Today Kelly is sharing her journey with us today! Love being inspired by everyone’s growth!
2009
This was the beginning of my journey. 2009 was just about over when I began. I was eager (over eager if you ask me!) & couldn’t get started fast enough. 2009 (& also 2010!) was rough, but i didn’t realize it…glad I didn’t realize how bad I was or it may have taken away the fun! Obviously I didn’t understand focus (or anything else for that matter).
After I took the image below, I was telling my husband how much I loved it. I said “Don’t you, too?” He said it looked like focus fell on the blanket instead of the eyes. Ha! Good call on that one! I had no clue.
These two pictures mark the VERY FIRST day of using a DSLR. My dad drove by my house & dropped off his Nikon d200 for me to play with because I begged him. I wasn’t shooting on manual. I thought I was amazing. This was November 2009. Shortly after that my sweet dad gave me his d200 for christmas because he saw the joy it brought me. From that moment on I burned the candle at both ends. When i got home from teaching I shot & when my son went to bed I read about photography.
2010
In 2010 I started taking classes like crazy & never looked back. I had so much to learn. I didn’t understand light. The shot below was in May 2010 in full sun.
By october 2010 I had taken a couple classes & was shooting manual. Still had so much to learn but was getting more knowledgeable with all the studying I was doing. I shot this picture for the Clickin’ Moms Natural Light Class. At the time it was taught by Beth Ross. I learned to spot meter instead of using matrix. I was learning how to use light better, when to shoot, where to place subjects, etc. taking all the classes was empowering & frustrating all at the same time. I had gotten to the point of my career where I knew enough to know how much more I needed to learn & that made me sad some days. I wanted to excel much faster than I was & I got down on myself. That feeling pushed me to keep challenging myself to learn more though.
Photography was my obsession!
I started taking sessions so that I constantly had subjects to practice on. I only worked for friends who I begged to take their picture :) I didn’t say I was in business & I wasn’t charging. I was portfolio building & getting lots of practice.
2011
I had learned alot in 2010 about shooting in manual & the technical side but desperately needed to learn about photoshop. I took Clickin’ Moms Photoshop 101 early in the year & started learning all that Photoshop is capable of! I read books on skintones
& watched tutorials like crazy to try to get a grasp on how to take my images where I wanted them. To this day I still have a lot to figure out about that powerful program! I was trying to train my eye to see color. I was learning all about calibration & all that goes into producing proper color.
In May I took Sarah Wilkerson‘s Rock Your Vision: Composition and Creativity now Shooting 301: Composition and Creativity. I felt like since I was comfortable shooting manual I needed to learn the “rules” of composition & become more creative altogether.
2012
In 2012 I started the year focusing on Kelvin white balance, color adjustments while editing, editing style & getting everything how I want it straight out of the camera. I found my niche as a lifestyle photographer. I’m still taking classes like crazy! This year I bought several break out sessions from Clickin’ Moms & well there’s one more thing…I quit my teaching job! I am now officially a full time photographer. I have put in long hours this year but really enjoy what I do!
With personal pictures I love to be silly & creative. I like using compositions a client might not appreciate. I like experimenting & going out of my “safe” zone while shooting personal pictures. I took this picture for another Sarah Wilkerson class, Shooting 301: Elements of Design. LOVE her classes!!
One of the things I love about photography is that there isn’t really any way you can ever learn everything there is to know…I feel like that allows you to keep that passion burning without getting bored. I have SO many more goals for myself this year: to work on night time photography, shooting in the shadows, etc. I feel thankful to have a job that keeps me excited & motivated.
I love this!!!!!!!!! I put photography on the back burner about 9 months ago bc I was feeling like there was just too much to learn for the amount of time I had and for the money it cost (I really wanted to take more CM classes). However, I have recently started reading, studying, and considering shooting again on a daily basis.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Kelly for sharing, I love seeing others growth, it’s so inspiring and makes me want to work harder :) your son is super cute and your pictures are beautiful!
This is such a great read because I am in the process of doing something very similar. The main difference- I already quit my teaching job! I’m blessed to have a husband with a good job. I am also working a WAH job, so I can still contribute to the family finances and hopefully find some time to learn, learn, learn. Thank you for sharing your timeline because one of my biggest questions is “when will I be ready?” I think eventually I’ll have to just take the plunge!
I love these progress posts! Thanks for sharing some of your photography journey.
Hi Kelly! You are one of my FAVORITE photographers! I LOVE seeing your lifestyle work!! You did a session recently of a family baking cookies! Oh, it’s just precious, beautiful, and amazing. I’m waiting for a Kelly Garvey BO over at CM…or maybe a WS??? I’m going to kick myself again for not taking C&C this Oct. Definitely signing up in the Spring :)
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I love how you talk about feeling empowered and frustrated all at once! UGH! I can totally identify! I’m learning though that this wonderful passion of photography is to be enjoyed while striving for improvement. Congrats on becoming full time! Does it ever make you wonder why so many teachers become photographers? Thank you again!!!
oh my gosh THANK YOU!!! you have no idea how much all of that means to me. i am having a rough few weeks & you just picked me up. thanks so much for being so thoughtful.
you’re right, it does seem like a lot of teachers become photographers! maybe bc they love kids so much?
thank you again!
You are so inspiring and so gracious! Thank you for being my first photography friend!
Reading this has been so inspiring to me! I have always loved photography but have only recently started to be more serious about it and want to specialise in child photography. I am so overwhelmed by all the beautiful pictures I see everywhere. And there is so much I still have to learn that it sometimes feels too much and I wonder how to continue. Have now enrolled in a course which will start in November. Thanks for sharing this. It has really motivated me!
I just love these personal journey posts, they are so inspiring. Congrats on making it into your full time career! My fave shot above is of the boy and the dog looking out the window.
I love seeing these ‘journey’ pictures!
I like to think that I am passed ‘stage 1 and halfway there, but probably I am not! haha
What a fabulous journey! I am trying to teach myself a little at a time. I am not a photographer (nor do I want to be) but I just want good pictures for my blog. I am trying to learn how to shoot in manual mode. I’ve had some horrible pictures (ugh, and they are still on the blog) but then I’ve gotten lucky a couple of times! Love your pictures. You can definitely see an improvement!
Amy
I love this. It speaks volumes. I love the part where you say “I thought I was amazing”. how true! I am going along a similar path- just can’t afford to take Clickin Moms workshops!! I am obsessed and read after kids go to bed! Ha!
Thank you!