Happy Thursday guys! So this month has been crazy busy (clearly because I haven’t posted anything on the blog since the first week of January) lol but I’m back now with the long awaited post I’ve been talking about on Facebook.

I will need to break this down into several different parts because I have a lot to share and I want this to be as helpful and informative as possible. I want to show that things don’t happen overnight and that you need to be patient and willing to learn from any/everywhere if you wish to succeed in your photography endeavors.

So let’s get started with the basics! i’m going to do this in Q&A format so it’s easier to read.

How did you get started in photography?

My interest in photography came about really because of graphic design and digital art. I loved making things on the computer and I got into editing other people’s photos for fun…

Then I figured maybe I should take my own to edit! Things were every primitive at first because I was taking photos with the sole purpose of editing them so I didn’t care about getting things right in camera.

But the more I did it, the more I realized if I do it right in camera I’ll have less editing to do lol. This definitely took time because I really liked doing a bunch of creative edits at first.

As my style began to shift to one of less editing and more technically correct, my brother was a huge help in this regard. He’s been doing photography for over 10 years and was quite frustrated with my initial haphazard way of learning lol. But I’m very thankful to him because once I started taking my photography more seriously, he was (and still is) very helpful whenever I need assistance. In addition to my brother, observing other photographers’ work, using youtube, google, books, and the almighty tool of trial and error, I’ve been able to learn how to see and use natural light correctly, how to pose/photograph at flattering angles, how to retouch skin naturally, and many more shooting and editing techniques!

When did you realize that you wanted to make it a profession?

I honestly feel like I fell into this and I’m so thankful the opportunity presented itself when it did. I was doing admin work for about 3 years and was laid off in 2009… Believe me when I say that was the best thing that happened to me! I had been doing my photography on the side while I was still working full-time, so when I was laid off, the plan was to do a little more with it until I found another position but it kept me busy so I stuck with it! I always said I never wanted to have my own business because it would be too much work and that I would stop liking it if I had to do it for money… but I’m glad to say that that hasn’t been the case :)

How did you go about making it your day job?

After I was laid off, I just put it out there that I was available for bookings (through word of mouth and Facebook). I had a big sale which got me a lot of business, and got my name out to a lot of folks that wouldn’t have otherwise heard of me. Getting clients is only a small piece of what makes a business successful though… developing positive client relationships, improving my skills, coming up with marketing initiatives, keeping track of finances and expenses, trying new ideas, etc… all that plus more went into making this my career.

I am very much a planner and perfectionist so sometimes when something is too big, thinking a lot about it causes me to procrastinate and never get anything done. I’m 100% sure that’s what would have happened to me if I wasn’t laid off. When I was laid off, I was kind of forced to do something with my photography until I got another position… I didn’t have a plan of action in place or anything, it kind of just flowed. I definitely hit bumps in the road and there was a learning curve, but I’m thankful for the lessons learned along the way. (I’ll go more into detail in another post :)

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I’ll end with a few before & after photos comparing my style and technique (or lack thereof lol) from over the years to where it is now… it is Throwback Thursday after all ;)

Each photo was shot at the same location and I think these are perfect examples of why new photographers shouldn’t get discouraged that their work doesn’t look awesome yet… it takes time! :) Each person progresses differently so it might take you even less time than it took me, or it might take you longer. The point is that you’re improving so don’t be too hard on yourself.

I can see that this will definitely be a multi-part series lol… I don’t want to make each post too long so I’ll break it up into as many pieces as necessary.

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 :)

-Danni