These last few days I've done a lot of contemplating and reflection on myself and why I do things. In particular, why I do photography.
I fell in love with photography a few months after I got married. I was watching a show of a western photographer named David Stocklein and I immediately fell in love with his photos. He was so skilled and had such talent that I wanted to be just like him. Growing up on a ranch and having that lifestyle, I loved how he captured "the way of the west". A lot would consider the cowboy a dying breed and I wanted to be a part of preserving that history. So, with the help of family, I was able to get my first nice digital camera. I would take it every where with me. I would shoot anything I could. I read my manual all the time, watched tutorials, read books, interviewed a lot of professionals and was well on my way to becoming better.
After my husband and I moved to Texas, I was working at a boot shop, pregnant with our second child and dreading going to work every day. With the biggest leap of faith I've ever taken, I gave my two weeks notice and decided to do photography full time. I did many friends' photos for free just to get my name out there and get some more experience. I soon became obsessed with photography and watched as many webinars as I could, surfed as many photographers' websites I could find, and spent many hours on end trying to better my skill.
With obedience to the Lord, we packed up and moved to Reno to work with a photographer here. After a year of ups and downs, I soon found myself dreading taking another photo. I had lost the love that I once ate, drank, and slept about. I decided to quit and find a 9-5er.
Well, after about a year, I found myself checking out blogs and websites of other photographers and wishing my photos could be like that. Out of the blue, I created another Facebook page and was open for business again. I thought, "what the heck. It will only help us get to where we want to be financially quicker." With bookings only here and there I soon lost the desire to do photography. This time, not because I was dreading taking pictures, I was dreading the online presence that I had to keep up. Posting on this website, blogging on that website, giving discounts here, specials there just to get people in the door. It made me think, "I need to get down to the basics. What is it that I love so much about photography?" One photographer and friend recently posted on why she got into photography. She said it wasn't because she loved taking pictures but because she loved to tell stories. I had never thought of myself as a storyteller but as I was reading her post I realized that that was exactly what I was. I was telling the story of a family, a child, a marriage, a high school senior. The reason I love photography so much is because I want those people I portray to be able to relive that exact moment in their lives that I captured. I want to bring a tear, a smile, a laugh, whatever the feeling may be to their faces and say that they were so glad they had their picture taken. Because had they not, this memory would just be a blur in their mind. I want to be able to help people tell their story through someone else's eyes, not just their own. I want to give them a treasure that I can say I was a part of.
If you would allow me to, I would love to help tell your story. What is your story? What's it about? Who's in your story? How did it all begin? How will it end?
PS. Feel free to email me and find out more of my story:-)
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