Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Me? A Photographer?

This is something I've been thinking about and thinking about for a while now.  I have always loved taking pictures, but didn't discover such a love for it until I got my DSLR May of last year.  And even then I had no idea what it would turn into once I discovered how to actually use it!

Starting January of this year I started reading everything I could come across on aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance.  I wished I had discovered this obsession in college so I could take classes.  I probably would have minored in it.

I bought a book called "Understanding Exposure" off of Amazon and that is when the rest clicked for me.  I started using my light meter (bingo!) and I just practiced and practiced and practiced.  So much that we had to buy a desktop to fit all of my pictures on.  I used up every ounce of space on my laptop and we have moved most onto our external, but I needed a desktop to work with.

I've also been using Photoshop Elements since January of last year, but just for scrapbooking.  Then last winter after Naomi was born I discovered editing pictures with it.  And so then I began to mess around with that.  Now I'm using CS5 and am learning how to use that.  I cannot believe the amount of things you can do with it!  It's very exciting.

So.  I was sort of sure that I didn't want to become a photographer.  But then I fell in love with it.  I really didn't want to be one of those girls or SAHM's who get a DSLR and call themselves a photog and charge and take mediocre pictures.  So I practiced some more.  And I had my first real "shoot" last Friday with a former roommate of mine who is now pregnant and I had so much fun.  I have been scouting locations for this particular shoot for weeks and have kept my eye out for places for months.  It was so awesome to see the fence in my backyard come to life!  Or the bushes I thought I would rip out.  Or the fiberglass under my porch!  Simple things started to stand out to me and had such potential.

My confidence has been boosted by this and my roommate.  She has nothing but such good things to say about these pictures and I would like to think she's not just saying it :)  I know I have a whole lot of room to improve but I want to.  I want to take more pictures and learn and improve and get better and experiment.

This new world is exciting and fun.  If you want me to take your pictures email me!  I am looking for more experiences to build on.  I am also trying to decide on a name;  Whitney K or Whitney Rae.  K is the initial of my middle name and Rae is my Mom and Grandma's middle name as well as the beginning of my last name(Well, it's Ray, but I like the look of Rae (the middle name) better).  I'm going to put a poll up on my sidebar to see which sounds better.  Let me know :)

Tomorrow I'll post pictures from Courtney's Maternity shoot!

9 comments:

Nana said...

You do beautiful work Whit, lindsey and nate's pictures were beautiful and the announcement perfect. I know you can do it and I like Whitney Rae. :)

Nana said...

You do beautiful work Whit, lindsey and nate's pictures were beautiful and the announcement perfect. I know you can do it and I like Whitney Rae. :)

Lena Gilbert said...

We should take some down at the beach! Think of all the awesome pictures you could take! Kevin says he has the full suite of adobe photoshop if you want it...

Sara Ann said...

I think that is great. I wish you could come to Las Vegas to take pictures of my baby! Poor thing has not had pictures taken since she was 3 months old. And I love to have a big picture of her hanging up. I wish I knew someone here who wanted to practice!

Wendyburd1 said...

Why doubt you could be a photographer? Someone with a simple point and click can be one if their photos are good enough. I just had my mother tell me she wants one of mine blown up to hang and it made me almost cry, because no one has ever asked to hang my work before.

Alexis Treese said...

I just left the most awesomest longest comment and it disappeared. Sigh... I ll try again. I remember it started with GO WHIT!
Go Whit! I know how you feel... Like when will you every feel good enough to call yourself a pro?
My friend gave me the greatest advice to help relieve pressure I was putting on myself.
He said, Photography is a form of art. Its a unique expression of what you personally find beautiful. So there really are no rules you HAVE to conform to. If you think its beautiful... It is. If others think its beautiful too, what a wonderful bonus!
And to that I add... And if other would pay money for your art... thats a blessing! Who wouldnt want to be paid for doing something they love?! Thats all anyone could rightfully accuse you of doing. They'd be a fool to say they didnt want the same thing for themselves. Forget all the haters. And there will be haters. Just remember its a reflection of them. They probably just wish they were the one taking the scary leap.
I wish you nothing but blessings and love on this endeavor.
You are one determined woman. You'll make it happen!
Oh and I love Whitney Rae.

Ashley Outnumbered said...

I agree with that Chinese (or is it Japanese?) comment above.

Ha, ha, ha. JK.

How fun. I wish you luck. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who will be excited to use your services! :)

I just borrowed that book from the library but had to return it without even cracking it open. Maybe I should look into it more seriously. Perhaps it could help me "click" too. :)

amber belmonte said...

they look great, whitney! the first + last are my favs :) totally agree with ali + ashley!

Jenna said...

I'm pretty sure I wrote this exact post last February, let's see if I can find it...

Here it is! http://thatwifeblog.com/2009/02/fear-of/

I am NOT a fan of momtogs who underprice, shoot on auto, and use photoshop as a crutch, but I don't think you will be any of those. :) If you're looking for advice, the best I can give is to join a forum. I'm a member of Starting A Wedding Photography Business on Flickr and I learn something new every single day in the discussion forum.