Hi. It’s me. It’s 12.30am and I am still awake. Partly because I’m still kind of on a high from my session earlier today. It just went really really well. I took my time and made sure everything was perfect in camera (which makes my job 1,000 times easier in post) and things just flowed. Partly because I was shooting at a location I’ve shot a whole lot of times and partly because this particular family contained exactly zero toddlers. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some toddlers but they just offer a very specific set of challenges when it comes to photography. Anyways, that’s not why I’m here (not really, anyways). I got my hair cut yesterday and I’m a baby bit excited about it. It’s kind of funky and it’s kind of me and it makes me feel saucy (am I allowed to say that).
In other photography-related news, I have upgraded my software (CS6, baby!) and acquired a new (to me) computer. Hooray for fun business expenses! For the entire duration of this photography gig (over 3 years) I’ve been working on an outdated (read: SLOW) Macbook with a track pad. Now I’m working on a year old iMac which is making my life SOOO much better. It has cut my post processing time significantly and I would say it’s one of the best investments I’ve made thus far.
I’ve also been taking an online Photoshop class and learning how to use Camera Raw to my advantage. I could get into all the techy geek speak about how much this has improved the quality of my work but I don’t want to bore you. Lets just say I’m learning how to produce a better product technically as well as artistically.
I think as a photographer (and probably for any creative profession) the more you learn the more you realize you don’t know. So if you are stuck in a rut or doubting your skills, do yourself a favor and look at your work six months ago. A year ago. And then laugh and pat yourself on the back. You can only compare yourself to who you used to be. I’ve been implementing this strategy in my own life recently and it makes for a much happier outlook on life.
Goodnight my friends,
Ali
