A girl with a dream.

I've been asked (many times, I might add) how I came to be a photographer.

Today's post will be about that very thing. :)

It all started a few years ago when I was a freshman in high school (homeschoolers, for the win!). My parents were encouraging me to start thinking about a career, but I had no idea where to start. I had said for a long time (try about 6 years) that I wanted to cut hair, but when I started high school, the idea of cutting hair started sounding, well, boring...So I nixed the idea of being a cosmetologist because I wanted to do something more exciting.

I was just starting my sophomore year, still thinking about what I wanted to do, when I realized that I took way too many photos. Our family computer was full of snapshots taken with my little Kodak point-and-shoot camera. I loved taking pictures. Like really loved it. And one day it just hit me. I said to myself, "Self, do you realize you could actually get paid to take the abnormally large amount of photos that you take?" 

Liiiiightbulb. 

The little gears inside my brain started spinning. I started dreaming huge dreams (God is always bigger than my dreams anyway). :) I researched cameras on the internet. I checked out huge books about photography from the library. I bookmarked so many photography blogs. And then I told my parents that I needed a professional camera so I could be a photographer. They told me to buy it myself (in a nice way, I promise). 

I began to put all the money I earned into an envelope that was marked "For Camera." Ever so slowly (it took over a year), the money came in. I babysat, worked on my grandfather's farm, and cleaned houses. Every extra penny went into that envelope, because I wanted a camera. Badly. But I didn't want any old camera, I wanted a Nikon. Because Nikons are just cooler. ;) 

I worked and worked, and my junior year of high school, right after I turned 16, I finally had enough money to buy it. When my brand-new Nikon D5000 came, I couldn't stop smiling. I loved the feel of my camera and I couldn't put it down, so I decided to take some photography classes. I signed up for a portrait photography class 4 months after I got my camera.

 Less than a week after the class ended in April 2010, I had my first official photo shoot. A friend needed senior photos done (I had no idea what I was doing). A few weeks later, I "shot" my first couple. I still had no clue what I was doing, but somehow the photos turned out okay, and people started coming to me when they needed a photographer.

 Being a photographer at a young age, it's hard to make people take you seriously. In January (2011), I had a run-in with an older "photographer" at an event I was photographing. He claimed he had been in the business for over 20 years, and he basically told me that I wasn't qualified to be a photographer because I hadn't done any internships or worked at a studio. I struggled to keep from crying the rest of the evening and went home wanting to give up, but my friend, Courtney Reese, encouraged me to keep shooting and keep learning. I'm so thankful for her. :) (One of my future goals is to mentor young photographers and encourage them to make their dreams reality).

In the past two years of shooting, I have grown SO much. I know so much more about cameras, and I know more about running a shoot and posing, but I always look for ways to improve and get better. 

Last year, I wanted to do more than just portraits. One of my goals for 2011 was to shoot or second shoot a wedding, and Courtney gave me the opportunity to second shoot two of her 2011 weddings. It was great and I loved it. I could easily see myself shooting weddings full-time, but I still have a lot to learn before then. I also feel that God is calling me to use photography in a little different way.

I want to be a voice for the voiceless. I want to go on missions trips and photograph the people and places of the world.  I want my photos to tell the stories of the people I meet. I'm going to be doing that in April, when I leave for a 6 month discipleship school.

People tell me that my photos are great, but I want to be better. I'm always pushing myself to be the best photographer I can be. I'm also at the point where I need to work on branding and marketing. So far, I've just been winging it, and that has to change.

 Katelyn James is having a workshop in March (and she's having a contest. One person will win a free seat to the workshop), and I want to be there. Attending her workshop would help me so much! I want to learn how I can be a better photographer, how to run a shoot better, and how to market myself as a photographer. I want to soak everything up like a sponge. I want to learn from the best. I love networking and meeting other photographers with the same goals. Anddddd I'm also dying to shoot with Katelyn.*

Good luck to everyone else entering the contest! :)

~Valerie Beth

*Random note: Katelyn is probably going to read this because I'm entering her contest, but I'm going to share it anyway. :) I have a list of things I want to do before I die (or turn 80, whichever comes first). And number 13 on that list is to second shoot a wedding (or any event/photo shoot) with Katelyn James. Her colorful photos are my biggest inspiration. I might die of happiness if I was able to shoot with her. I'm still hoping that I'll get the chance someday. :)