About 4 years ago, I was kind of "lost". I didn't really have a direction in where I was headed in life- but I was working long hours in a retail job and hating almost every minute of it. Let's start with high school. I will admit, I am not someone who is very "smart" in a traditional school sense. Core subjects were very difficult for me and I struggled to keep up in the majority of my classes. I worked A LOT- way more than any high schooler with a full load of classes should. But creative outlets have always been my strong suit. I filled any openings in my schedules with Choir, theatre, art, design, and any other class I could possibly weasel myself into.
Out of high school, I didn't know what exactly it was I wanted to do. At that time, I figured the best way to make sure I was financially secure and to whatever I decided (when I did) would be to join the military. Unfortunately, I did not graduate from basic training- which is still a very embarrassing thing for me to even admit to. In 2014, I got married to my husband, who is in the military, and packed up our lives and headed away from our friends and family to Southern Californina. That move to California was really tough for me but it did eventually get me to discover what I truly wanted to do.
When I got my first camera it was like it became attached to my hand. I was the stereotypical "fauxtographer" that all photographers know and hate. I offered sessions to learn- went in knowing absolutely no idea in hell what I was doing. But, ya know what? I don't regret it one bit. It got me to realize my love for photography, and I haven't put my camera down since. I've come to realize sense, that I was NOT good. Although, I don't know anyone who picks up a camera for the first time and just gets it right away. However, contrary to popular belief- this is hard work. Photographers not only learn to take full control over their cameras, but also spend hours and hours on training, workshops, tutorials, and hands on learning. It's not just pressing a button.
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| 2015 |
4 years ago, when I picked up that camera and started begging friends to pose for me, I remember thinking how great my photos were. I obviously know now that they were not, but hey- no friend is going to complain about free photos. But I wanted to write this post today mostly to show how far I have come in these 4 years since I did my very first couples session. I remember going into this session all those years back not knowing what the heck I was doing. I know for a fact that I shot this session in AUTO and edited using the application that comes with windows computers. I scheduled this session for mid afternoon- which is basically the #1 on the list of when NOT to shoot.
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| 2015 |
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| 2015 |
Don't feel bad- I cringed too. I know, they are bad now.
But with this anniversary of "starting" as a photographer coming up, I have seen how much I have grown. I think I can officially count myself out of the fauxtographer group. I have continued learning and keep doing so every single day. I am now a legal, tax-paying owner of my very own business and for the first time I know what exactly I want to do! This is it. I want to create beautiful art. I have found that outlet for my creativity that I have always striven for, I know I get to do that- as my job!
Now, 4 years after that very amateur session from above- I have learned to create sessions like these.
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| 2019 |
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| 2019 |
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| 2019 |
To finish off my VERY FIRST blog post- I just wanted to thank every single person who has helped, encouraged, and inspired me to get to where I am. I know looking into the future that I will be able to go so much farther with the community I have around me.
Thank you for following in my greatest adventures-
Maria
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