Always Trying New Things!

So even though I have decided that I want my business to be limited to Maternity, Birth, and Newborn (with a possibility for infant milestones) I know that I am still getting the hang of things and the best way to hone your skills is to practice all the time. Does that mean I should only shoot what I am looking to sell? No way! How can I predict my camera's behavior in different situations if I haven't actually used it in different situations?

A coworker of mine is also a runner and he has a very early morning marathon this Sunday. He asked if I could come and try to get some shots of him during the marathon. Of course I told him I would absolutely love to! Of course after agreeing I started to think, oh goodness I have very little experience with sport photography. I don't know how to shoot in the dark! What if he just runs right past me and all I can catch is a blur?

Well the first thing I did to settle my fears was to ask a very good friend who I know has great strength shooting dim scenes to accompany me with his own gear. That way if I happen to just fail miserably, I know my friend will catch some great shots. He also is a great teacher and has been a huge help to me on past shoots. Now what I need to do is A LOT of reading about the art of catching dimly lit sports scenes. The next step will be to try and fit in some practice time before Sunday.

I am crossing my little fingers that I can apply the new things I have learned and come out with more images than I am expecting. I feel like I always go into shoots rushed and stressed and feeling completely unprepared. I know that most of that is me and I have to figure out a way to raise my confidence so that I can stop worrying and focus on the task!

“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”

I have been very busy this summer, and I have spent a lot of time working on my skills as a portrait photographer. Today I took a big step! I created a new business email, and ordered business cards! I can't wait until I can officially start my business and be a full time photographer!

Brand new business cards!

"In my world, the books would be nothing but pictures"

This is my first post on this new blog so I figure I'll talk about what it is that I want it to be. I had a long and insightful conversation with my uncle earlier this week and it sent my head spinning in a million directions. For you see, I am at that crazy point between achieving your Associates degree and beginning your Bachelors degree where every student suddenly questions their career choices, and that is precisely what I am doing. I considered going to art school to receive my Bachelors in Photography but after this enlightening conversation I decided that I am going to do as the title of my blog says and "Take the Leap". I am going to jump into my photography headfirst and am going to do everything I can to learn whatever the world has to offer me about my craft. One of the most important things that I took from this conversation was this, "whatever you do never stop taking pictures. Take pictures of everything. If they come out good, great, if they don't, even better because you'll learn from them. And start a portfolio, I've never landed a job because I have a degree in something". Those words have stuck with me the past few days and because I don't know anything about web design, which is one of the things I am looking to learn, I am starting this blog as a way to promote my photography.