
I've incorporated photography into my professional life. I often take photos for projects I'm working on, or have been hired specifically for photography. You see a lot of my exploration here on Lelo in Nopo. A lot of what you see is just documentation of my life, things I see, how I live, people and things I love, places I go. It's just a little glimpse, actually. My recent explorations into macro photography and the lensbaby are good exercises to get me more comfortable breaking out of the mold with my photos.
Change it up some. I've been a mentor to a young girl in a photography program, and I've worked with lots of professional photographers, all over the country. On set, from afar, and everything in between. I often develop photography guidelines for clients. Photography, therefore, is a big part of my life, really.
But you want to know a secret? This is a big one. You ready? I failed photography in college. And it was a requirement of my degree. I know, can you believe it?
I had major issues in my photography class. Growing up, there was major tension in my family around cameras. Dad would get the camera out, mom would get tense, we'd have to pose for what seemed like hours while dad set up the equipment and got the timer set. We'd take the photo, tension mounted, arguments erupted, and total breakdowns ensued. Looking at the multiple photos from these shoots you can see red eyes, smiles through clenched teeth, body language that says "get me the hell out of here." I think through the years, I was trained to
See Camera. Get Upset.
When it came to my photography class, I couldn't get through it. I didn't want to go to class. I didn't want to participate. I didn't want to hold the camera. I tried two times, and couldn't get through the class.
Until a friend helped me out, and became my coach. Getting me comfortable, gently, with the camera. Not overwhelming me with the technical aspects, but using it as a creative outlet. It was a nontraditional way of learning photography, and I took to it.
I eventually passed the photography requirement for my degree, and ended up specializing in video production. But my issues with the still camera stayed with me for sometime. Through my exploration over the past 3 years with digital cameras, I think I've gotten over it all, but it's funny how those things can stay with you. And it's funny how those issues I had, kept me from something I love today. I can't imagine not taking photos now. It's part of me. It reflects me. And that's the wonder of photography, isn't it?