ANNIVERSARY: Celebrating First Year of Photography

THEN (This was a photo I took in my first digital photography class. We were studying aperture, and I turned to friend and fellow photographer Eric Strom to help explain it to me. I took this photo in his office at The Denver Post).


NOW (I took this photo last weekend during a paid portfolio session with Mea J. I notice that I seem to be developing a signature image, and a favorite creative style of intentional overexposure which lends an aura of beauty to this image.)


This month marks the first year anniversary of my journey to become a professional photographer. I took my first digital photography class this month last year at the Denver Darkroom. Boy, I have come a long way from being too afraid to take my camera out of the box to where I am now, actually being paid to shoot photography sessions in my home studio.

I wrote about how I almost dropped out of my first class on my blog The new technology frightened me, and I feared I would never get a handle on it. Plus, I was still suffering from heart palpatations. The $1,000 I paid for my Rebel XTi was one of the single largest, heart-quickening luxury expenses I've ever purchased for myself. In a world where digital cameras cost less than $100, I was having a hard time justifying the expense of a DSLR.

Every day since those scary moments have been an incredible progression into discovering a new passion, a new lease on life. Because I'm learning something new, I can't wait to get out of bed to see what is coming next. My photography seems to have affected my personality and my confidence. Gaining mastery over a new skill gave me the foundation I needed to mourn my mother's death and move on to a life I know look forward to experiencing. And when I see her again, I will have a whole mess of photos to show her....including the thousands I'm sure I will be taking soon of my new nephew born last week, yet another reason to keep my eye to the future.

To celebrate, I plan on taking a mini-vacation road trip touring the southern part of the state where my boyfriend grew up, taking pictures of the Great Sand Dunes and relaxing. So this is my shout out to all photographers everywhere: Take the time out to think about how far you've come and celebrate your triumphs, no matter if you've been shooting for the past month or for the past decade!

Happy Shooting everyone!