Reply To: Origin Stories

[photocriticgirl]

I started out as every cliche’ artist does. It was in my bones, my soul. It made me feel alive for the first time.

I began taking photographs as a child, egar to learn more. A photograph here, another there. It was my secret magical moments between my camera and I. My foster mother first got me into is. She taught me the importance of a moment. How you should capture every memory and put in a jar so it’s yours forever. The first time I took a photograph that I would consider more than just a snap shot was when I was twelve. I began with film, but sadly, wasn’t as engaged in it as I wished. I recieved my first Digital Camera at 14 and that’s when I really started. Trees, flowers, animals, random people. I was everything a fauxtographer was, but aspired to become something more. I studied every night, constantly. Apature, shutter, manual, anything. Sadly, I became distant with my camera when I began dating my first serious boyfriend. I was 15-16, he was 17-18 and it lasted a little over a year. After it ended, I felt like such a void. A part of my soul was missing.

I remember laying in bed one night, crying to my sister about my heartache. I wished I had more photos to cling to, to stare at. And that’s when I really knew what I wanted to do. That’s when I knew I wanted to take as much photographs as I could. Every moment of the day, If I could. I saved up every dime I could until I finally purchased a cheap Rebel T3I on sale on black friday. I was so excited. It was more than just a camera, it was my way of expression.

Over time, I upgraded to a Canon 60D and enhanced my skills. At first, I wanted to please everyone with my photographs. Take what they wanted, what they found beautiful. As I progress, I took photographs for myself. What I liked, how I saw the world. It was then that I became a photographer instead of a fauxtographer. When the worlds opinion no longer mattered and my soul was lit on fire when the click of my camera.