Journey. Not a Sprint.

Lately, during most of my “free” time, I’ve been working on my photography–I’ve even had a few more photo sessions!

My investment in this hobby (or whatever it’s going to be for me) is part of the reason I’ve been such a poor blogger lately. Much of what I post is about what’s going on in my life, but in an effort to draw some lines for myself and keep personal and “professional” separate, I don’t feel like it’s appropriate to share my photos here–as much as I may want to! When they’re my personal photos, sure, but when they’re for clients? Not so much. But I can at least tell you that I think things are going really well.

On Monday, I had a session with a precious little 14-month-old girl, and as soon as I downloaded the pics to my computer, I was doing the happy clap. Even before any editing, as I was looking through the images, it was the first session where I actually felt that I “rocked it.” This is a big thing for me, as I’m my own worst critic.

Back in May/June/July, when I did a session, I’d take 200 snaps and I’d be lucky if I could find 10 images that I felt were worth keeping and editing. Now, I’m still taking tons of photos, but I actually have to narrow them down to absolute favorites, because otherwise, I’d be spending way too much time editing pics from one session. Now, it’s common for me to pick out 30-40 photos that I want to edit. I love that. But I can really only edit 20-25 for the client, so I’m forced to narrow them down even further, which is hard, but a good problem to have, right?

Don’t get me wrong, I am still learning every single day, but I am starting to feel more confident and comfortable with my ability. That’s really been half the battle for me.

What’s funny is that I look back at photos I took five months ago and cringe. At the time, I thought I was doing a good job, but now I look at them and think “Oh, they could’ve been SO MUCH BETTER.” It’s useful to look back to see how far I’ve come, but I have to stop doing it. I have to remember that they’re memories nonetheless, and I had to start somewhere. I’m sure that five months from now, I’ll look back at my current photos, and they’ll make me cringe, too. The journey just never ends.

After the success of the session the other day, I suddenly had the urge to do more–quickly! I’m really hoping to squeeze in another handful of sessions before the weather really turns. The colors and light are so beautiful right now, and the wardrobe and accessories (jeans, sweaters, hats, scarves, etc.) are so adorable on little ones. But since I’m working solely with people who have heard about me through word of mouth, it’s been somewhat challenging to get new subjects in front of my lens.

My other motivation is to make a little extra cash so that I can justify the camera upgrade that I so desperately want right now. CHA-CHING! Until then, I’m still plugging away with what I have. I have to keep fine-tuning the basics, because when I get a new camera with way more bells and whistles than I’ve had previously, it’s probably going to set me back a bit because I’ll have to take the time to learn it all. I’m hoping to do all of my learning in the dreary winter months so that I can hit the ground running once we thaw out again.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…