Photography

 I love to be creative and artistic.  You might not know it, though, if you've met me in the last few years.  Life is just so busy with three little ones.  Before I had Luke (#2) I was a demonstrator for a stamping company.  Before I had Jackson, I was into making stained glass.  Between having the first two guys we bought a house and I had fun learning to do all kinds of projects with it.  I liked doing all of those things, especially the stained glass.  I have everything I need to get back into it, but it involves using lead and I just don't have a place (or equipment) that will allow for me to properly ventilate.  I feel like it is something I will continue with after the kids get older.

Since I had Grant (#3)   have all but thrown in my creative towel.  (Besides, a birthday cake here and there.)  I really miss having that creative outlet, though.  One day, when I was thinking about what I could do to use my creative side it dawned on me that I could actually be creative WITH my children.  (And I'm not talking about play dough.)  Photography, I thought, would be perfect.

In the last little while, I've been taking some photography classes.  I took some in high school and loved it.  Photography has changed tremendously since then and I've decided to really give it a go.  I'd eventually like to make a little money taking portraits in natural settings of individuals and families.  The thing is, I'm not very good at it....yet.  I think I've got a good eye and I know what I want to make my camera do.  The problem lies in the technical process of figuring out what settings to use in what conditions.  I could write it all out for you on paper.  I can explain aperture and white balance and ISO.  In the moment, though, I just can't figure out what to use quickly enough.  That is ok, though.

I am thinking that it is sort of like driving an manual vehicle.  I had such a hard time learning.  My husband tried to teach me, my sister tried.  I wasn't getting it.  Kim and I were in this big parking lot right next to the BYU Cougar stadium and I had given up.  Then, something happened.  All of a sudden, it just clicked and it was incredibly easy.  I'm hoping that is what will happen for me and my camera.  So, I'm going to keep trying until it becomes automatic.  So far, I've taken an online photography workshop.  It was pretty interesting, but I felt like it failed me.  (I did make some very creative Australian friends through it, though.)   I think it was, mostly, because I'm a hands on learner and I need to have someone there to show me.  After that class in March, I met with a local photographer and she helped me a bit.  It still hasn't clicked yet, though.  I'm super excited for next Saturday.  I am taking a photography workshop here.  I absolutely love their work and hope to replicate it someday.  I'm hoping that spending seven hours in one day will get my to my "clicking" point.  Here's hoping.