Dear Readers;
I hope my little pep talk for the day finds you all well. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you, and all the love and support my blog and mission to spread gratitude and beauty get from all of you. It is humbling every day to see how many of you are following. You are all awesome.
There are so many things I am grateful for everyday that I wake up, sometimes it is hard to focus on just one thing. But Today, I would like to relay my gratitude to my photography mentors Mike and Carrie. You will notice me thanking them a lot, because they truly are the reason I am able to do what I do. I would not be progrssing with the leaps and bounds that I am without their critiques and encouragement. But I would like to share a story from the other day when I went in to see them.
It is off season at Lifetouch, and we are all anxiously awaiting spring season in February. I went in to show them my portfolio update, as I have been very busy learning new techniques and doing shoots for clients and family alike. It may be off season, but it has been busy as all get out.
After looking through the photos, Mike pointed out a few things that were both humbling and a tad stunning. I know he has been in photography for quite some time, but he was able to look at my work and point out where the light sources were coming from and where I was even standing by looking at the reflection in the eyes. He was able to tell very quickly that I had a mixture of lighting, and he said that I needed some real lights. He then proceeded to find me a light kit for cheap, and said as I get the money I can upgrade, but it was a good starting place. I made a commitment this year to work on my lighting and get some lights of my own for my studio.
I had been under the impression that lights were too expensive for me right now, so I have been working with natural, or ambient lighting, Photoshop and at times, other peoples equipment. It is time consuming to do things this way, but after looking for lights myself, I gave up due to price tags. It is obvious now that I was looking in the wrong places. But, as usual, Mike was able to point me in the right direction. I know that he has a lot of faith in me and every time I have asked for critiques, he has always pointed me in the right directions. Because of his willingness to take time to help me get better, I have been excelling more and more at my work, and my clients are thrilled with what I am doing.
Carrie has a more gentle and calculated approach to her critiques, but she too has helped me grow by leaps and bounds. When Mike notated the lighting, she quickly pulled out a magazine to show me what he meant, and made sure that I was able to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, in each photo when you look closely, you can indeed see where the lights are, and so much more. She also suggested very strongly that I concentrate on natural, ambient lighting.
Every time I am with my mentors, they teach me something new and exciting about photography and I get a little better each time. I am so grateful to have these two amazing photographers to look up to. I am grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way in my ward calling and through the excellent word of mouth from my clients. I am grateful to have a career I am so passionate about, and a career where I always have something to learn. I am grateful for the willingness of my superiors to help me get better, and the encouragement and critiques that they give me. And I am just plan thankful for my husband pushing me to never give up on what I have always wanted in my heart. With each critique, I learn. With each new skill or advice I get, I get better and my clients get more excited.
We all have people in our lives like Mike and Carrie; people we look up to, people who encourage us to be better at what we do, and push us to excel. Sometimes the critiques we get can be hard to hear, but if we reflect on what is being said, and consider it rather than fighting it, we learn, we grow, and we get better. Whether we are stay at home mothers, engineers, or photographers, we all have opportunities like the one I had on Tuesday, where we have a choice to be angry and offended at the advice we are given, or we can accept it and grow from it. From personal experiance on being in both mind frames, I choose to grow. So, my dear reader, what do you choose?
As always I love you all, and thank you for your following and support. You all rock!
Artfully Yours,
Jetta Marie
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