First Bloggie!

WELL! this is my first blog post. (i made one a while back on a different site and can't find it again! whoops!)

I want to use this first one to be a little mushy, 100% honest, and if you know me at all, you know that is NOT hard for me. :)

Here goes...

i received an email from a girl asking me questions about how to start out in photography. Well, to me, this is humbling and completely shocking that ANYONE would want advice from ME. i am just a girl who picked up a camera when her son was little, decided i could maybe go somewhere with this, and just kept doing it. There are SOO many other AH-MAZ-ING photogs to ask questions, but this girl (lets call her K) asked ME.

She wrote:
Candy,

I loove your pics! Can i ask you a few questions? How did you start out? Did you go to school for photography? What advice do you have for someone just starting out? Thanks! -K (name erased!)

Now, when i recieved this, i wasnt sure exactly how to take it. In my mind, i am no better than any other Joe Blow that has a fancy schmancy camera. But, THIS girl thought enough of MY hard work, to ask ME. so here is my response to her.

Dear K,

First of all THANK YOU for looving my "pics"! :) i am going to answer your questions in order or "try" to anyhow. Q #1-How did you start out?

Well, that is an easy enough question, but i am not sure what you mean by it. I started out like anyone else does. doing (honestly) terrible work, without the first clue as to what i was doing. But people kept telling me oh this is great! and more people kept calling me to do theirs, so i thought i was "THE SHIZ!" i soooo wasnt. lol in fact, looking back at the work i did back then, makes me want to apologize to the people i took pictures of my first couple of years doing it! you start out like anyone else, trying to figure it all out.

Q #2- Did you go to school for photography?

EH. NO. i hated high school and am not sure i could commit to doing even online courses, because i feel stupid 99% of the time because i do not know what in GODs name they are talking about half the time. I attended the university of Google, and the University of YouTube. If there is something i want to know, i look it up FIRST and then try it. For me, that is how I learn. i have to DO IT and know WHY i have to do it this way, to be able to do anything. Google and YouTube are a photogs BFF, in my opinion.


Q #3-What advice do you have for someone just starting out?

Find a few friends that do the same thing you do. As a matter of fact, find some that are so much better than you, you are jealous of them. ;) WHY? Because, just like people without kids have NO idea what they are talking about when they try to tell you how to raise your kids, people that are not in this business have NO clue what we do and how much work it ACTUALLY takes. You dont JUST go take the pictures and thats it. and even if it was, you STILL have to know your camera inside and out, to be able to get the best results possible. you dont JUST do it for the money, because if you think it is an easy way to make a few bucks, sister, you are horribly wrong. this job, (like any other) takes time away from your family, you miss important events because you scheduled someone on the day of, and even when you are at home with your family, you are still not really there, because you are always either editing the session you just shot, or marketing, trying to get NEW clients, you may be home, but youre not really there. In my opinion you have to be 100% committed  and this is where the awesome friends come in. NOONE but them will understand why you just totally wrecked that last session, because you forgot to put your ISO back down. NOONE but your friends will understand or be able to talk you off the "I AM READY TO CUSS THIS CLIENT!!!!" ledge when said client is driving you totally insane calling you REPEATEDLY  about their pictures when you are at the hospital with your grandpa who just had a heart attack. your photog friends are the ONLY ones who will give you HONEST constructive criticism, not to hurt you or even give you the big head, but because they WANT you to succeed. I hope i have answered your questions. feel free to ask me any more you may have!

i myself, am lucky to have like 12 of these awesome friends. they know who they are, some live in Austrailia, one in Canada, the rest are either right here at home or scattered across the US. i LURVE them all for the help they give me.

i know its long and i dont apologize. ;) who knows? i may have answered someone elses question with my ramblings.

Stay Sassy! -Candy