I used to want to be a Professional Photographer. I imagined myself styling glamorous photo shoots for Vogue Magazine, living the high life in New York City and being a successful career woman. Today, I’m a Stay at Home Mom, moving to the suburbs, and prefer Real Simple and O: The Oprah Magazine to any fashion magazine. Things change, people change.
My passion for photography began when I was young. My sister gave me a Polaroid Camera for my 5th birthday. It was more of a toy than a functioning product as the film was not in my 5 year old budget at the time. I loved it though. I loved the click of the button, the va-ca oosh sound It made when the imaginary picture came out, the joy of posing my stuffed animals and friends. It was even better when I was lucky enough for my mom to buy me the film. I tried to savor each shot as any elementary school child could, but the film rarely lasted more than an hour.
I continued to document my play dates, field trips, and family vacations. I would take my role of film down to Eckerds and wait anxiously for the film to be developed. I always had to get doubles. Most of the time the pictures would be looked over, shared, and then placed right back into the flimsy envelope to be tucked in a drawer and pretty much forgotten (my organizational skills did not come until later). Occasionally, I would spend afternoons going through them and recounting the forgotten moments and try to relive them in my memory. Pictures are always great for that.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I went with my mom to Chicago for a girls’ weekend trip. It was there that we found The Museum of Contemporary Photography which happened to be attached to Columbia College Chicago, a media art school. I didn’t need to apply to any other school; I was meant to go there. I had set my destiny and just had to wait a couple of more years before it became reality.
During that time, I took a few photography classes through school, worked in at a photo store, and brought my fully functional Pentax ZX 30 35mm camera everywhere. I loved staging photo shoots with friends and my newborn niece was among my favorite subjects. People commented on my work and my confidence for it grew. At one point I was even a little too confident and volunteered to be the photographer for a friend’s wedding. I totally dressed the part in my first suit that I bought from The Limited. I had access to two cameras, multiple rolls of film, and very little knowledge of what I was actually doing. While I’m sad that the marriage didn’t work out I am selfishly relieved that she does not have to rely on my pictures to document one of the most important day of her life.
Continuing in my overconfidence stage (ie teenage years), I was also quoted in my high school newspaper saying that I would never use digital. I thought that anyone using digital could alter their pictures to make them appear to be a better photographer. At the time, digital meant Photoshop, and Photoshop was cheating. Needless to say, I had a lot to learn.
I did end up going to Columbia College…for a year anyway. Being a photography student, I held my breath every time I had to develop my rolls of film. I carefully would wind them on the spools, placing them in the light proof canisters, praying that I didn’t expose it too soon, scratch them when they were drying, or leave them forgotten amongst the other students work. The fun, more relaxing part came in the dark room. I could spend hours in there perfecting each print, playing with dodging and shadowing making sure I had the right exposure. I felt very proud of my work but not overly confident.
Being a part of an urban campus was my first dose of city living, and I loved it! It was a perfect subject for my photography assignments. I made great friends (and a few enemies) and learned a lot about myself. For instance, I am much more practical than I thought. I loved what I was doing but I also hated that my art was being overshadowed by assignments. I rarely picked up a camera unless it was for school.
Looking into future careers, I wasn’t sure if a professional photographer was a right fit anymore. I wanted something safer but something that my photography could be a part of. Before the end of the second semester I switched my major to Advertising with a minor in Photography. It was a path I was sure about. Unfortunately, finances overruled my decision and I ended up having to say farewell to Chicago. Little did I know that I would be saying farewell to photography for awhile as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment