The question is, how do I get there? A lot of skilled people are self-taught, but I learn better by asking questions and talking to people who are more experienced than I am. This week I decided to reach out to a professional photographer who lives a few cities away from me. We’re acquaintances online and we’ve talked quite a few times, so I felt comfortable asking her some questions about her journey with photography.
Ashley is a self-taught photographer whose business has boomed over the last couple of years. Photography is her full-time job (when she’s not taking care of her 3 boys under 5) and she’s extremely talented. Therefore, I’m going to embrace whatever advice she has to offer! She suggested that I take out my camera and just “play around with it” as much as I can. Try different lighting, various speeds, and get used to the manual settings. Regarding editing, she said that she watched LOTS of tutorials and videos in order to learn all of the Lightroom tools. And there are a toooon of tools. Thank goodness for YouTube, because there are thousands of videos explaining how to make the most of Lightroom without relying on presets.
This weekend we’re going to my friend’s daughter’s third birthday party (princess themed) and she asked me if I could bring my camera and take photos of the girls. Take professional-looking photos of a dozen toddlers zooming around in princess gowns? Sure! Sounds easy, right?? Well this will be the perfect way for me to launch my 30 minutes of daily photography practice. Wish me luck!
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| Ashley giving me advice on how to shoot the birthday party this weekend. I understand some of these words... |
Jessica! I cannot wait to see your beautiful pictures of those little cuties :) I really love your sentence. I mean, what a great way to look at the meaning behind photographs and photography. Have fun!!
ReplyDeleteLearning how to take beautiful photos when your kids are young will serve you well! Great choice and ohh what benefits! I think it was a great idea to talk to an expert. Having a connection with someone who you can throw questions at and get tips when needed is priceless and also, what would we do without YouTube?
ReplyDeleteYou already take beautiful photos. If that is on auto, then when you really know what you're doing, your photos will be amazing. You seem to have a creative eye. I'm betting you'll be really good at this. Something I would like to try out in the future.
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