Jennifer Blair Photography Blog: October 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Friday, October 7, 2011

Goals & Self Portraits

I am by nature, a very hands on type of person. I learn by doing. I can read so much about photography, but until I actually get out and snap some photos, it doesn't make much difference. Practice, practice, and more practice is my motto these days. I am learning to see everything around me with a photographic eye. I want it to seep into by being and become so engrained that I think photography, look for great light and frame photos in my mind with out consciously doing so.

One thing that has helped me in my photographic journey has been taking self portraits. I have found it incredibly useful when I can't find a model or have a spur of the moment idea. Being comfortable in front of the camera myself helps me direct my clients and come up with new poses. I can experiment with placement, backgrounds and angles and spend as much time on a certain thing as I like. Most of what I have learned about taking portraits is because of practicing my ideas on myself.

These photos are the result of scoping out a new spot. It was extremely beneficial to go ahead and get ideas and try them out. I can definitely see this as a great place for engagements. If only my hubby had been with me! Alas!

I am so grateful for the time the Lord has given me to delve deeper into these things. It's been a huge blessing to be doing what I love. I certainly have a long way to go, but I am so thankful that I've been given this opportunity. Thus, I strive for excellence!

With striving for excellence in mind, here are a few goal I have set for the next few months:

Find several local photographers that I admire and seek to connect with them, shadow them during several shoots and glean from their experience and wisdom
Save, save and save - I want to pay for all my equipment in cash (that means not going in debt)
Make a practical list of to save for items and put in order of importance
Learn the ins and outs of Lightroom
Always put up a sneak peak from sessions
Blog sessions before I put albums on Facebook
Update this blog at least once a week
Order business cards
Research a better web & blog hosting site
Stick to my guns, and by that I mean pricing
Believe in myself (that means not being over critical of yourself and your work Jen!)
Look for opportunities for ministry sessions - this business is God's not mine
Get up by 8 am every week day
Write a handwritten note to every client