While working on the design for this new website, I was looking for a particular image and while digging through my archives I stumbled across the originals to my very first, 2008, practice “themed” session that I had all but forgotten about. And lately, my every thought process has ended with “I should do a blog post about that.” Besides “Throwback Thursday” (#tbt) is so popular right now. Have to do my own! So I stayed up late one night going back through the 754 pictures from that session and pulling out the few I thought had actually been kinda good. And, I did a throwback blog!
I’ve been chewing on some thoughts the last few months that seemed to fit well with the throwback theme I had going in my head.
In the last year, so so so many times someone will come to me with their pictures or email me with questions and say “I really don’t want you to see my pictures, you intimidate me.” Or “You’re so good I’m embarrassed to ask what you think of my work.” Thats when I wonder what pictures they’ve been looking at of my work because I sure haven’t seen anything spectacular. And thats because once again, I’ve fallen into the rut of comparing myself to world famous leaders in the industry who make my stuff look like all the little piles of brownish-green stuff out in the corral.
As photographers, it is always so good for us to take a moment and look back at where we have come from. When we get too busy comparing ourselves with the stars in the industry it gets pretty discouraging really fast. But when we compare what we were in the past to what we are NOW, it can actually be very encouraging. We photogs just need to sit down and give ourselves a little pat on the back every so often. It’s so important.
Now this is where some of you all are going to look at the pictures and say, “Those aren’t bad at all!” And you’re right. They aren’t all that bad. In fact they are pretty dang good for a girl who had a new professional camera, kit lens, shot on Auto AND shot in the middle of the day no less. Yes, I really thought “Golden Hour” had something to do with 50th wedding anniversaries.
BUT. Did you all read where I said there was 754 images? And I had to edit the heck out of these babies to get them to even half way decent! This is where I can sit down and realize, 4 years later, that I’m doing really good. I can shoot in full manual where I NAIL an image and I’m not ashamed to show people my SOOC (Straight out of Camera. No editing)! I don’t have to take 1000 pictures and hope I have 30 to give to my clients. Whewhoo! That’s huge for me. Any of my early clients will know that anytime they asked to see a picture I’d just about faint on the spot. No one, I mean NO ONE, saw the pictures before I had transformed them from “not so good amateur picture” to “over edited but *cough* presentable picture”.
No, I’m not Jasmine Star, Kevin Kubota, Amanda Holloway or David R. Stoecklein. (Just to name a FEW who I admire.) But lately I’ve realized I don’t want to be them. I’m Lyndsey Garber. The photographer who is really a whole lot better than she was 4 years ago! Am I reaching to high to say I want to be well known in the industry? No. Each day I make mistakes. Each day I learn. One picture at a time.
Mar 28, 2013
© 2022 SHOWIT TEMPLATE BY birdesign & roselyncarr.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Lyndsey & Nelson Garber