(Disclaimer:) I’ll be the first to say it. I have a “lovehate” relationship with FAQ blog posts. They’re so helpful and oftentimes, they have gems of advice that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to get from photographers I admire. I’m also kind of skeptical of FAQ posts by photographers who’ve only been in the business a few years (–> don’t worry… my own finger is pointed at my face.)
With that said, I’m going to answer some FAQ’s…. not because I’m a know-it-all…. nor do I feel like I’m qualified to be a role model and answer questions. Most of the time, I feel like y’all are on crack for thinking I’m an inspiration…. but I thank you, from the bottom of my heart and back, for thinking that and encouraging me.
I’m doing this because I want you to know that I’m just like you. Human. I make mistakes. I came from nothing. I started with nothing. I still have a LOOOOONG way to go. So here goes nothing… and please let me know if this helps you at all… I sincerely hope it does.
Did you always want to be a wedding photographer?
No. In fact, my whole life, I swore I would never be an artist for a profession. I fought it. I never took art classes, except for ceramics in High School. And I went to college to be a surgeon… I made that decision before Grey’s Anatomy… thank you very much! I absolutely loved science. And I had everything I needed to be on track for medical school…. my EMT license, I taught Health and Safety courses for Red Cross, I had been a lifeguard since I was 15.5 years old, I was a Biology major, I was a student at Whitworth University, and before I left, I was going to be working in the Health Center as a Nurse’s Aid. But my course changed as I made the decision to take a year off and do international missions with an organization called Youth With A Mission. You can read about my adventures as a missionary here.
My love for weddings (and love itself) has always been prevalent, and while I never considered it a “passion” until about 5 years ago, I’ve been a secret wedding photography junkie for as long as I can remember. Weddings have captivated my heart… and even though I see many more weddings now that it’s my job, I still get butterflies and tears watching the grooms face as he sees his bride for the first time walking down the aisle! (ask Christopher… I cry at every single wedding at some point during the day… it’s bad.) While, for most of my life, the possibility of actually BEING a wedding photographer never crossed my mind, I would be lying if I said I didn’t day dream about it once or twice….
It’s been a long and growing journey since I was a pre-medical student… and if you want to hear the full story, hit me up for a coffee date sometime and I’ll tell you the whole story. But…. long story short, I came back from my mission trip with the impression that the Lord was asking me to start a business in wedding photography. I fought it. Hard. It scared me more than anything.
So NO. I didn’t always want to be a wedding photographer. But I’m so glad I took that leap of faith and went for it.
What steps did you take to get where you are today?
Well, I started with absolutely nothing…. maybe $200 to my name. I had come back from my missionary adventure and had spent almost every penny on funding that. I was paying back student loans from college still, I had miscellaneous bills to pay and absolutely no income. And it was then that I felt God was asking me to start the process of becoming a professional wedding photographer. I know. Crazy. I didn’t think I was good enough. I had no clue about taxes and licenses. I had no clue how to even get clients…. or make a website…. or use any other photo processing software besides Picasa. And… I had no job.
But here’s where the important part is. I thought I was crazy for thinking God was asking me to do something that seemed so far away and impossible. But I keep getting the same impression over and over and over….. until finally I told God, “OKAY FINE!!!! YOU WANT ME TO WALK ON WATER??!!! FINE!!! But you’re going to have to give me better equipment, the best computer, the best processing software, the best possible website that fits me and my lack of HTML/Flash knowledge, experience, and CLIENTS!!! I have NO stinkin’ idea how to do any of this!!!” After that little outburst into my journal… I thought, ” Ha! That’ll show God. He’s totally off His rocker to think this can happen!”
6 months later I had a D300, the best computer, the best post-processing software, a Showit site (which requires little to no HTML/Flash knowledge), and I shot more weddings, couples, and portraits than I ever thought I could. I looked back at the end of 2008 with eyes wide open.
It’s nuts. Everything I have, and everything I have done is ONLY because of Him. Without His eyes, I wouldn’t be able to see things through my lens the way I do. Without his grace and strength, I wouldn’t have even given this dream of mine a second thought for fear it would only lead to failure. And without his providence, I literally would have NOTHING.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “Great. This happened for her, but what about me?” The best encouragement I have for you is to trust that the God of this universe is bigger and more powerful than you could ever comprehend. We have a GOOD God… one who created us to create, to have dreams, and to live out those dreams in relationship with Him. Who better to surrender your life to than the one who created you and your dreams in the first place?
So to put my answer in “every man” terms, I just went for it even though I knew nothing…. and I continue to go for it (even when I still feel like I know nothing)… because I still haven’t “made it.” I hope I never get to the point where I think I’ve “made it” because I’ll have lost what I came to do in the first place. Life’s not about “making it.” Even those few who have all the money and power in the world never feel like they’ve “made it”… because success isn’t measured in dollars or fans…. it’s measured in His warm bear hug and the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Success is successfully glorifying and magnifying the goodness and love of Christ in whatever you do.
Did you study under anyone? Did you have any mentors?
I wish someone had taken me under their wing and taught me everything they know out of the goodness of their heart…. I wish that almost every other day. But I know that I’m walking the journey I am for a reason. Sometimes when you study and learn under someone who’s already established, you take on some of “them” into your business. Sometimes that’s the best gift you can get. Other times, it’s a crutch that keeps you from finding the “you” in your business and art. It’s really easy to adopt what others do because it works…. it’s not so easy to play the trial and error game and figure out what works for You. Again, sometimes it’s the best gift someone can give you… but taking all you learn from them and fitting it around who you are takes a lot of conscious assessment.
I’ve had many friends who’ve allowed me to shoot with them and they have been SO helpful in teaching me tidbits here and there. I’ve truly LOVED shooting with others, learning and teaching each other as we go, and keeping each other accountable to the standards and goals we’ve set for ourselves. I plan on doing that as long as I can! To name a few… Jack Ratana has been one of the most encouraging and fun people I’ve met in the industry. Our faith in Jesus Christ has been the anchor point in friendship, and more than we are colleagues, we’re friends with similar interests. Another friend of mine, Amanda Patrice, has been another huge encouragement and she’s vapor inspiration for me. I can spend just a little time with her and I feel SO inspired and rejuvenated to keep pushing hard for my dreams and goals. Love that girl and looking forward to helping each other out with our weddings later this summer.
So did I study under anyone? No. Did I miss out on a better or easier way of building my business? … I’m not sure. Would I chose to do it differently if I could do it all over again? … Somedays, yes… Somedays, no. Work with what you have, whether you have a mentor or not, and fit the knowledge you learn around who you are.
Canon or Nikon?
Nikon. I grew up with my Dad shooting Nikon film and when I bought my first camera, I chose Nikon because I had all the lenses I needed… they’re old, but trusty…. and I still use a lot of them. And really…. really really truly honestly… it doesn’t matter what brand you use… it matters what you do with what you got. Just because you have the most expensive equipment doesn’t mean you know how to use it to effectively make great pictures.
Okay that’s enough for now. If you have more questions for me, feel free to leave them in the comment box before and I’ll try to answer them the next time around. Hopefully my answers were encouraging I’d love to hear from you if they were. Remember, I don’t know everything…. or even a whole lot for that matter, but I’m grateful for those of you who want to connect and figure out the answers together… because really, asking questions and finding answers together is what makes life so wonderful sometimes.
And to complete this post… here’s some fun shots I took when I visited my friend and fellow photographer Betsy Lackey in Lubbock, TX last month… we did some computer work at Sugar Brown’s Coffee… and I took these on a quick break…
