'I can't believe I took that!'

Every photographer has at least one photo that made them say this…’I cannot believe I took that.’ EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

I have a handful of shots that make me feel this way. The thing is, in the beginning of your journey as a photographer (really, though, in any profession), there’s a tremendous feeling of ‘imposter syndrome’. You ask yourself when can you officially call yourself a ‘photographer’. You have no idea how to get ‘the right light’. You actually don’t believe that it’s even a real thing (Spoiler alert: it is!). When you get a good shot at the start of your career, it’s because you took 800 shots and you just happened to get a few good ones. When you do manage to get a great shot, you stare at it for hours on end. This image of these three kids is one of my all time favorites. When editing their most recent session, I found myself thinking back to this session.

Mom and I work out at the same gym and she hired me for an extended family shoot. When you get people early in your career that trust you enough to pay you for your services, you are first, INCREDIBLY flattered, and second, a bit terrified. It’s because you want to produce images far better than they could ever imagine, and far better than you’re capable of! Early on, you lack the confidence and the skillset to produce the images that you see in your mind…and that your clients deserve to have. So, your options in those early days are simply to hope and pray!

When I first started going through the shots from this session, I saw this image pop up on my laptop and it honestly stopped me in my tracks. I loved every single thing about it…the hats (I implore you…bring accessories to your photoshoots!). The bow. The oldest brother smiling at me with the little cut on his nose. The younger brother helping his sister, with the gentlest of hands, take off her shoe…and his focus so sharp that his tongue is sticking out. The little sister watching him. The emotion that showed in this image made me realize that was what I wanted to attempt to capture for all of my clients.

Over the years, I’ve studied a great deal on how to find the right lighting. On how to create authentic moments that translate into images that reflect who the person is, rather than what they look like. How not to overshoot, and take 800 photos in a single session. Believe it or not, it’s actually a much better value to the client to not have a photographer overshoot…not only because you’re spending less time in each pose, but because your gallery ends up being highly curated. In turn, those images delivered to you showcase the absolute best of those that you love the most, rather than getting 75 ‘fine’ photos that the photographer could never possibly edit with such detail and with the highest of standards.

Even though I now know how to create the image in my camera that I see in my head, without just relying on hope and a prayer like I did in the early days; the people and the images from those first sessions as a photographer will always hold a special place in my heart. To the clients who trusted me enough initially to pay me for my services, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Because you believed in someone long before that someone believed in themselves. And for that, I will be eternally grateful.