As some of you may know, I was an art major in college and have a bachelors degree in art and design with an emphasis in photography. I decided to follow and pursue my love of photography by going to school for it and earning my degree in photography. What I didn’t know at the time of enrollment, is that what I would be learning wouldn’t necessarily pertain to how to photograph people, run a business, or be a master at editing. But what I did learn, I will never regret and if I had the chance to go back, I would still take the same path.

Although I went into the program thinking I would learn practical tools to help me succeed in the real world and hopefully run successful photography business, I ended up learning something much different. I learned about the art and history behind photography and how to shoot film and develop it in the dark room. I learned how to evoke meaning and emotion in your imagery and work. I learned how to relate to people of all different personalities and understand the way they see the world.

Now that I am running my own photography business and shooting weddings, what I learned helped so much with shooting wedding. I believe while photographing a wedding that you are telling their love story and my degree helped with the emotional side to documenting. One thing I’m really starting to learn is that clients based their love for an image on how they felt in the moment or the way they feel when they’re looking at the image. I, as a photographer base why I love an image off of photographical elements such as focus, composition, light, and depth of field. I have sent off an album with tons of images that I think from a photographers standpoint have got to be their favorites and the ones they will love the most are a special moment between them and their parents, friends, groom, or them candidly. Why? Because of how they felt in that moment or how they feel looking at that image.

So I’m constantly learning what clients find to be the best images in their opinion. I’m also learning it’s okay to feel emotions when I’m capturing a wedding. Sometimes I may not know the couple personally prior to the wedding date besides our conversations and meetings beforehand and I still end up crying during the ceremony and first dances because witnessing true love and people committing their lives to each other is a beautiful thing.