Where It All Began…
Now, I have always been the adventurous type. Some would even same “Tom Boy”, but what many people forget is that I grew up surrounded by boys. Many of which were bigger and tougher than me. I didn’t have time to worry about hair or make up. I had to worry about peddling my bike fast enough to keep up with the boys. I had to worry about not crying when one of them wrestles with me too hard, or injuring myself jumping from a tree. It wasn’t unlike me to enjoy being outside, so when my God Mother gave me a couple options of adventures for my birthday, I obviously chose the one that would let me be outside.
The adventure I chose was a hike around Devil’s Lake State Park. I remember us stopping and picking up a disposable camera from a gas station or convenience store. When my God Mother got it all set up for me, she told me I could take pictures of whatever I wanted. In that moment I didn’t realize how much this one choice would align me with the path I currently am on. I see now as an adult the significance of this memory. I remember hiking and being awestruck. The highest I have ever been was in the hay loft at a nearby farm, or on the hill we used to sled on as kids. Devil’s Lake was something I had never seen before, and I loved every single moment.
My favorite part of the entire adventure was being up so high that my stomach would drop when I looked down. I loved the view from the highest points because I could see how far I had come. I knew that this view was a reward for the hard work of the hike. It was instant gratification for me. I was proud of myself for trying something new. I think I took a picture of the view from every over look, and as the hike came to an end, I was devastated that it was all over.
When I had gone home that night, I remember describing in detail everything that I had seen to my mom. I told her about the disposable camera, and how I couldn’t wait to see the pictures when they finished being developed. I had told her how much I would love to have a camera to capture more moments and landscapes like I did that day. Not too long after that mention, my mom had given me a digital camera. I had used it mostly to capture moments with friends, but I still captured a few landscape and photography photos as seen from the one attached to this blog. It was one of my first ever photography photos taken with the digital camera my mom gifted to me.
I did my first family photoshoot when I was only a freshman in high school. I appreciated my aunt and uncle for seeing my potential and giving me a chance even though I had never done anything like it before. It was my first photo shoot, as you can imagine, it was some very amateur work. It boosted my confidence, but not enough to continue to offer family photos. It was something I enjoyed doing for the experience, and the fact that I knew the family made it a lot easier to be comfortable giving directions. The thought of doing another family session with strangers made me feel a little uneasy. When it came to landscape photography, I didn’t feel nervous at all. It all came naturally to me. The angles, the lighting, the casting of shadows, it all came to me before even taking the picture. This experience solidified the path for me.
My senior year of high school was my first chance to use editing software that wasn’t offered free on the web. I had taken a photography class and joined yearbook to fine-tune my editing skills. In doing so, I learned what it was like to have a camera that had more settings than what I knew what to do with, but boy, it took some amazing pictures. Going to school events or capturing student life was fun. I knew that my work would be seen by all students, which gave me an added push to invest my time in each of my projects.
Fast forward to my senior year of college, I had met my adoring husband, Cody. I had mentioned to him in passing about my photography and how I would like to eventually return to it. Christmas comes that year and with little thought as to my mention of a camera, I unwrap my gift from Cody to find a beautiful Nikon DSLR camera staring back at me. I cried tears of joy, but to be honest with you I had a lot of fear as well. I never told him how terrifying it was to hold this expensive camera in my hands. It had been years since I held a camera with the specific intent of using it for photography, and not to capture pictures of me and my friends. I was afraid that I wouldn’t enjoy it, and that Cody would have wasted this money on me. I know a lot of it was self doubt, but he encouraged me the whole way. I decided that much of my self doubt came from not knowing how to use the camera, so I grabbed the manual and read it all the way through. Once I had a handle on all the settings, buttons, and spin dials, I was ready to conquer the world. I began with taking pictures of friends and activities that Cody and I did. I knew the camera was capable of so much more, but my confidence wasn’t quite there.
This camera was eventually glued to my hip. I would get this feeling of dread on days I would forget it at home and we would be hiking or driving. I would kick myself, because I had an opportunity to capture some amazing shots. Shots that I may never get a chance at again, because the sun may not be in the same spot, with the leaves a certain way, and the clouds just right. I hated that feeling, hence why it is always with me now. Of course it would come with me on Cody’s and my first trip to Colorado together. This is where I found my love for hiking and landscape photography all over again. I loved capturing views that can only be seen by the hard work or by the image my camera captured. As the old saying goes, “You never forget how to ride a bike” and that same saying applied to editing photos using the same software I had used in high school. My skills only increase as the world of photography becomes more advanced each year. My journey has just begun, and I can’t wait to share it all with you.
