There’s something about a good photograph that makes you stop what you’re doing to look and those that you remember long after you close the page. I remember loads of National Geographic magazines lying around the house as a kid. I used to sort through them and look at the photographs, fascinated by the places and the people.
I consider my love for photography to come from my mom and dad but for different reasons.
My mom is creative and would come up with crafts for me and my sister to do to keep us busy. She is also great at improving things and giving constructive criticism. I remember one time, I had painted something and she told me, “That’s good, but you should work on it a little more.” I was a little confused but I went back and stared at it for awhile and tried to think of ways to add to it. I came back with a more complete project than I had begun with and ended up liking it more than I did the first time I presented it to her. I have certainly valued that experience more than the hundreds of times people have just said, “That’s great!”
My grandfathers were photographers and my dad has been interested in it ever since I can remember. His passion and knowledge fueled my drive. Photography had always been something for my grandfather and my dad but one family vacation, I realized it was my passion too. I took my dad’s camera that vacation and used it most of the time. I don’t think he minded! When we got home and I started editing the photos, I knew nothing about editing but I loved looking through the photos and making them look the way I wanted. From that point, I realized this is the only hobby that made me excited and kept my interest over all these years.
Now, my vision has grown to that beyond that of just a hobby and I continue to dream big as I expand my knowledge of photography and the business. It has its ups and downs, but I still love it just the same as when I first picked up a camera.
These are some of the photos I took on our family vacation.
