Why Photography?


I grew up in the early 90's where digital cameras were not created yet. If you wanted a professional camera, you would have to pay a pretty penny and I did not grow up that way. I did have disposable cameras though, which if you never had to use one, you're lucky. I say this because I would see with my eye the vision of the image I wanted to create. I would fill the entire camera up with images and I would drop it off at CVS or Walmart for them to process the camera. This took close to two weeks sometimes and that wait was torture. When they would call me telling me my order was ready OMG I would be SO EXCITED. I started very young so I would have to ask my mom to take me to pick them up, which sometimes would take months. When I would open the package and look at the images (with an already picture in my mind in how they would turn out, mind you) the disappointment was so overwhelming. I would look at the images and not understand why they were absolutely horrible. Like, not even close to what I saw through the camera eye. That is because the camera also has a "vision" and it can be very limiting at times. Especially with a disposable camera.

Oh my gosh.... the frustration.

I remember crying to be honest.

I almost gave up on photography...

Fast Forward....


I got my first "good camera" around 2015. I would always shoot in auto mode. The thought of shooting in manual just completely overwhelmed me. Do not get me wrong, learning to shoot in auto is not a terrible decision or thought. However, shooting in Auto is limiting your outcome, because again, the camera is in charge of what it feels is best around the subject. I would ask my friends and family to shoot their families to get practice. Oh my gosh I remember thinking I was so amazing. I am like, oh yeah these are going to be so freaking amazing! I would shoot and go home and tell them I would edit them and get them back for them to preview just freaking exploding with excitement. I would go home, immediately open the memory card and go through alllllll the images. To again, be like WTF..... this is not what I was seeing with my eye through the lens.... what?? I do not get it. The images would be out of focus, the white balance would be either too high or too dark, or the worst one, the images would be grainy. UGHHH... nothing bothers me more than a grainy image. I was so disappointment again. Wait...I have to contact the client to tell them that the images suck??? So I would try my hardest to edit the images to "Save them" which, sometimes images cannot be saved. I remember them saying sometimes that they liked the images I gave them, I am like, yeah okay. Stop being nice to me just because we are friends.

I did not let that stop me.

I continued to grow and learn.

I did not shoot in manual however, until the last 5 years of my journey.

In 2021 I went to a Photography Retreat in Colorado which I feel changed the trajectory of my career


I finally bought my first legit camera in 2021 after I sold my home in Pennsylvania. It was a huge investment. I started playing around in manual and still having so much to learn. Once you get a professional camera, so many avenues of creativity open up for you. My friend who is a wedding photographer told me about a retreat she was going to in CO with two women who were hosting this retreat. It was a 3 day retreat where we would all stay in a house in the mountains and have styled shoots for us to capture images for our portfolio and also learn how to edit like the women hosting the retreat do. If you ever have an option to go to one of these please do. I met some amazing women who all were having a career in photography. Which is usually the goal of any photographer. Why wouldn't I want an entire career around my favorite thing to do??? This is when I really learned how to shoot like a pro, how I found my "voice" in photography. I started learning my editing style. I saw a glimpse of who was becoming, and I liked her, a lot.


Some of my favorite shots from this retreat

Today...


Today I am still learning, still pushing myself.

I am booking more shoots but no where near where my goal is.

I plan to grow so much in 2024.

IG and FB gives us so much opportunity to connect with so many more people than ever before.

I plan to document my journey to hopefully encourage another fellow creative embarking in their own journey.

Please do not give up.

Continue to learn, hire someone to help you learn what you need help with.

Purchase workshops or better yet go to one in person.

Invest in yourself, invest in your creativity.

We need more people to show what is in their minds eye and bring it to life.

I am cheering you on.

With love,

Christie

Some of my recent work