I get asked to share my story more often than one might think. It’s a long one, so I typically try to sum it up in as few words as possible…. Being that I’m not one of few words, that’s a real struggle. So I’m going to try to tell you about how I got this party train started in a blog post… where I can use a lot of words because it’s good for SEO 😀 If you’re not up for a longer read, go ahead and skip this weeks blog (and next weeks because it’s a two parter) – I don’t blame you… but it’s Tuesday so if you’re bored at work – indulge!

I knew in middle school that I wanted to get into photography. My sister took a black and white film class as an elective and she would tell me about the “dark room” and how she would develop her images and it sounded so fascinating to me. One of the images she captured was one of our dog Champ. This photograph was the first time I really paid attention to perspective in an image, and saw a good example of it. His nose was in the lens making it look a bit larger than life and the rest of his head trailed off a bit. I loved that dog so much, and I became obsessed with wanting to try my hand at the dark room and get cool photos like my sister did.

Unfortunately by the time I was able to take an elective, photography was not an option, so I didn’t get to play like she did in middle school. When I got into high school I took digital photography as an elective and loved it. I loved learning Photoshop and my obsession continued. When it came time to start thinking about college and a career I knew then that wedding photography was my calling. There were some naysayers… there were many people who told me that photography would be “hard” and that there would be a lot of competition, and that I probably wouldn’t make very much money. So when I began journey at Irvine Valley College I changed my major about 3 or 4 times. I began thinking with a “what career can I make a lot of money in” mindset. Because one think I knew for sure was that I didn’t necessarily need to be rich, but I didn’t want to struggle financially…. Another thing I knew was that I couldn’t do the same thing every single day, so the struggle to find a dream job was going to be REAL. So the search for a new calling was on. Marriage and family counseling? Too depressing. Interior Design? No talent for that. Event planning? Too stressful.

One day I sat down and thought it out. What could I see myself doing every day and not getting sick of it? There was no other answer that made my heart leap like photography did. Wedding photography. I finally gave into the temptation to do the “hard” job. Because I realized that if I was going to choose a career, it was going to be something I was passionate about. And I knew if I were passionate enough about it, I would not struggle financially. I would thrive and succeed because I would LOVE what I was doing; and in case you don’t already know this – I am stubborn as hell. I stopped feeling sad and discouraged by the naysayers and started to get irritated at them, irritated enough to prove them wrong. When I start something, I put my all into it… they would see. I could be successful at photography. And so my major was declared. I would work toward obtaining my Bachelor of Fine Art in Creative Photography when I transferred to Cal State Fullerton in 2006. I’d show them all that when you’re passionate enough, you can succeed at anything.

…………………………….. ❤

I’ll share the next part of my wedding photography business story next week! As with every blog post, I have to share a wedding right!? I love this sweet couple Judy & Gil – take a look: