Let's join forces!

Wow... lately I've been approached by a number of friends who are interested in learning more about photography or even starting their own photography business. This just baffles me at times. I can hardly believe that people are looking to me for advice... it is truly flattering. I thought I'd use the power of the internet to start helping those friends (and some of you "friends" who I do not yet know) hone their photography skills along with me. Let me begin by saying I'm NOT a photography guru. I'm just like you, most likely. I fell in love with photography when I was introduced to the very amazing Erika McCauley. She creates amazing images and I'm in love with her work - and maybe a little in love with her as well ;). She was our wedding photographer and I remember the first moment I realized the power a single image can hold. It was about 2 weeks after our wedding. I was in a Panera on my laptop doing some work and an email came through from Erika - she had created a slideshow of our special day. I honestly sat in that booth and cried. It was amazing to see that day captured through Erika's eye. It was unbelievable. I felt so lucky to have such wonderful images. I was hooked.

When I wanted to learn more about photography, I was completely overwhelmed. I had a couple friends who were starting photography businesses at the time and they knew so much more than me. They were excited to jump in head-first, but I was much more hesitant. I didn't know how to learn about this camera I had bought. I didn't know what lens(es) I needed, I didn't understand how to frame a picture. I started looking at websites and was pointed in the direction of Mera Koh. She is wonderfully inspirational... and I loved reading her blog. She had these amazing "photo recipes" that I thought were super neat. The only problem? I didn't understand any of it! I needed to start from scratch and that was hard. I wasn't able to invest in a photography class because I had just spent all this money on my new camera, so I bought a couple books, and found myself asking lots of questions (mostly to Erika, who patiently guided me as I learned).

I love that people are starting to reach out to me for support, encouragement, even help. I want to empower as many people as possible in what they love - even if they don't have an interest in turning it into a business. I think I've stumbled quite a bit over the last year, and I'm excited to share my mistakes with you in hopes that they will help guide you along. And... I'd love to have you take this ride with me, because I'm still just beginning.

So... let's do this together! It'll be fun! I'll start from the beginning and I'll make sure to explain just HOW & WHY I'm taking the shots I'm taking. I'd love to hear from you as well. What are you struggling with? Can you help me get better? I'd venture to guess you can!