{Reflecting?}

First I have to share this picture with everyone, it's amazing.. I took these shots in January and even in two months I've learned so much more to make this photograph really unique. I love going back and re-editing old photographs after learning something new, it's incredible how much more you can do in such a short period of time, if you set your mind to it... if you're open to learning and taking risks...

Here's the photograph:

Now ... let's take it back a step farther. Before I ever began charging.... I asked some friends of mine if they'd be willing to do sessions for free, to build my portfolio. I still to this day offer out these types of sessions to people.... because I always have ideas that I like to see put in motion. Now the next photograph is not necessarily a 'bad' photograph, but it's definitely a great photo to showcase how far I have come. I will explain in a moment why I chose these two photographs as a contrast. Okay, so here is a picture from about 3 years ago, months after I purchased my first DSLR:

Okay, so it's not a bad photograph but there are a couple issues: A) it's way too dark, ideally the subject should be the primary focus of the photograph, with the light source centered on the subject. B) it's ALL in focus. One thing that takes away from having the subject as a focal point is the lack of bokeh. If I were taking this shot, the only part that would be in focus is the mid ground where the subject is. C) This is far too over-edited. Now sometimes people get confused by the term ''over-edited'', because these days I actually do much more to a photograph than I did then. However the edits I do now aren't as harsh. I had softened her skin with a brush on 100% which is the best way to remove all details on the human face and body - it makes the subject look unrealistic, much like an oil painting. It's something I very quickly learned not to do, but in my first attempts at trying it - this was the result.

Also, the image here is much smaller than I'd like - the first image I posted is about 25% of the original file size, this image is about 75% of the original file size. Which means large prints and/or canvases for this image are completely out of the question.

Another subject I think is a great way to show my growth as a photographer is my friend's daughter Phoebe. The Simpson's were my very first paying clients. I've been photographing their daughter since she was about 5 months old.

Here is a picture from the first session I did with Phoebe:

And the second:

The third:

And the last:

Pictures of this little girl really help me realize that this is worth all the time, the stress, the money {cause' this business is NOT cheap}, etc.

Anyway, just thought I would share. Ever look back at your work and realize how far you have come? It helps us not forget where we started.... but also to realize that in two years these will be the images we look back on and go 'Gosh, if I had only known what I now... I could have done this differently.' This may not be the same for all people, some people may get comfortable with what they are doing and not want to learn new things... but for me, I find that I learn something with every session... and wanted to share what I have learned in pictures. It is nice to look back at your work and realize that you ARE getting something out of this, you are growing and learning. Maybe this will help people getting in to this, who are discouraged, or feel defeated... don't give it up! It's hard work, no doubt ... but it pays off!!

Thanks so much,
<3 Crystal