I failed a photography elective at University. Not many people know that! I loved the idea of it. I wanted to take 'photos', not just photos. So I took a Photography subject as an elective while I studied Fine Art. I learnt so much and loved it. But as an 18 year old I had rather romantic ideas about experimenting with film and playing in the dark room. Alas, my tutor had more technical and traditional ideas. With disappointment I realised I would never be a 'photographer'. However, this failure didn't diminish my love of taking photos.
Soon after, I met my husband to be, who was working in a photo shop during the week and as a wedding photographer on the weekend. He had a mind for the technical aspect of photography in a way I never did. He understood cameras inside and out. He understood lighting, apertures, speeds, depth of focus. I left the photography up to him while we dated, while we honeymooned, while we traveled the world. Then at some point in our relationship he gradually put down the camera and I picked it up. Perhaps when he changed careers? Perhaps when I started blogging? Perhaps when I was at home with a baby all day? In any case, I became the photo taker in our house hold.
The early photos on my blog as oh so cringe worthy! I tried hard, but with little success. I cherish those photos though. That time, that place, those out-of-focus photos. Over time, and many photos later, my style began to improve. I experimented. I took my clunky camera with me everywhere. Then I got an iPhone, and a whole new world opened up. I had a camera with me always. I was able to quickly and easily capture shots I would have missed by the time I had grabbed my big camera.
It feels as if another world has opened up once again, since I began Kate and Peta's wonderful The Photo School Online. A sweet and simple photo course, by two uber talented ladies, that you can take at your own pace. Thanks to their works of wisdom I find I am already looking at my iPhone in a whole new way. It's making me stop and take more photos too. Pause to look at things. At light and shadows and angles and texture. While undertaking my homework I have been noticing and chasing the 'pretty light' that seeps in my windows early morning and late afternoon, which has resulted in the photos above.
While I may never be a 'photographer' and take 'photos', I have been so enjoying incorporating Kate and Peta's lessons in to my day to day. And I am loving photography even more as a result.
*all photos taken on my iPhone in natural light and edited with VSCO Cam
