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| THEN and NOW |
When I was a child I thought about being a great pianist. I even
dreamed getting married in a field of yellow daisies with a grand piano there.
Funny, I pictured the field and piano but not much of the wedding. J I did go to college
immediately after high school and major in piano performance, but the degree I
got was my Mrs. not a bachelors. I spent
the next 20 years supporting my husband’s pastoral ministry with my music
ministry. Now he is encouraging me to get my degree.
Along my married journey I also met and fell in love with
photography. Once I picked up a camera (actually I was given two Mamiya 645s)
and started capturing emotions of people, I was hooked. That was back in the
mid-1990s. Ever since people have been asking me to photograph them. I wanted
to learn as much as I could so I went to as many photography seminars as I
could and I turned into a good photographer. I kept telling my husband, and
growing children, that as soon as I wasn’t needed to raise our kids, I was
going back to college to get that degree I stopped a year short of. About 2005
that dream was drawing close enough to start thinking seriously about what do I want to be when I grow up? I
didn’t see my music going anywhere it wasn’t already being used, so it seemed
futile to finish a music degree. I was working as a part-time freelance
photographer, and absolutely loving it, so this made a lot more sense.
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| THEN and NOW |
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| THEN (top) and NOW |
I contacted the local colleges and universities (because I
couldn’t relocate to go to school) but none of them offered a photography
program that would have been as in-depth as what I already had experienced.
That is when I found AIPOD. I looked for a school that would not only give me the
degree I wanted, but help me move from being a good photographer to a great
photographer. I planned to, and have, put in 100% effort to get to that place. I
have also pursued learning outside the classroom. I take advantage of photography
classes taught by master photographers. I took a week long Master Class taught by Clay Blackmore and David Ziser that really cemented my ability and
confidence to properly light and pose my subjects. I take in as many
CreativeLIVE trainings as I can (because you can watch them free online-and ask
questions live when they are videoing them). You can see 3 days of Pose It,
Light It, Love It with Clay Blackmore July 29-31. Just sign up free at CreativeLIVE.com. Today I'm starting one on High Volume Photography Business.
Before I started AIPOD I rarely practiced my photography
outside an actual shoot. Now I understand the reason to practice over and over.
Even if I can accomplish my goal on the first try, I gain confidence and streamline my process each time I accomplish it again. This creates a confidence in me, which
will also create confidence in my clients as they see me work. So now that I
have only 3 months left to complete my bachelors in photography, I can look
back and see a huge difference in my photography, my confidence level, and my
ability to run my business successfully.
So what is your story…and what do you want to be when you
grow up? Share it with us.
