The scenic route
I took the long way around in my journey as a photographer.
Between my start in 2003 and 2018, I never quite took my photography education seriously. I didn’t have the confidence to believe that I could do it as a career.
Occasionally though, I took decent… or at least interesting shots. I thought it would be fun to go back and take a look at them.
2002, Orlando, Florida. I’ve mention this one before. I consider this to be my first portrait. It wasn’t, technically. But I remember getting this shot printed and thinking it was something special. The girl was a friend I was rather close to at the time.
This was taken at the Hoover Dam in 2003. I saw the silhouette of the statue and thought it looked interesting. I bought a Nikon film camera for a Photography class at Northern Arizona University.
Also taken in 2003. Prescott Valley, Arizona. This was a girl I was rather fond of… it didn’t go very well. I think this one was taken with a Canon point-and-shoot digital. The composition is okay. Not great, but okay.
Ooookay. So. This is a self-portrait from 2007. Look, I know it’s ridiculous. I’m including it because it was the first photo I ever remember being proud of.
2008. Miranda Lambert at the House of Blues, before she became a huge star. It isn’t the best shot- in fact it isn’t even the best shot I took of her, but it’s very “Rock and Roll”. I would love the opportunity to take Miranda’s portrait in person. I’m a big fan.
2009. This is actually my oldest friend. 29 years. He was getting together a demo of his music and wanted a cover. We tried a bunch of different things. I had no idea what I was doing. Obviously this image is an homage to Johnny Cash. I wonder if I can convince him to do an update of this one?
2010, Maui. My younger brother and I were wandering around the island. This is a good shot. The intent is right. The issue really is the equipment I was using. I had a Nikon D40 paired with an old lens for the Nikon film camera I bought. It was later explained to me that even though the lens worked on the mount, it wasn’t designed to work on a DSLR.
2011, Jazz Fest. The Legend, Willie Nelson. Shot with the D40 on a kit lens at 200mm. I think I shot this at f/5.6, though at the time, I doubt I had any clue why. It’s a kit lens, so it isn’t the sharpest image, but the details are there where it counts. And ultimately this is a solid shot. Honestly, it’s worth printing. Maybe I will.
2013. This is from the wedding of two of my closest friends. I’ve always liked this shot, but my editing instincts were really bad for a lot of years. Unfortunately it would be another 5 years before Jason Lanier would teach me the incredibly important lesson of saving my RAW files. A lot of these shots would be a million times better if I were editing them today. That said, I still love this shot.
2014. Savannah, Georgia. This lovely gentleman is known far and wide as The Rum Guy. It is a well-earned reputation.
2015, Wildkat Wrestling. Shot on the Nikon D7100 with an 85mm f/1.8. I can’t remember this girl’s name. Cherry something or other. She was the announcer for Wildkat at the time. Great composition here. Again, my editing wasn’t very good, but it’s still a great shot.
2017. Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Trail of Tears. I love this shot of her. I’d begun studying photography on YouTube by then. Nikon D7100. Probably the 85mm.
Last one, but it’s appropriate.
2018. Jason Lanier Photowalk. The model is Nicole Prunty. Shot with the D7100. Probably the Sigma Art 18-35. I think we were using Jason’s Neo 2. This isn’t all my doing. Jason chose the backdrop. The shot is all me though. This is kind of where my real education began. Things started to click for me.
I still have a long way to go in order to be the photographer I want to be. But I’m proud of where I am. And little by little, I’m getting there.
