Reply To: Origin Stories

[fstopper89]

I also has a great interest when I was really young. The neighborhood I grew up in was at a high elevation with a nice view of the lake so we always had gorgeous sunsets to view. I used to take my family’s old point-and-shoot film camera and some disposable cameras and take tons and tons of sunset pictures. Some of them looked pretty nice. I also liked taking pictures of flowers and my pets.

My dad had done some photography, mostly way before I was born. He grew up in a small town and was good friends with this guy named Steve. My dad bought a “nice” SLR camera and Steve liked it and bought one himself. Well, Steve and his wife went on to be the owners of one of the most successful photography studios in the area. My dad shot one or two weddings but never got into the business side of it.

I got involved in 4-H when I was 11 and enrolled in the photography project and entered some in the fair. That was where I got my first “real” critique. The judges told me that I should not center my subjects and instead use the rule of thirds. I remember being a little crushed that I didn’t get many blue ribbons (first place) that year but you know what? That was great! I always loved art ever since I was young too, and most art instruction I’ve had has helped me develop my photography. My first digital camera was this huge clunky Polaroid camera that was probably less than one megapixel and produces the most pixelated photos. I was about 12 when I got it as a hand-me-down. I used to set up my stuffed animals against bedsheets and put “props” in the photos. It was pretty pathetic really! When I was 16 I got a Canon Powershot A510 for my birthday and it had “manual” settings where you could change the shutter speed and aperture. I didn’t know what any of that meant at the time but once I started college and got in a photography class I started playing around with that, and actually got some really nice photos with it.

That being said, I never would be where I am today without the college courses I took and the job experience that fell into my lap working for a photographer named Michelle (who I only met because I sold her a pair of shorts on craigslist!!)

I’m not sure if anyone can see this photo due to privacy settings, but try it anyway. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4890891922241&set=a.1002219427859.2000153.1596030065&type=3&theater