Photography: Two Years

I started my "photography journey" exactly two years ago this month. When I say that I began my journey in August 2011, what I simply mean is that I decided to spend pretty much all of my free time learning whatever I could about this art form. 

Here I am, two years, and a whole lot of knowledge later. I am no where close to being "perfect" and I continue to learn daily. The bottom line is, there is SO much to learn when it comes to taking a photograph. 

I get asked fairly often what kind of gear I use (camera, lens, etc). I have made a conscious decision to be as helpful to others as I can who would like to improve their photography skills. After all, this is a big world and it can be seen through so many different ways. That is the beauty of photographs. One person can capture the exact same scene differently than another, even if they both have the same angle and gear. It's amazing and exciting, really, to watch a photographer develop their own style and take on their world. I love that, so that's why I'm happy to share what I've learned. 

That being said, I do have to say that simply getting the same gear as a photographer you admire is not going to mean you produce images exactly like them. It took me a long time to understand this myself. I got caught up for a long time in believing that if I had the right camera or lenses, I might suddenly produce images exactly like I admired. Unfortunately I realized quickly that this is incorrect. Even someone who has an extremely basic dslr (or iphone for that matter!) can produce stunning images, but it often takes some work to get there.

Photography involves many factors to get to your final product. Yes, it may begin with gear- but again- this is often not necessary to produce an amazing final product. The biggest factor of using a dslr to it's full potential involves learning how to shoot a "proper exposure" or knowing the settings that you need to manipulate your camera in order to execute the image that you have in your head (learning to shoot manually is the first step in this). 

The next huge step is one that many blooming photographers probably do not want to hear simply because this step takes time: training your eye. Photography is the capturing of light. This is HUGE. This means, without a doubt, you will need to begin to experiment with the way in which light affects your photographs. This is not an overnight process. It's something I, even two years later, continue to work on and will probably never stop. Once you begin to see the way variable light sources hit your subjects, it begins to be a never ending learning game. You improve, of course, but I honestly don't believe you could ever be done learning this portion of this art. 

Along with training your eye to understand light and the way it affects your photographs, you also will begin to train your eye to colors, contrast, exposure and other aspects of your final product. Two years ago, I could not look at a photo and tell you right away the exposure was off, the composition did not work or that it was too saturated. Today, I am better, but still, have so far to go. 

This is what is so beautiful about this art. We do not ever come to a place where we produce so called "perfect" images every single time we shoot. It can be frustrating, but that is the beauty of the challenge in photography. It takes someone who is willing to continue to grow and learn, accepting challenges along the way. 

I have a long way to go, and my journey will never end. I will continue to develop my style and skills. Photography is my outlet and my passion. I hope to continue to encourage that passion with others who share it.

If you ever have any questions related to photography, please feel free to ask! I can answer what I know, or refer you to someone who might know better :)