What’s YOUR Why?
As some of you may know, I recently attended a photography educational course for a week long in Dallas, Texas. It was such a great experience, where I was able to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from two great teachers, Elizabeth and Trey Homan. Like many coaches and mentors, the first day, the first lesson, and quite possibly one of the first slides, was Finding Your Why? Why do you want to be a photographer?
For as long as I can remember…
Find any photographers “about me” page and literally for as long as they can remember they have had a camera in their hand…their dad, their grandma, their (fill in the blank) had a camera, they fell in love and now they are photographers. Actually, ironically, I didn’t have a camera when I was younger, but my grandpa did…a film one in fact that I, at the age of around 5, thought was just a toy, decided to grab and position my dolls in a group pose and snap away, and may or may not have blamed someone else for “wasting” the film, (but hey those were great poses and I’m sure not a soul blinked), but for as long as I can remember two things were ALWAYS important in my household growing up. Family and Photographs!
Studio Portraits
Growing up, times were much simpler than today. As a child, I’m not even sure how the logistics played out, and who organized everything, or who even paid for everything, but every few years, we’d get together with the full family, tias, tios, cousins, and our grandparents and we get studio portraits done at Olan Mills, or somewhere with a similar type set up and for me, it was absolutely amazing! It was the one time I could wear the same outfit as my sister and she couldn’t say anything about it. It was a time when someone from the outside could see just how close knit our family was and they could bring us all in for a family photo and capture it! Of course, I”m sure there were times when we (the kids) just weren’t having it, or they (the adults) couldn’t afford to purchase all the pictures, but what I do know, is my grandparents would get the biggest pictures and up they’d go on a wall to be cherished forever.
My Why
My why goes beyond the classic response of, “oh I picked up a camera and fell in love,” or “after having children I wanted to photograph every moment..” I picked up my camera and became a photographer, because creating lasting memories and works of art has always been a huge component of my life. In a time when everything and everyone is always on the go, a photograph is a frozen moment in time. Yes, we live in a digital world, and everyone only wants a digital file, but a custom made, one of a kind, work of art will quite literally last a life time, of course depending on the print lab and quality you decide to go with. I can walk through my grandparents home, and see every inch of wall space covered with a memory. This is my why! I want to replicate the feeling I feel when I walk through this room. I look at these photographs and I’m taken back in time to that place and that setting. I can hear my grandma saying, “Gustavo, behave, smile,” and can see my grandpa making us smile.
I want to create a memory and a moment that will be cherished for many years to come, for many families and friends to enjoy, because time is precious and is something we can never get back. We have one life to live and sometimes those memories fade, but a printed piece of artwork, can transport your mind back to that time and place.
These are the walls of my grandparents house with every photograph framed and hung on the wall!
If you’re ready to learn more about booking your family portrait session, I’d love to meet speak with you and get your session booked.
