The Beginning.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a love for photography. My grandmother inspired that. She was the family photographer. Every time you turned around, she was right there snapping pictures. I remeber the blocky 35mm Kodak with the square flash on top. I would steal it if it were laying around to snap a few pictures when my grandmother wasn't looking. I was the mysterious shots taken when she would get her film developed. She always wondered how in the heck she took that picture. At the time I was four.

I have always loved the art of photography. It isn't just about snapping a picture. Everything has to be right, the subject, the light and most importantly the photographer. Of course, sometimes you get a fabulous photo by total accident. Those are the surprising ones during post processing. Sometimes the greatest work wasn't planned.

When the digital age came about, I was completely excited. To think that I didn't have to pay $10 for 24 pictures anymore was amazing. I didn't have to treck to Walmart or Kmart after waiting days to get my pictures. I had them. Right here. Right now. The quality was so much better and everything was instant. No more scanners, no more film.

Everything I have learned about photography is self taught. I learned a little bit about film developing in graphic arts throughout school. I have read a few books over the years, recently more so on digital photography.

I finally bought my digital SLR in June 2006. I dove in, learning everything possible. Taking hundreds of pictures just in the first few weeks. The quality was amazing. The colors, the tones, everything. It was so much different from the point and shoot that I was use too.

The biggest perk now about digital photography is Photoshop. This program is amazing. You can instantly fix mistakes made from lighting to blemishes. My opinion on this program though is it is masking who is true to photography. If you can learn PS you can make any picture fabulous. I on the other hand still believe in the art of photography. Getting a good shot from the camera. I have seen so many "photographers" that take average snapshots and overuse PS to the point that really it isn't really their picture anymore. It is a product of a program that those people have learned to manipulate.

I try my best to get the best shots straight from the camera. To me PS should be used in moderation, to give maybe an underexposed photo a little boost. Not to make a drab, off color photo look like something in a magazine. To me that is just not photography. That is not being a photographer, that is being a PhotoShopper.

Hopefully soon, I will begin some Pro Bono work in my area. My favorite shoots are of families and children in a natural environment. Right now I do not offer studio settings. I have come to dislike studio settings. You just can not get the same reaction from a child who is posed compared to one playing and having a good time. The best photos are taken when least expected. Those are the best captured shots.

Photography is a window to the soul.

Stephanie
Chasing Smiles Photography