My First Session.. 1 Year Ago

Two words.. big yikes.

First lesson: always be willing to try something new that you come across. I came across a photographer, scrolling through reels as one does, that was showing how beautiful her images were coming out from underexposing her images while shooting in manual. So of course during my first session I did the same thing thinking it would turn out just as beautiful. I learned that underexposing too much is definitely an ick, for me. Still had a few beautiful images, but some higher exposure definitely would have been nice.

Second lesson: don’t compare your skills to another photographer when you start out, or ever. I was so excited throughout the entire shoot because I just knew, or so I thought, that I got THE shots (ifykyk). Spoiler: I did not get THE shots. Always a bummer when images don’t turn out close to what you thought. It happens, get over it! Anyways, I was still so excited with how they turned out that I posted about 30 to my Facebook thinking they were VOGUE material. Hopefully one day they actually will be.

Third lesson: celebrate even the smallest of wins. Those images may have been far from perfect, but damn was I so happy and full of serotonin from being behind the lens. If I never would have booked that session, I never would’ve experienced the high that taking pictures produces.

To my fellow amateur photographers: keep booking sessions, continue to post your images (whether they’re THE image or not), and always celebrate the images that turned out beautiful - those sessions taught you something whether you realize it then or a year later. <3