FAQ: How did you get started in photography? I don’t know where to begin!

September 06, 2010

Well I can tell you it wasn’t love at first site. I didn’t grow up with a camera swinging from my neck professing my love of photos. In fact, it was quite the opposite. My mother photographed weddings and seniors quite frequently when I was a kid. My parents transformed our basement into a studio space, but to me it was the ultimate slumber party venue to whisper about boys.

It wasn’t until the digital camera hit markets in my late teens that I took up an interest in photography. My first real camera was a Nikon Coolpix 990 and to this day I still think that camera’s swivel design totally rocks. Instant image feedback and unlimited exposures peaked my interest, but because I was a computer geek I loved the fact I could tweak the photos with all sorts of tacky post-processing techniques. I mostly photographed my dogs and nature….but really just my dogs.

I attended college for medical studies, but took a photography class to escape my science schedule. (Maybe it should have been a clue?) We were required to shoot with film SLRs so I borrowed my mom’s Olympus which came with a detachable lens. Holy cow was that cool! But try as I might…I hated film. I disliked buying it, processing it and printing it. I learned the basic principles and how to shoot in manual, but as soon as class was over, I ran back to my digital camera on AV mode. Manual mode required too much thinking!

(Trying to be creative for an assignment due within a few hours. Oops.)

For Christmas in 2004, I flipped out when I opened a new Canon Rebel from my husband. It was the first amateur priced digital SLR sold and I owned one! Oh my goodness, I loved that camera and I took it everywhere, but it still was a toy. I never dreamed of pursuing photography as a profession, I mean how could I make a living off of photographing my cute pooches?

My mother loves telling this part of the story. In fact, I know she’s giggling with delight right now as she reads that sentence. In 2006, my mom approached me and asked if I was interested in second shooting a wedding with her. “NO WAY!” I said immediately. Weddings were not my gig. Nope. Nope. Nope. But I think you can guess what happened….I did go to the wedding and I loved it. After three years of accompanying my mother to wedding events, I took over her business in 2009 and renamed it Visually Deelicious.

(My favorite images at the time of my first wedding)

(We all start somewhere…haha)

If you are a newbie looking to dive into wedding or portrait photography, I suggest the following:

1. Buy a digital SLR camera. It doesn’t have to be high class…if you’re on a budget drive down to Wal-Mart and buy the cheapest SLR camera they offer or scope out craigslist for a used camera. You can probably snag a great camera for less than $300. The point is to practice with a camera that offers manual settings and a detachable lens.

2. Speaking of practice….practice a lot. Take your camera everywhere and don’t be afraid to shoot a ton of images! Wedding photographers need to be savvy in various locations and lighting conditions which only comes from experience.

3. Don’t be afraid to delete your images. I remember holding onto every digital file I shot whether beautiful or blurry. Learn from your mistakes then delete! Storing images can become expensive and there’s no reason to keep the image that would have been awesome if it was in focus. It’s not so get rid of it!

4. Lastly, if you’re serious about becoming a wedding photographer, find someone you can second shoot with and experience the crazy day in all its glory. As a newbie, don’t expect to get paid and be aware you will need to bring all your own equipment, but don’t be afraid to ask a local photographer or someone you admire if you can tag along for a wedding or portrait session.

Hey, writing this post was quite enjoyable! I hope this info has been helpful, feel free to ask me questions at any time.

Posted In: For Photographers

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