My Story

 

One of the most common questions I get at sessions or just in life when I am meeting new people is all about how I got here. “Whats your story” is something I hear so much and I realized, I have never openly shared just that, my story! So in attempt to be more transparent in 2018, I thought it was only appropriate to share just that!!!

I didn’t grow up wanting to be a photographer. To be honest, I never even thought of it as a possibility when I was younger. Most of my childhood, from elementary school through mid High School I wanted to be a teacher. I, 100% always pictured my self being a first grade teacher. Im not sure WHY I always was specific on the 1st grade part (probably so they were still smaller than me) but I knew I wanted to teach and impact lives! I used to dream and plan out what my future classroom would look like, I made lists of things I loved that my own teachers had done. I was really influenced by my fourth grade teacher who was just all around an amazing human, role model and woman in my life! She still to this day is so inspiring, uplifting and faith driven! But something changed in me as I grew older and got closer to the college season of my life. But still, being a photographer was no where on my radar. Instead, I changed my career path to wanting to become a registered nurse!!!

Mid high school, I elected to take photography as a elective course. I loved photography, it fascinated me! I was always asking for a new digital camera for every birthday (starting in middle school). And by digital camera, I mean the most basic, not a SLR. So, back to my first photography class. It was all black and white film photography, we learned to roll the film, and develop it in a dark room by out selves. I was degraded and never received more than a 7/10 (a C) on any of my photos. I continued onto photography II. The start of digital photography, this was my senior year and my mom (so grateful for her), got me my own first SLR. I went through the whole year, really starting to despise something I once loved. I was struggling to get a C in an elective course when I was getting all A’s in my honors academic classes.

I then graduated high school, super excited to go to college and start my path to becoming an RN!!! I couldn’t wait! I also was so turned off and discourage by my high school photography teacher that I just let that SLR my sweet momma gifted me, sit in a corner in a bag. Very rarely bringing it out to do anything with it.

Meanwhile, my momma would always mention to me about pursing photography and I blew off the idea each and every time. What the heck was she thinking, I was not good enough for that! (thank you degrading teacher).

Moving on down the road a bit – I have taken a few photos for friends just of their kids, or my cousins kids. All for fun, nothing serious or professional.

So here I am in nursing school, not quite even half way through when a friend from high school asked me to take family photos for her while they were back in Florida visiting! I said sure, took the pictures, and sent them to her! She responded by telling me she loved them and that I should make a Facebook Business page! A few days later, bored before my little part time job and I did it! Posted a few of the photos I had taken for my cousins, my sister, and her family photos, not even advertising “sessions”. When I got home from work that evening, my little Facebook page had OVER 300 likes! In a matter of 4 hours, with multiple messages asking about pricing, etc. (so thank you Joanna if you are reading this). My mind was BLOWN.

Thats where it all started!!!! I continued onto finish nursing school and graduated in the summer of 2014. I juggled school, clinicals, my part time job and a long distance relationship all while trying to see if this could really turn into something!

Now 5 years since I made that little Facebook page, have been able to go full time and I couldn’t be happier!!!! 

I so regret letting someone into my head and making me feel like I was not good enough. Please please please do not ever let anyone make you feel like this about something you are passionate about whether its something you want to pursue as a career or just a hobby!!!

If you made it this far, I’m impressed because this was a long one. But its a long journey, I wouldn’t change for the world!!!!

So when they say good things happen unexpectedly, I absolutely couldn’t agree more!!!!

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