A Leap of Faith

A new year, a new adventure. For those of you who follow our family blog, you know that I recently started dabbling in the world of photography. I've always had an appreciation for good photography and am an avid stalker follower of several photographers' blogs. I never thought, though, it would be something I would want to pursue, much less be any good at, so I just admired from afar. After the birth of our daughter, I became obsessed with documenting every tiny detail of her life. I found myself taking pictures of everything and being disappointed that what I saw in front of me wasn't what I saw when I uploaded the pictures from my camera. I felt like I had missed out on important things (yes, sleeping all day is very important) those first few months. How do I get those really cool pictures that I so desperately want? Oh, I know, buy a fancy camera!

So we invested in a dSLR last Christmas. And the rest is history. Ha! Just kidding! Just because I had a "nice" camera it didn't automatically make my pictures fabulous. At first I was disappointed that I still wasn't getting the quality pictures that I really wanted but I soon realized that like anything worthwhile, it takes work. So I made a decision to start learning more about photography in general. I had no plans to "become a photographer," I just wanted to learn how to use my camera and how to get what I wanted from it. Around the same time, a friend mentioned that her brother was looking for an intern for his photography business and would I be interested? Sure! I wasn't working and it would give me something to do AND I could learn at the same time. After connecting with Ray, I realized I was in WAY over my head! Aperture, ISO, shutter speed, exposure, metering, what the what?! Umm, is it too late to say no thank you? But like everything else I do, once I started, I had to see it through. 

It's been six months since I switched my settings from Auto to Manual. Learning about photography and how to shoot fully manual has been an interesting experience but something that I have enjoyed immensely! The more I learn about my camera and the world of photography and all the intricate details that it entails, the more I want to know. Perhaps I've had a hidden passion for photography, maybe not. Maybe it's just a venue to express my creativity? Who really knows. I just know that right now, in this moment, this is something I love doing. It's something I need to do. I love being able to look at something, capture it in my mind, and be able to reproduce it on my camera. I love being allowed into someone's personal space, into their family, into a special moment, and capture a glimpse of their story. Whether it's a family photo or a session with a newborn, I am honored to be invited in. I hope that I will always be able to capture those special moments, and the moments in between. That's where the real story is. As I start this journey I am filled with anxiety and fear but also excitement for what lies ahead. My goal is to continue to grow and learn and always be passionate about what I'm doing. Feel free to come along with me on this crazy ride. I'll enjoy the company.  

♥
mandi