am ready to take off with my clients this year! I had my first session implementing everything that I've learned so far and the payoff was HUGE! I am extremely proud of the work I was able to put out and I know investing into myself is what made the difference. (You can check it out here and see for yourself!) More full sessions are coming to the blog over the next couple of weeks, but I was so eager to show everyone my progress that I started digging into my old work (hence the photo comparisons at the top).
Moving Forward
So now that you know where I came from, what's next? My goal for this year is to make enough in my photography business so that my husband can go part-time in his recording business by the start of next year. I'm so thankful for everything that I've learned and that I continue to learn, and I know God is going to use my photography journey to bless people. I love that I'm able to use a gift I didn't know I had to help capture memories that others can keep forever! Although I will not be pursuing photography full-time, I want to be the best part-time photographer this world has ever seen. I'd love to have you come along this journey with me! It's going to be a wild ride!
