Rachel’s Story: Part 2
As the photographer, your job is to observe and record. It’s rare if you’re ever observed and recorded. When you become a photographer, this is a fact that you have to accept, whether you like it or not. My mom loved photographing her family but eventually, she grew tired of being the only one missing from the photos. So, she began hiring a professional photographer to take our family portraits at least once a year. Because of this, I got to step into a professional photography studio for the first time and my love of photography grew a little more.
To me, a photographer’s studio seemed to be the only place where fantasy could really blend with reality without the use of special effects. With just the right furniture and lighting, a photographer could craft a photo that would fit right in with a fairy tale. No photoshop needed. I think that’s honestly how I ultimately became hooked on photography—it was everything I’d ever dreamed of and so much more. The possibilities were endless. But I think the world of photography was too wide when I was in high school because although I loved it and was fascinated by it, somehow I never imagined myself actually pursuing it as a career. There were too many choices, too many possible career paths. And the barbed question of “will it make money?” always kept me from really exploring it. So, by the time I graduated high school, becoming a professional photographer was the furthest thing from my mind.
It wasn’t until my second year of college that I picked up a camera again to record precious moments. I’d made some pretty amazing and unique friends who somehow always seemed game for my crazy schemes. Together, we created a few silly home movies that I even dared to post online. I even threw together some music videos. And the whole time, my mind was buzzing with this desire to use a camera to create more. More of what, I had no idea. The only thing I really knew was that it felt really good to hold a camera and whether I recorded or photographed, I seemed to be really good at building a scene. The camera I used was a point-and-shoot. Not really professional quality but it got me by. I had no idea that photography was becoming a passion. I just knew that I had entered a period of my life that I never wanted to forget.
Over the years, I’ve taken thousands of pictures and the quality of my pictures have only gotten better over time. I’ve found myself gravitating towards the better technology, upgrading whenever I could. Finally, in 2017, I decided it was time to get my hands on a real “professional” camera—a DSLR. Even now, I can’t tell you what DSLR stands for. But I honestly can’t see myself ever being content with a point-and-shoot camera ever again. It’s been three years since I started photographing people outside of my family and two years since I began studying photography. But photography is without a doubt my passion and I’m so excited to see where it takes me. Right now, I still have a lot of elements that I’m trying to tie together (social media is NOT my thing but I’m learning) and this “blogging” thing is still throwing me for a loop but I’m really excited about this chapter of my life.
