Let me first start off by saying I am a very left brained individual—math, science, and medicine are my strengths. I never ever considered myself a creative person—I can’t draw or sing to save my life. I was never particularly inspired by the arts; I just assumed that I wasn’t creative. As I got more established in my career and had more time for myself, I started thinking about hobbies to pursue. I suppose I have always been intrigued by photography, I did some research and dropped some subtle hints to my husband that getting a nice camera could be fun…and that was my Christmas gift in 2015!
I opened the camera box and did what everyone new to photography does, put the camera on Auto mode and began taking photos. I had no idea what I was doing, there were so many buttons and honestly I just ignored them all for probably the first year. Ignorance is bliss I suppose.
In the fall of 2016 I took my first formal photography class. It was a basic introduction to DSLR photography class. I was completely overwhelmed, there was so much information; it was like a foreign language to me. Photography is also quite technical and I am not the most tech savvy person. All I wanted to do was take some neat pictures dangit! I literally had no idea there was so much that went into understanding the settings on your camera just to take a photo! So I spent A LOT of time practicing taking photos and working with my camera in different scenarios to try to get a better grasp on things. And I kept taking classes to educate myself and learn more.
Things really “clicked” for me after I took a sports photography class in 2017. As a former athlete, of course I was interested in the topic. At the very beginning of this class, the instructor said, “if you can shoot sports, then you can shoot anything,” which caught my attention. She started talking about the camera settings and why/how you should change them to make sure you get a crisp action shot that is properly exposed and well composed. My mind was blown. I was finally starting to understand the relationship between technical aspects of photography and it was awesome.
I will never forget when I got home from class that evening, it was a complete rush! This sounds so silly, but I remember telling my friends and family that it felt like I had woke up an entire section of my brain that had been in an oblivious coma for years. There was literally a side of my brain I never even knew existed. The creative juices started to flow and since then I have been absolutely hooked.
I kept taking classes for the entirety of 2017 and 2018. I couldn’t get enough, I had this itch to learn all I could. I applied for an internship with a local photography group in 2018 and was accepted. I got to go on photoshoots with professional photographers and learn from them firsthand. I also got to shoot sporting events on the sidelines for local colleges and semi pro teams. The experience was incredible. I learned a lot through the process. And my skills were continuing to improve.
I made a starter website in 2018 to showcase my work with clients and then just stepped up my game to a “real” website in 2019, which is where you are now. I never intend on quitting my real job in the medical field, I just genuinely enjoy photography and have let things progress naturally. I still take classes to keep up with my skills and to learn new techniques. I love taking photos of milestones in the lives of friends/families/clients. That is probably my favorite part, interacting with people and getting some wonderful photos that they will cherish for forever. It is really a cool feeling that I can’t really describe, other than it is a beautiful thing!
So now here we are in 2019. The idea of a blog never really was on my to-do list, but it just seems like a natural progression so I’m going with it! I think a blog will help keep me accountable with my photography skills, I certainly don’t want this to be a phase where I just forget everything I have learned. And at a time in life when things are only going to get busier (hello baby boy on the way!), I think this will be a fun challenge on top of all of the madness. I hope this blog will help keep me grounded and sane in times when I’m sure it will be pure chaos! And of course I can’t wait to share all the precious memories I collect from my personal life and from the lives of clients. I am excited to see what the future holds with this adventure. Thanks for riding along with me!
-Kristen
