I'd like to start this post by saying... Jasmine Star is AWESOME! Finished watching Day 2 of her 5 day Wedding Photography online seminar and I'm learning so much interesting, invaluable information that will surely prove useful in many ways. I've been busy scribbling notes down, perusing different photo blogs online, and today spent some time networking and talking to fellow photographers around the world and picking up a few more tips to add to my belt. To the wonderful people I had the opportunity to chat and exchange details with - HEY!!!
Jasmine Star is without a doubt an inspiration to me from this day forth. Not just a photographer but also a fierce businesswoman, she strives in the wedding industry and plays the game by her own rules - while still admitting to her imperfections, her nervousness, insecurities, and weaknesses. There are certainly several pages I'd like to replicate from her life story!
She also encourages me to push harder, feeds my thirst for success, and gives me the motivation to keep going. Yes, I'm going to have days where I want to throw the towel in because I feel like an utter failure... but it's all a learning experience. The only place I can move from here is up.
I feel with every photo shoot that I'm growing a little more from the experience and learning something new to take with me to the next one. For example, I realized several things, one of them being - I need to talk and direct more. I do believe years of working alone, with animals, and nature itself has taught me to be rather quiet. I wait for that moment of inspiration and I shoot, shoot, shoot! However, with portrait photography it's required of me to take an extra spoonful of assertive and work to communicate and clarify the ultimate goal of the shoot while remaining on track. As Mike will happily echo, I enjoy stomping around in my bossy boots, so I have to be able to bring that element of myself into a photo shoot knowing that it'll ultimate produce the best results possible. Ironic for a girl like myself who never seems to shut up!
Goals this year as far as photography goes:
Grab opportunities where I can to grow as a photographer.
Don't fear failure.
Don't underestimate myself.
Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Be assertive and know what I want.
Discover and apply strategies to get my name out there.
Lastly, as Jasmine taught me... KEEP IT REAL! I'm going to both repel and attract people depending, and I have to be okay with that. All photographers have to learn to deal with it, and dammit, I will too!
3 words which I want to describe my photography:
Vivacious, poignant, and expressive.
A few unposted shots from May (click for larger):
A few unposted shots from May (click for larger):
Hey girlie! Love this post! I just stumbled on it. I went to right a post about my experience and it seemed to take on a life of it's own http://jessicalianephotography.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/love-triangle-central-florida-photographer/, but as I was reading this, I found myself nodding the entire time! You really, really said a lot of how I felt as well about the experience, and where I'm at in my life with photographer, but just couldn't put into words at the time. :)
ReplyDeleteLove your goals, you've inspired me to write my own!! I'm still working on the 3 words that describe me, but maybe that will be my focus this weekend. Sometimes I'm on the go so much, I forget to focus on me and my thoughts.
Thanks for the inspiration!! It was awesome meeting you on creativeLIVE. I feel like we are sort of at the same place in our lives with photography, and I look forward to growing with you!! ;)
As we used to say in high school KIT! haha
Jessica Liane