Wedding Photography with Marcus Bell

Past, Present and Future

I never imagined becoming a photographer. I always thought it was a field for those “tech” types in high school. Something that did not interest me at all when I was there. I had a traditional art background, taking a career art program for my junior and senior years, entering art shows, going to a pretentious art school, envisioning my life in Paris, not one clue of what was awaiting me in the real world.

What I found after working so many jobs to support that fancy art school and failing out from exhaustion was a life completely different then what I had imagined when I was a teenager who knew everything. I ended up with a career, and then a baby, then awhile later another baby. Being a proud mom I always had a little camera around, taking plenty of pictures as well as doing all those gimmicky studio promotions that solicit to new mothers. Roll after roll of film I shot, developed at my film lab and piled print after print into boxes. Sometimes I would become ambitious enough to do some albums.

I ended up buying my first house, my oldest was 6, and about six months later in the spring we found out she had leukemia. A completely life changing experience for our family. Pictures became more to me during this period in my life, and each one of them is a memory that means so much. One shot I took of her in the summer on a deck chair, with her head wrapped in a bandana and such a serene smile on her face. That one went on to be published in our local paper who did a story about her. The next one I remember was from a benefit held in our community at the American Legion, she was in an antique Army jeep with all her friends,wearing her Pokemon jacket and and hat. I printed that picture and sent out about 250 copies with thank you notes to everyone that came and supported us. About a year after that I decided to breed our English Mastiffs and one image that remains imprinted in my mind is her surrounded by eight puppies in the whelping box.

She is now cancer free and actually the one who led me down the path to photography. I had pretty much given up all of my art with working and raising a family. As the kids got older I decided to try to go back to school online. One thing I had to do was use Photoshop for projects, and a digital camera to take pictures of my assignments. My daughter became a teenager who loved to dress up and had her own artistic, unique style, and loved doing “photo shoots” with me. It grew into making hair accessories and being her make-up artist as well. She also ended up breaking my little point and shoot digital cameras and I finally got fed up, went to Costco and bought a DSLR. The next thing you know I am doing a co-workers wedding. From here I discovered my true passion. Sharing the moments in people's lives that are going to be their memories in the future.

Recently our area was hit by Sandy. Our home was flooded. All of those pictures in the boxes were gone. The only thing I have are what was in the attic and what was on my computers which luckily was a lot because I did lots of scanning and posting to facebook. It made me realize how important these pictures are and set me on a new mission. I salvaged everything I could. I went to my parents and took all of the albums from my grandmother. Over the holiday I scanned, restored and printed and framed. No longer are the memories going to be in a box. They are going to be where I can see and feel them. On my desk at the moment is my grandmother as a bridesmaid in a wedding circa the 40's. I wish she was still here with me to tell me the stories that go with the pictures.

darcidoranphotography.zenfolio.com
www.darcidoranphotography.com
http://facebook.com/darcidoranphotography

I was born in a small village have a beautiful family 2 brothers and 5 sisters and my amazing parents. For most of my life I helped them on the farm and I thought that it is my future.
When I was 15 my sister got an amazing gift - digital camera. I was so amazed by it that I started to take photos of everything. Flowers, clouds, me in front of mirror and some other stupid things. I found out that I want to learn more about it and I started to search for some youtube videos to get some knowledge.
One day I found creativelive link. First workshop that I remember was Bambi's one. I was so moved by her story, childhood very similar to mine. At that point I started to make plans.” I want to be a photographer” But I still was afraid.
There was me, my sister's camera and my dreams. I went to high school. Graduated and had to decide what to do. Wanted to be a photographer but had no money. I knew that I have to help my parents to earn money and I was fighting with myself. I went to university. Started to study French. Something normal. The best university in Poland… Everything seemed to be great but I wasn't happy. When I was alone in my small room in Kraków I was taking some photos of myself with my friend's laptop because I didn't have any. Something was screaming from inside of me. Leave it and live your dreams!

So I did it.

I decided to leave this best school and "french schoolarship" came back home and started to look for work. It was impossible to find work and earn enough money for photography school in a small town near my village. That's why I travelled to Germany. I picked up strawberries in rain and heat. I was tired. I had problems with people there, but I knew that it was a good choice.

One week before I came back to Poland I met a boy. Now he is my boyfriend, he supports me with my passion. And now I am in Warsaw. I attend privat photography school. Work with chemicals in the dark room and I'm falling in love with it. I ‘ve already done some small photoshoots and in April I’m going to photograph my cousin’s wedding. People tell me that they love my work, but I know that I can do it better. I’m going to make money and the best experiences for people. I will make my life more and more beautiful. Based on photos. I’am quiet and shy. I love shaping with light and I want to have all of those memories on paper. When Marcus started to talk about masters it ensured me that I am in the right place. I’m getting to know basics and watching your workshops. I am almost 21 years old and I can say that creativeLIVE has already changed my life. I want to live my passion and I will do it.
You don’t know me but for me you are my family. Photo-Family who made me be where I am now.

Love,
Ela

Really I started shooting when I was a kid, with a hand me down SLR from my father while we were living over in Indonesia. I shot through most of my formative years leading up to highschool back in the USA. After I graduated I chose to enlist in the US Army and shipped overseas to Iraq. I picked up a very different kind of shooting those years and it wasn't until 2008 when I was out of the military and living in Alaska that I picked up a camera again.

What started as nature and wildlife shots in one of the most beautiful places on earth quickly left me feeling a bit dissatisfied and I found that my real passion was making great photos of people. Not just landscapes, but people photos. I dipped my toes in senior photos, and weddings, and corporate stuff - until 2 years ago in Washington state I really took off as a fashion photographer.

Last year I decided to go back to school to finish my certifications as a helicopter pilot but I had to make a very hard sacrifice. In order to finance my lesson, and still pay bills and eat food - I had to sell my photography gear. It seemed one lens at a time, and then the strobes, and eventually everything. I'm down now to just one D300 and the 85mm f/1.4 and I'm getting my footing to relaunch myself as a photographer again in 2013. But it's going to be a hard up hill battle.

I know a lot more starting this time around that I can avoid some of the business mistakes I made the first round through. I'm eager to get myself into the market places like you did and start selling prints. Mostly however I am excited to be marketing myself for weddings again. These 3 days you've inspired me, and guided me, and given me vision - and destroyed about 50% of the stress I associated with shooting a wedding. There are exciting things in my future, and this Phoenix will rise from the flames and ashes of my last business.

www.facebook.com/PrimeMomentOne

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tania-Palermo-Photography/250594308075

http://www.redbubble.com/people/taniapalermo

I'm new ... to photography and to wedding photography. In fact - I've never shot a wedding. I've been watching to see if it's right for me.

It terrifies me. You only get one chance! Eek.

Honestly, I don't feel I have any right to shoot a wedding yet (especially listening to Marcus speak about his passion and experience). I don't know enough about my camera, light, editing software ... but after having been asked a half a dozen times by other folks, I've finally agreed to photograph one in June of this year.

In June of 2010 I was laid off from a job. Around that time I had gotten my first digital camera and had been posting some images on an online site (RedBubble). When my boss (the CFO of the company) called me into his office - after apologizing to me for having to lay me off - he said, "I hope you never work in an office again."

What? I didn't know how to take that.

He then turned his computer screen to me and told me he'd been checking out my photographs online and he thought that I was made to do something creative - not to push paper. His parting words were that he hoped that I could use being laid off as an opportunity to start my life over

Wow. I'd had dreams of this of course - be it in photography or not - I knew life was meant to be different. I've been searching for my creative tool for years - since Kindergarten really - (tried dancing, music, fiber arts, cooking...etc)

I made a decision to sell most of my belongings, put the rest in storage - and use being laid off as an opportunity to explore. In September of 2010 I hit the road - traveled all around the country - and took tons of (very bad) pictures in an attempt to teach myself something about photography.

Now all this time later I am technically still unemployed and "homeless" - (I've joked with friends/family that after my life finally comes together again I'll need to write a book titled "My years of sleeping around"). I've been around the country and back again, in a winter rental on the coast of Maine, back to the West Coast and now with different people in New England - all the while learning photography bit by bit - entering photo contests, hanging a few pieces in galleries and even being nominated for RAW Hartford's photographer of the year.

I've recently come to understand that the more I learn about this craft - the more I realize how much I suck. I don't believe I've taken a good picture yet - and I know I can't stop. With a camera in hand I feel alive, energized, meditative, inspired - and at Peace. I have a huge desire to become a better photographer so that I can reflect each persons beauty and value back to them.

Lately I've been taking odd jobs to support myself - and gone back a bit into the massage world (I used to own my own massage practice) - but I feel sick inside when I think of being anything other than a photographer. I can't go back. It's who I am now - I think it's "my calling". My confidence isn't always high around because there is so much to learn. I'm turning 44 soon - and struggle with learning something new mid-life - but it is the one thing that gives me life, and I will continue down this journey one day at a time.

I'm writing just to say thank you. I am so amazed, impressed and moved by how much Marcus knows - and yet how kind and humble he is about it all. His gentle nature is encouraging. And thank you Creative Live - what you offer is invaluable. I've not been able to buy a course from you yet - but I plan to. I've been telling all my friends about you. You're great!!!

Cheers!
Tania

I know we're way past deadline for submission, but I thought I would just go ahead and put this out there.

My desire and my drive to learn and to throw myself into photography started with a single photo.

This was before I knew a thing about photography, and my first DSLR had been sitting in the closet untouched for about 6 months. I brought it out and toted it along with me for a friend's wedding. Yes, it was on full auto mode.

It was a small wedding with very few guests, and as it turned out I was the only one there with a camera. With the couple's permission, I left my seat during the ceremony and took a few shots from different angles.

The results for that day were nothing spectacular--but there was one photo that stopped me in my tracks as I sorted through the JPG images later on that night.

http://pineappletreephoto.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/dpp_0008.jpg

As you can see, the lighting in this photo is not optimal. My early composition wasn't all that great and the location was certainly less than perfect. After staring at this photo and trying to figure out what it was that grabbed my attention, I realized that it was the bride's expression. The look on my friend's face as her groom is reading his vows to her just seems to express such love, such happiness and such adoration. I realized that the emotion, the expression and the humanity of the person being photographed was what is truly at the heart of photography. That's what it's all about... and I realized then and there that this is what *I* am all about. I have since pursued photography education in any form I can receive it. When I first started to consider photography, I never expected to have a love affair with it! I have learned so much in the last year, and I am excited for the future and for the endless possibilities ahead. For me, I know this will be a life-long journey.

Thanks for reading, and thank you to Marcus Bell and creativeLIVE for another amazing opportunity to learn! :)

This may be too late for the contest, but I wanted to post it anyway.

My journey to becoming a photographer was filled with many steps and magical moments along the way. My mom was always a lover of old photos, and when I was young she decided to decorate our upstairs hallways with over fifty photographs of my relatives throughout the years. I remember as a child staring at those pictures, sometimes for hours, trying to find some kind of glint of emotion or personality behind their eyes. I couldn't understand why the photographer made them stare stone-faced into the camera, and couldn't believe that the little boy with the perfectly combed hair sitting on his rocking horse was as serious as he appeared in the image. There was, however, one image that stood out from the rest. It was a snapshot taken of my dad with his brother and father. Their arms were around each other, they were looking at each other's faces, and they were all laughing. That image spoke volumes about their relationship, about their humor, and about their love for each other. My grandfather passed away when I was in first grade, and I remember going back to gaze at that image hanging in my hallway, and being thankful that I had a grandpa who knew how to laugh.

In high school I took my first photography class and hated it. I was horrible at developing film, and despised being told what to take pictures of. I wanted to capture people! Not bark, rocks, and anything else with texture. My class was also too big for our small dark room, and much of the time was spent just sitting around talking with friends. After my first class I decided to no longer take photography classes and instead focus on my important "advanced placement" courses that would help me get into college and get a job. Looking back, I'm thankful I took the course as it did teach me a great deal about composition, lines, and lighting.

The next step in my life toward becoming a photographer began on December 5, 2009 during my senior year of high school when I was pulled down to the principal's office and was told that my best friend had committed suicide earlier that morning. My life crashed around me and it took months for me to get past feeling guilt, anger, and intense grief about her decision. The healing process began for me when one night I started going through my pictures I had captured from a mission trip we went on the previous summer. I came upon an image of her that made the tears flow, but made me realize that she was still alive with me through this image. The image was simple, it was a shot of her, playing with two little boys, and laughing at a joke they had said. She was dirty, sweaty, and wearing work clothes but her expression was one of true joy. She was the best friend I had known all my life, and I was so incredibly grateful that I had this image of her with me; this snapshot into her soul.

In college I purchased my first digital camera. It was a point and shoot, but suddenly my eyes were open to the world of digital! No longer did I have to fear wasting money on a missed shot, suddenly I could take as many thousands of images as I wanted! I also started to travel in college. I visited Ecuador, Venezuela, the Phillippines, and Ireland, and at the end of every trip I was thankful for the pictures I had taken, for the memories they evoked, not only of the landscape but of the people who I would likely never see again.

In college I also got engaged to my high school sweetheart, and it was our wedding photography experience that made me realize that that was also what I wanted to do. My photographer was amazing, she connected with me and seemed to understand my every need without me asking. She was unobtrusive yet fun, and I honestly enjoyed having her there to share with me in my day. When I got my pictures back they were stunning, beautiful, but my husband's and my most treasured picture wasn't the beautiful image of us kissing under the willow tree, but rather the shot she took of my husband with his grandmother. My husband's grandmother had been diagnosed with a non-operable brain tumor earlier that year, and it was her greatest desire to be able to make it to our wedding. The doctors told her she wouldn't make it past December, but she told them right out that she was going to come to our June wedding, and she did! That image is a reminder to us of a wonderful woman who fought against the odds to be with her grandchildren.

When I saw that image, and experienced the emotion it held for me, I realized that that is what I wanted to do with me life. So I started researching, taking online classes, and I purchased my first dslr camera. I instantly fell in love, and have not put my camera down yet. The final step in my journey came when I was a second shooter at my first wedding. The bride had the most incredible relationship with her mother and sister, and I found myself feeling blessed to be able to capture the love for each other that they had. It was also my responsibility to capture the groom's face when he saw his bride - my favorite part of every wedding. I stood to the side, snapping shot after shot, and when the bride finally reached her future husband, I looked down at the image I had captured, and started to cry. The shot beautifully conveyed the incredible love, excitement, nervousness, and joy that this groom felt all in one. It was an image that words could never accurately describe, and a moment that could never be recreated. I realized that this is what I was meant to do with my life - capture moments through the beautiful world of photography.

I have been a photographer for about 30 years. Not a professional photographer, but I’m not sure that matters. I see beauty in the most mundane things, capturing that beauty is a challenge, one that I have enjoyed since I was a teenager. Photography has been part of my life from the time my parents gave me a Mamiya 35mm film camera as a gift for my 16th birthday. A wonderful gift!

Imagine, a gift you give a child or a young person may lead them to their life’s work and passion. That is a powerful thought, isn’t it? My parent’s gifts, tangible or not, have always contributed to my work in one way or another.

An entrepreneur at heart, I am on my third career and starting my fifth business. Number five is a photography business. What form this business will take is still undecided. After operating a busy flower shop for 10 years and a stint as a restaurant owner, I eventually began dreaming of the career or business that would take me through to the end of my days. Creativity and connecting with people in a meaningful way are two elements I knew must factor in to my dream.

What career would give me the most pleasure, I asked myself. The answer was photography, more precisely wedding photography. But wait, maybe I should become a personal historian or combine the two using multi-media. The sky is the limit, right? Exploration, confusion, indecision… where to start?

I didn’t race out and open a business. I had time, pleasant distractions and hurdles to surmount. At that point, where my career was concerned I lacked focus. Having recently moved to France I no longer had the familiar resources and support which helped make developing my business ideas relatively easy in the past.

During this time my father’s health was failing. I was in the U.S. five times that year to be close to him and our family. Always a great supporter of my dreams and business efforts my father wanted to know what I was planning, what would be my next venture in life. I felt sad because I didn’t have a great new plan to discuss with him. My enthusiasm would have been a great gift to give him.

Before my father died he spent time in the hospital. I visited and I had my camera with me to document those days. One afternoon a young Indian doctor came in to his room. I asked if I could photograph her examining my father. She was obliging. My father said to the woman “this is my daughter she is a photographer”.

Four years ago today my father died. I’m profoundly grateful for the many important things he helped illuminate in my life. Today the word soothsayer comes to mind; he imagined my future and knew photography would be an important part of it. He knew I was a photographer before I did.

My father’s enduring confidence in me and, quite sincerely, CreativeLIVE are two important elements that keep me moving towards my dream of turning my passion for photography into a business. This new business will not only nourish my soul but also put food on my table.

noellechichester-pottier@orange.fr

It has taken years for me to discover and realize what makes my heart “sing!” It has been a discovery in the making along the way from a very small child to the present. As I was growing up, my mother and her sister, my favorite aunt, would pull out photos when they visited each other. I loved to hear their stories and the reason behind the photos. Our home was filled with laughter, tears, joys, and moments of remembrance of those people who had departed. At the time, I did not even realize how much those photo sharing events would mean to me later on in my own life. I enrolled as a 4-H member from the very first year I could participate and took a photography project and displayed some of my own images at the county fair. I loved trying to shoot moments that would tell a story and tried to capture what was in my “mind’s eye.” I went on to graduate from business college and worked as a secretary. I had barely started out on my own with my new career when I received news at work that my mother had died suddenly of a brain aneurism. I felt that my world had come to an abrupt halt and felt an enormous loss and disbelief of what had happened. I was 22 years of age at the time and was the oldest of five children. What a difficult time for my father, my siblings, and me! As we were struggling to move forward and adjust to life without Mom, life dealt another devestating blow to our family. My youngest sister and two younger brothers were killed in an automobile accident a month to the day my mother had passed away. There were moments during that time that I could not even function and wondered how life could throw so much at us at once. My father, my one and only sister now, and I began to pull out photos of my mother, my sister, and two brothers. As difficult as this time was, there was a sense of comfort and solitude as we shared our feelings of them as we viewed each and every photo that was taken over the years. Once again, our home was filled with laughter, tears, joys, and moments of remembrance. It brought me back to the time when I was a child and my mother and my aunt were sharing their personal feelings and thoughts with their photographs. Talk about an awakening when I truly realized what value a single photograph can have! It is priceless and irreplaceable! It can bring about emotions and establish connections like nothing else can!
As the years progressed, several jobs and careers later, and while raising my family, my desire to create meaningful images continued to increase and grow. I worked as an Assistant Photo Manager for a short time and learned more about film and digital photography. My passion bloomed, and I truly love photography! I can’t get enough! I strive to learn as much as possible and be a better person and photographer because of what a single image can mean to the receiver!
There is nothing else that can inspire me more than to create memories that can be passed down from generation to generation. When Marcus Bell said, “It’s like a novel. It’s what glues everything together,” my heart just about burst because that’s what makes my heart sing!
Thank you Marcus Bell and Creative Live for allowing me to share and express my story and my love for photography! As for me and my fellow photographers, there are many novels to create and to share in the future.
My daughter is expecting our first granchchild in May. I am so excited about becoming a grandmother! So it’s time to start the next novel. Build that novel moment by moment, chapter by chapter, and watch and tell the story as it unfolds. Let the journey begin! I am ready!

Rita Odle
RKO Design

The network server has been down at my home for the past 24 hours and just now came back up. I had contacted my service provider who told me there was a major outage in our area and it would take a while to bring service to our area. I am submitting my story anyway as listening to Marcus and his journey to photography has inspired me even more and has touched me from the beginning when he started talking about the box full of photographs that were taken in the 1950's he discovered and about his father and his photography business. I love that he is genuine and thoughtful and willing to share with us his experience, hopes, and dreams.

i WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY HOWEVER IT LOOKS LIKE I MISSED THE DEADLINE..PLEASE LET E KNOW IF I AM ELIGIBLE OR IF I MAY SUBMIT THIS ENTRY TO MARCUS PERSONALLY...i WOULD LIKE HIM TO READ MY COMMENT REGARDLESS...IS THERE A PERSONAL E-MAIL THAT i MAY CONTACT HIM AT? SINCERELY, MATTHEW WEST
PREP@FLOORPLANTOURS.COM

I am new to digital photography after about a 12 year hiatus from shooting black and white film. I worked in a graphic design studio during high school and college and likely got the job because I already knew how to use a camera and knew my way around a dark room. We shot many of our own photos for the print media we created, so I had lots of opportunity to practice my craft, and I was getting paid for it. I learned so much everyday and worked with some amazingly creative individuals. This was a great experience to have at such a young age, and left a lasting impression.
My high school story was anything but typical. I gave birth to my oldest son at the age of 16. Despite the additional responsibility I faced, I tried to maintain a "normal" high school experience, whenever possible. I kept playing sports, I kept working my part time job, and I maintained a very high GPA. The summer before my senior year, I took the train, my son in tow, to my school's contracted photo studio for my senior portrait shoot. Despite the photographer's best effort to make my shoot "unique" I still posed in my cap and gown with the cheesy foam numbers and the headshot with the feathery boa around my shoulders, which was the norm of that era. My son sat quietly in his carrier on the side of the studio through the whole shoot. Toward the end, the photographer asked, "is that your little brother?" No matter how often I heard that question, I never got over the awkwardness of hearing it and the shame of having to answer it. I was never ashamed of my son, just embarrassed by the judgement that always followed when I said I was his mother. I said, "no, he's my son". Without hesitation, the photographer said, "well we need some pictures of the two of you together. He's a big part of your senior year!" I grabbed my son and because he was no stranger to a camera, we finished the shoot laughing and smiling for the photographer that so graciously understood the importance of documenting MY story during this very big milestone in my life. I was grateful for the extra images, but even more grateful that he had not made me feel judged, embarrassed, or shameful. When I came to order prints none of the pictures of my son and I were included in the proofs I was offered. At the end of the session, the same photographer came out and handed me all of the proofs of the two of us, and whispered for me to hide them in my bag. I assume he would have gotten in some kind of trouble for taking them in the first place without charging me a fee. He walked away and I never got to thank him again.
Fast forward 16 years to my son's senior year. Needless to say, it was rough on both me and my son, getting to that point, so I was determined to make his senior year as memorable as I physically could. At the time I did not have a camera, only aspirations to one day have a fancy DSLR and a selection of lenses. So when it came time to have senior pictures done, I searched and searched for a local photographer to take them, but never found any with the style we were looking for. We have a family member that is what you would call a "shoot and burner", and in all the work she's ever shown, I never saw anything that looked like the vision I had in my head. Reluctantly, I asked her to shoot his senior shoot, with the caveat that I got to style the entire thing - locations, wardrobe, props, and even shots that I wanted and needed. I was THAT mom. The pictures came out the way I wanted, and I've never seen anything else remotely close to that style on her website since.
Still with no camera, I created my own albums, canvases, grad announcements, and thank yous for my son since I was given the digital negatives. My son's friends and their parents approached me about helping them find locations and making wardrobe choices for their senior shoots. When I was approached by the third parent over the course of a few weeks, I decided that somehow I would find a way to do this myself, even though I hadn't picked up a camera in years. After a lot of begging and negotiation, I got a brand new shiny camera for Christmas two years ago. I got myself a mentor and for the past year and a half I've been trying shoot any and everybody I can. I have shot a few weddings alone and have been the second shooter on a few as well. I have to say that hearing you talk about the importance of storytelling in the imagery is so validating to me. I think the idea of telling the story is what draws me to weddings in particular. Ever since i picked up the camera again, It is all inthink about. I want to shoot to make money and provide for my family. But I want, just as much, to be the person to document a really big milestone for people in a way that is as unique as they are.
I do not believe in coincidence, I believe that messages are delivered at a time when they are meant to be heard, if you are open to hearing them. So thank you for all of the messages this weekend, I'm glad I was in a place in my life that I was open to hearing them all. You have truly changed the trajectory of my life. May you and your family continue to be blessed.

I was visiting Vietnam with my mother and we were walking along a street we had been to years before as I recognized the temple where my grandfather's ashes were laid to rest. My mother walked down an alley beside the temple and I followed her. She then exclaimed three Chinese words and a random lady in the alley exclaimed another three words in response… my mother's name. It was then that I realized they knew each other… from their childhood. They pulled up red plastic chairs and sat in the alley chatting and reminiscing. Then her friend brought out photographs from over 50 years ago and as they thumbed through pictures of themselves in athletic team photographs, candid photographs, and wedding photographs with another friend, they laughed and remembered their old days… before the war, before my mother fled the country, before they were separated, before their group of friends got married and had children, and before friends had passed away. I couldn't help but make photographs of that moment, as they fast forwarded through half a century worth of life experiences in the middle of that alley brought on by those 50+ year old photographs... just like it was yesterday. I was inspired by the power of those photographs, the power of a photograph and inspired by my mother who left her friends, her family, and all that she had for the unknown.

When my mother reached the United States and reunited with my father, she didn't have much with her, but she clung onto her photos from home, of her childhood, her parents, her family, her friends, and her wedding. And after my father unexpectedly passed away almost three decades later (6 years ago tomorrow), the photographs that my mother had carried with her for the long journey across the seas helped us find great comfort in remembering him, who he was, and the times we shared especially since he passed away before my wedding (and before I met my husband).

Years after his passing, long after having played with a point and shoot film camera that my father put in my hands when I was about 13 years old, and years after borrowing my father's film SLR for a class I took in black and white photography in the wet darkroom, it was that moment… in the alley with the red plastic chairs… in Vietnam that keeps me thinking…

What do I want to remember 50 years from now?
What do I want others to remember 50 years from now?
What do I want those who come after us to know 50 years from now… 100 years from now… from a photograph… from my photographs… especially when memories can fade with time and age?

I don't want to squander the opportunity I've been given. That is when I knew I had to be a photographer.

I was born on April 23, 1988 in Zacatecas, Mexico. My amazing parents brought me to the United States when I was very little and raised me in the great state of Idaho.
I have always been fascinated by the art of making pictures, which led me to take photography my senior year in high school. Where I learned how to develop pictures in darkroom and learn the basics of photography. During this time my father suffered a brain injury from a car accident and passed away. It affected me in so many ways. I stopped dreaming and lost inspiration of what I wanted to do with my life. My father had so many goals and dreams of accomplishing success in his life. He never had the opportunity to finish his education because his parents had him work at a young age to help his family financially. He worked very hard all his life to give me and my siblings all the opportunities that he never had. About two years ago, I realized that I have the opportunity to fulfill my father’s wishes by pursuing my dreams. I realized that I wanted to become a photographer. Photography allows me to cherish and appreciate the life around me. I’ll never forget my father telling me that he never wanted to work as hard as he did. Even though my father never had the opportunity to see me graduate from high School or see me accomplish so many other great things I know he is watching me from up above. I want to make him proud by becoming a successful photographer. I am very blessed to live in a country that allows me to be anything I want to be. I very motivated of overcoming the challenges of learning how to become a better photographer.
I want thank Marcus Bell for giving me this opportunity to share my story and for giving me a wealth of information that well help me continue my dreams. Thank you….
- Jorge

Photographs have been around me for my entire life. I remember my dad always carried his camera around trying to document our lives and now I am so glad he did because I am now able to look back and remember those special moments we spent together as a family.
My dad is the first person that placed a camera in my hands and let me have fun with it. I loved taking my little camera to parties and capturing expressions on the faces of my friends as we were all having fun together. There was never any real training; it was more about experimenting and finding out what looked best.
In college I finally had the opportunity to take a photography class. By then I had real SLR camera and no more point and shoot, but I didn’t really know what to do with it. My eyes were opened to what real photography was as I took this class and spent time developing my own film and making my own prints. I would go to the darkroom and get lost in time, losing an entire night because I loved every moment of what I was doing.
During that time a few of my friends started getting married and as broke college students didn’t really have money to hire a professional photographer. So they asked me to do it, at first I said no because I knew I wasn’t ready to capture something as important as a wedding, yet in the end I did it anyway. Now I look back at those photographs mortified that I did that work, but the couples all still love the moments and emotion I was able to capture.
From there I realized I absolutely loved weddings and wanted to photograph them. I started reading every since book I could get my hands on about wedding photography. I would sit in Barnes & Noble for an afternoon reading and taking notes so that I could try new things. I knew at the time I wanted to be a wedding photographer, but I let the expectations of my family force me into the corporate world for 7 years and photography got push to the back burner. The last year I was in the corporate world, all I thought about was photography. I photographed wedding on as many weekends as I could, but continued to let fear hold me back. I prayed every day that God would make a way for me to do what I love. It took losing my job to give me the kick in the pants to go full on and pursue my dreams. Business has been slow, so slow that I have ended up moving back in with my parents, but I am NOT going to give up. I know I am meant to be a photographer, the thought of doing something else makes my head hurt. I love capturing the beauty of love and know it the purpose for my life.

Capturing moments has been a life long love, but so seldom have I had enough money to support that desire. My amateur camera died and for awhile I used my mom's real estate film camera and loved it. But. . . it finally died. After about three years of camera shopping, I finally made the purchase. I was spilling over with excitement!

Do you see life in images? I do. Those moments when you're driving and see that amazing sunset framed beautifully with pines and search desperately for a place to pull over and capture it. Or the three year old full of wonder, exploration, innocence and enough power to captivate the heart of everyone. The athlete in motion giving it their all. The twenty year old girl who is so excited for the chance to feel and act like a model, they can't contain themselves. Then to see the reactions when they see their images is priceless.

The medicinal benefit hasn't gone unnoticed. For years I've experienced chronic symptoms that began after a traumatic life experience. I've had countless tests and treatments and nothing has helped. However, to this point, when I'm photographing, I've been symptom free.

I have never really sat down to write the story of where my heart for photography began. Even now as I type this out I feel a bit vulnerable and exposed. Honestly, I'm not even sure how to really put into words what my soul feels about photography... I guess the best way to start is to say simply I see the human spirit in all it's wonder and frailty as beautiful. I am in awe of the world around me. I got involved in photography as a business to help people to see what is sometimes overlooked in this busy life. To help those I have the privilege to photograph to truly see themselves and those they love as they are, to tell their story, and to reflect back to them their own unique inner light. To preserve key moments in their lives. I am driven to do this because I couldn't imagine not telling the story of all those that have touched my life. What keeps me going, even though I am scared to death of failing, is the fear of not using what I was given and not doing what I was put here to do. Even now as a write that I am overwhelmed with emotion. I am so blessed to be able to see what I see through the lens and to touch the lives of those I have photographed. I love that photography can give so much insight to human nature and allow us to see the light of the Divine within. As I said I'm not sure how to put into words all that photography means to me. All I know is that it gives me hope in the darkness of truly seeing the Light.

I remember when I was a little girl I would often beg to my dad to let me use his camera. I didn't know why, but I just felt this need that I have to capture whatever was surrounding me. As I was growing it became more important for me to capture valuable moment, people and places in my life. This passion may come from my vagrant lifestyle. I was born in Serbia, and when I was 10 years old we moved to Hungary. My mom saw a talent in me, so I started my education in art school. The video and photography teachers quickly discovered my talent, but I decided to go toward graphic and web design. I just couldn't see myself becoming successful in my little country. Even if I loved taking pictures and video. But how hard is it to make big life changing decisions when you are a teenager??

After 15 years growing up in a small Hungarian town I decided to further my education in Italy. I loved it so much! The world finally opened for me, and I felt free and happy. I meet new people, places and cultures... I learned a lot about design and creativity, but taking pictures (what I did every day!) was only a documentation for me. This is how I told my story to my family and friends. I was writing a blog and every post was filed up with a tons of photos.

Then something unexpected happened. I met a cute American boy, got married and moved to US. My life changed, Again! My husband must have seen my passion of photography, because on our second christmas he surprised me with a DSLR camera. A month later our daughter was born, and she gave me a reason to start learning more about photography. So I can take amazing pictures of her. I wanted everybody to see how beautiful she is! That was the only way my family from the other side of the world could see her.
Those where the days when I started to learn how to capture emotions and expressions. My daughter was a perfect subject and inspiration. Then I realized that I always want to have the camera in my hand, because I was worried I will miss an important moment... I always feel I have to capture everything around me. Because I never know if I will be able to see it again...

People quickly noticed my "work" and called me a photographer!! Soon after I got my first client, my first photography job and I realized that doing what I love as a profession is not imposible. I wanted to do it more. I didn't want to stop so I started educating myself. When I got hired for my first wedding I was really excited and nervous in the same time. But through that day I felt so passionate and fulfilled that I just didn't want the day to end...

So it is hard to tell how did I get involved in photography, or what was the defining moment. It was always there deep inside me, but my destiny is what helped me to bring this out. People are inspiring me. Emotions, families, love... And it hit me when I realized that I can capture all that at the wedding... But the reason I feel so touched that day is because I never had a real wedding. My husband and I had to get married quickly to start the long immigration process. My parents never saw me in my wedding dress, my dad couldn't walk me down to the aisle, and I didn't see happy tears in my grandma's eyes. But I didn't feel alone! I was happy because I got to marry the person I love!
Sure enough I wrote in my clients guestbook: "You guys made me want to have a wedding again!"

Camping trip. First year high school class. My manual point and shoot camera mysteriously disappeared from my bag on the final day. I spent the rest of day utterly distraught because my mom would be angry, as we didn't have a lot of money. More importantly that camera meant a lot to me -- it taught me depth of field, focus, focal length, and other photographic concepts. A few days later back in school, little did I know that my mom had gone and spoken to my classmates, and pleaded with whoever who took it to return it. I was so embarassed. Within that week, one of the teachers told me to go to the school chapel to "see if my prayers were answered." I went, and sat down at a pew. Another teacher pointed to the end of the pew, where, a small bag, to my confusion that turned into relief and delight, contained the camera. I didn't need to know who took it, only that it was returned. What a turn of events - I almost gave up on it, but to my young heart it was a miracle. I knew then and there that photography would figure prominently in my life.

Fast forward about three decades. At 45, I've practically carried a camera on me everyday. I always love to say, "I never leave home without it," (just like in the commercial). It's always been a point and shoot compact camera, but never an SLR. I just dreamed about it, seen friends use them, but I never even tried to get one, as I thought that I would not be able to afford one. One day last year, at lunch with a really good friend, I kept talking on and on about dSLRs, and my burning desire to have one. He commented "maybe Santa will hear your wish." We've had several more lunches, and he kept saying Santa will probably hear it. Lo and behold, I received a Nikon dslr as a gift, from this same dear friend, during the holidays. To my "young at heart" heart, it was yet another miracle.

Wow. I always carry that camera around. It has opened my wings, and I fly, and I want to soar.

Recently, at one square dance event in Maryland, I was taking pictures left and right (people thought I was hired to do so). I wasn't, but I was practicing and practicing, and sharing my love for photography. One of my friends there pulled me to the side and wanted to know if I shot weddings. They were going to have theirs within the year, a small one he says, a same-sex one, in Maryland. I had been to one wedding last year, and took many pictures, in an unofficial capacity. I loved it, and the couple loved the pictures. Since being asked, I've been furiously working on technique and art of photography. I've asked friends to be my model couples so I can practice and practice. I've taken the CreativeLive classes on photography, business, graphic design, etc, etc! I've been listening and taking notes from your Wedding Photography workshop right now. I want to be a wedding photographer! I dearly want to impress them enough with my portfolio and I am sincerely hoping that they would choose to trust in me.

Your course, Mr. Bell, are a godsend. It would be so over the top if you chose my story. Could another miracle be in the offing for me?

My boyfriend of 11 years had a heart attack in front of me and died in 4 minutes. I found my passions were tied to his. I struggled to survive a broken heart and find something to be passionate about. He had given me a film camera but I had never learned to used it so I took a photography class and was hooked. Instead of starting with film I bought a Kodak EasyShare and started taking photos of everything around me. I went from a world of black and white to finding color again in my life through the lens of my camera.

I volunteered at my local shelter and fell in love with photographing animals at the shelter. I started taking photos of scenery and selling cards at my local farmer's market. I did really well at the market and loved visiting with customers and talking about my images and sharing my love of photography. About this time I met Skip Cohen at a Microsoft Photography workshop I attended in Redmond. A year later when I wasn't invited back I sent Skip an email expressing my disappointment. He had seen some of my work and sensed my enthusiasm for photography and gave me a wonderful gift of a conference scholarship to attend my first WPPI, from that moment five years ago a whole new world of photography opened up to me.

People seeing my work wrongly assumed that since I could take a beautiful photograph of a dog I surely could photograph events for them. They started asking me to photograph their children, families, even a wedding. I took on the challenging jobs and soon focused on portrait photography and pursued building a part-time business while working full-time as a housekeeper. I turned my partners perfect "guy garage" into a studio using Wescott TD5's and devoted a room in my home to meet with clients.

Nearly 60 now I feel like a full time student studying photography. I eat, sleep and dream photography. I know things many people don't about life and death. I have a wonderful life today but still can't see the face of my best friend and find comfort in photographs of him. I know that in time the face of a loved one may fade but a photograph can hold that person in ones heart forever, this knowledge has made me a better photographer.

Last Fall I fell and shattered my wrist requiring major surgery. The surgeon asked what would happen if there was nerve damage to my hand and I couldn't take pictures again. I started crying and said it was my life and asked him to do whatever he could to help me continue doing what I loved. It took 2 surgeons 3 hours to repair my wrist with a plate and six pins. A couple weeks after my surgery I was back photographing Seniors. I used my full arm cast as a portable tripod balancing my D700 on it and was driven by my Seniors to their sessions. This has been a very humbling experience. I just completed four months of physical and occupational therapy, going four times a week. I've had some complications and set backs but I'm gaining full function of my hand, and shoulder that was also injured in the fall. I'm coming back and blue skies are ahead.

I'm grateful for so many things in my life including the continuing education I have gained from CL courses from Zach Aries, to this week with Marcus. I fell in love with Marcus minutes into his intro on Thursday. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my story and for the generous gift Marcus is offering. There are so many incredible, touching stories being shared here on the Blog.

Deja Webster
Deja View Photography

My story begins in 2001. I was engaged to be married that summer, but with the passing of my dad just a short time before and a very small budget to pay for the wedding on our own, my husband and I were looking for a photographer based on price. I signed a contract for $700, thinking that because the girl claimed to be a photographer, I was all set.

Our wedding day came and went... and when we got our wedding pictures back, we were beyond disappointed. So many key people, details, moments were missed. My brother was not in a single photo, nor my husband’s grandfather. Our aunt sang to a slideshow and there was not a single photo. No photos or my shoes,... my jewelry, which was a necklace from my father before he died. So many images... moments not documented.

I finished college with a degree in Home Economics and shortly after graduation had a baby. It was during those years that we bought our first camera. I shot so many pictures of our kids and people kept telling me that I needed to do something with photography. I talked my husband into letting me buy my first dslr, a Canon Rebel XT. Around that time we had been invited to several weddings of friends and family and I took photos, candid, photo journalistic style and gave them to everyone as gifts. They loved them and I told my husband that I wanted to get into wedding photography. My first year I trained under an experienced photographer and by the next season had booked 40 weddings.

The defining moment for me came somewhere along that road, when those same friends and family I had shot photos for on the side had mentioned that I had captured so many moments that their hired photographer had missed. The real moments,... the raw emotion of their day.

You see, to me, I am inspired by love and by life. The moments that happen that are often missed, but the most important. The look dad gives his daughter as the doors open, the nervous anticipation of a groom before a ceremony, the silent tear rolling down mom's cheek... Shortly after our wedding, my husband's aunt died of breast cancer, his grandfather died from a stroke & my brother was killed in a horrible accident. None of them were captured in our wedding photos.

I spend a great deal of time getting to know my clients. I am friends with them on facebook and I go into their wedding day with the goal of telling their story - their whole story. Because of the photos I don't have of my own wedding day, I work that much harder to make sure none of my clients have that same experience.

While I know my camera backwards and forwards, I am always nervous going into a wedding day. I think the nervous feeling is a sign that you care. It means you recognize that this is a once in a lifetime event for each couple you are photographing and it should never be taken lightly. I'm inspired by every couple I have met on my journey as a wedding photographer.

Of course there are times when you get that one client that makes you want to throw in the towel... I've had 2 or 3 of them since I started in 2006 and even knowing why I got into this business; there have been times I wanted to give up. Particularly in the beginning of 2010, but quickly my perspective was put back into place. I shot a wedding for a couple that May... an ordinary wedding, but two days after the wedding the groom’s father suddenly passed away. They had to fly home from Jamaica in the middle of their honeymoon. I had captured the last complete family photo. It was then, in their grief, that I remembered why I am so passionate about my job as a wedding photographer. We have the rare opportunity and extreme privilege to be invited into the most cherished moments... moments of love and life and I'm thankful for each story along the way... for being trusted to document those moments, but also for the constant reminder it is to me, to cherish and enjoy the love and the life of my own family, my husband and my children. I will never take my job for granted. For those that are cut out for the task, it is the most rewarding job to have - to capture life in pictures.

Brandi Scott
Brandi Scott Photography
Binghamton, New York
www.brandiscottphotography.com

My passion for photography didn't realy hit me until 2007. My mom gave me her kodak easy share digital camera that was a huge upgrade from the cheap digital I had before that. I began taking landscape photos every chance I got. For me this was a huge release for me.

I began photographing my husbands hobby of truck and tractor pulls. This is when I found that my camera was limited with taking the photos quick enough and also had to deal with low lighting situations. I decided to upgrade to my canon rebel and this is where my passion grew even more. After owning my canon for a year and not knowing what else to do outside of the auto setting I took a class at my local community college in the fall of 2010. Fortunately this was a film class. I learned about manual settings and the basics of using a camera. Ever since that fist class working in the dark room I realized that I had a unique eye for my photos. My family has always encouraged me with my photography but I lacked the confidence. It wasn't until one of my photos was selected for the student art show that I was able to think that I could take this to the next step.

This fall I was asked to take photos at my friends wedding this spring. While doing research for this project I was a bit discouraged by the number of people who do not encourage amateurs to get out there and photograph a wedding without previous second shooter experience ect. I have done a ton of research for this project and have lost a lot of sleep over this as well. My friends know and understand that I am not a professional and I am not charging for this either. This is the reason that I want to develop my skills so that I can develop what they are looking for. My first actual job was taking soccer team photos this fall. After having one project under my belt I am ready to continue with my passion for photography to make it a profession that will also be a release from my current profession which is in retail.

So long story short, like so many others out there photography has been a passion that has allowed me to be myself and truely be happy.

Thank-you for the encouragement and inspiration! Elena Huetson

My story really goes back to when I was a little girl. As far back as I can remember I have always loved babies. If there was a baby in the room, it wasn't long before it was in my arms. Fast forward to my wedding day in 2004, and I just knew it wouldn't be long before I'd have a houseful of my own. However, it wasn't meant to be. Years passed, surgeries were had, every type of fertility method tried, many miscarriages, hundreds of shots taken, thousands of dollars spent, and no child to hold. It was devastating. Not only the pain of being childless weighed on me, but I could no longer bear to even look at a child. A mother speaking her son or daughter would rip at my heart. I clearly remember the moment when I was in a store and realized that even looking at a pregnant woman was too painful. That realization was like mourning a part of myself dying that I didn't see anyway to revive. After much discussion and heart wrenching prayer, we knew that our last two frozen eggs were our last chance. The morning of January 27, 2010, my husband and I began the 4 hour journey not knowing if the eggs would survive the thaw. On arrival the doctors told us that only one had made it. During the time I was having the transfer, a snowstorm hit. My husband drove the entire treacherous way home, past multiple car wrecks while I laid flat in the passenger seat. Well, it was well worth it, to say the least. In October of 2010, we welcomed our baby girl into the world. I can't explain the overwhelming emotion of kissing her face for the first time. It was truly magical. Looking back, THAT is the moment that drives my love for photography. In that moment, I was free to love, to hope, to hold a child, to think of the miracle of babies and all that is represented in a pregnant woman. I began the journey of learning photography from the very basics. I didn't even know how to hold a camera. I loved it from the beginning and absolutely love learning. I am an illustrator by trade, so I have the photoshop skills and creative mind, and photography has opened up a new world, a new LIFE to me. No, I do not have the precious photos of when my baby was newborn or even the first year, but now a day doesn't go by that I don't take photos of her. I now have a waiting list of families that want sessions from me. I am overjoyed at and obsessed with capturing the love, the bond, the closeness of a family. When I am behind the camera and I capture "that" moment - a newborn's twitch of a smile, a mother's hand holding her son steady, a father throwing his daughter in the air, the giggles of a sister poking her brother, the forehead resting on a grandparents shoulder - I know it. And it thrills me. I know that I, me, I, so lowly, have been privileged to freeze a moment that will never happen again. It is truly magical - just like the first kiss. It connects me back to that moment. I am able to feel her skin, smell her, realize answered prayers, feel life and it is soooo good. I can't wait to edit those photos. I have learned so very much in the past year, and it is largely due to the wonderful teachers and staff at CreativeLive. I can't thank them enough. I imagine a studio of my own and know it is possible one day. I am so passionate about photography that most nights I can't even sleep for visualizing a creative shoot, or my studio set up, or how I would market my photography business. When I show my photos, and witness a mother crying, tears in a father's eye, or the gasp of a grandparent, I know that me making a living one day from photography is more than a dream, I BELIEVE it will happen. Thank you for reading my story! Much love for what you do...

I have always been creative, free-spirited. I clearly remember my mom asking me on a drive one day when I was about 8 years old, "Michelle what do you want to be when you grow up?" I quickly responded, "An artist." Of course the age-old term of starving artist came up and my imaginative 8 year old mind had no clue what she was talking about. But now, several years later, I get it.

I went to school in 2003 to study graphic design. I wanted to work in the arts but had to pay the bills so it seemed to make sense. I went though college, of course excelled but something was always missing, I didn't LOVE what I was doing.

Fast forward, I graduated college in 2008 with a BFA in Graphic Design. Now what? In my eyes and mind I had this degree I paid good bucks for so I HAD to get a job in that field or it was all a waste. I applied for jobs, toted my portfolio, worked hard at it but nothing ever came of my efforts. I finally decided it wasn't meant to happen for me and decided I wasn't good enough. I moved in and out of other jobs believing I have to be meant for something greater than being a floater in the working world. I have to be able to find happiness in my work somehow, somewhere. What's the point in wasting your time and your life doing something you hate? "living for the weekends" as Marcus stated, and dreading Sunday night.

In 2010, I was laid off from my job 28 days before my own wedding. This was a blessing in disguise. I didn't know where I was headed but, I knew it was somewhere spectacular. Just like you, I felt free for the first time, like I had been released. I had enjoyed planning my own wedding and designing all the intricate details that I thought to myself, "why not get into the wedding industry?" I toyed with the idea of starting my own business in event planning or something like that and it just didn't seem like that spark I was looking for. Wedding day came and I clearly remember standing in the hotel room being tied into my dress and chatting it up with my photographers and I said to them, "I think I want to do something in the wedding industry I just don't know what." I will never forget when one of them said to me, "You would be great in this industry!"

That made such an impact on me I decided to ask to go on a wedding shoot. Ever since taking one black and white photography course in college I had been drooling over someday getting a DSLR. I finally took the plunge and bought my first DSLR with it's stock lens and ventured out. I fell in love. I came alive when that camera was in my hand. Everything just seemed so right. I remember coming home and talking my husbands ears off! I told him THIS is what I am meant to do. THIS is where I want to be. I need to become an amazing photographer and I will do anything to get there. I couldn't get enough!

That was nearly 3 years ago and here I am. I left a "pay the bills" retail job in January 2011 shortly after finding out we were expecting our beautiful daughter who is now 5 months old (and knows the camera VERY well already) and haven't looked back since. I now have what I can call a thriving and always growing wedding photography business. I have big dreams for my family and my business, some for the near future and some down the road. I know I will and can achieve them because for the first time I confidently believe in myself that I am great at what I do and I am where I am meant to be. I get to stay at home with my wonderful daughter and watch her grow everyday and we get more family time because I'm not sitting at a job I absolutely despise.

I expect the challenges along the way and embrace them. The day that there isn't something to learn, where I am not growing from every experience, is the day I throw in the towel. But I know that day will never come! I absolutely and honestly love what I do! Photography is my true passion and I feel so blessed everyday to finally be doing what I love. I can call myself lucky because I found that one thing in life I love so much that I don't even consider it work when I do it. I live, eat and breathe it, always wanting to educate myself and learn new tips and tricks. I try to always bring that carefree, imaginative sprit and flair that was caged in for so long with me to every wedding and session I shoot because when I throw myself and my personality into it, I get my best work. I will always call myself an artist, always growing and learning from ecery experience. I truly care for every individual and couple I work with because I remember what it was like to be a bride. I feel their emotions and I work hard to bring those emotions into telling the story of their wedding day. I am there with my couples every step of the way.

Now, living for the weekends has a whole new meaning. It means I get to follow my dreams and live my passion out in full color. I look forward to every wedding I book because to me, every wedding is a fresh canvas, a chance to learn and try new things, meet new people, and create more beautiful images for another great couple. It's another step in my wonderful journey of life. I am an artist and my medium is my photography. My story is one of overcoming oneself, of courage, and having the confidence to refuse to settle for anything less than my true calling. So when asked if I want to be a starving artist, my answer is no. I want to be a thriving artist, one who whole heartedly puts 150% into everything she does. I truly believe I am there.

But in all seriousness, before I get into the meat of this post, I just want to thank Marcus and CL for teaming up to bring such amazing, inspiring, and game changing education to those of us who can't afford those $2,000 workshops. Thank you a million times over.

I distinctly remember that my initiation into photography was a pink kodak 110 camera that I got for Christmas in 6th grade so I could take pictures of my friends at school and the boys I like. I always bought ISO 100 or 200 film cause it was the cheapest, and ISO 400 was considered luxury, and only reserved for special occasions like field trips, or the last day of school. I remember the excitement of taking my film to be developed and waiting like 3 days in crazy anticipation of all my awesome photos, only to get 24 (plus doubles) of dark, or blurred photos. Then I remember how the 1 hour photo labs rocked my world in high school.When I turned 16, I got a job at Walgreens, and I finagled my way into the 1 hour photo lab, and I remember LOVING it. The chemical smell of toner, the people who would drop off their film with excitement, and seeing everyone's pictures as they developed and printed out of the machine, I loved looking at people's stories.

Anyway, In college, I graduated to an SLR. I mostly took snapshots and that was pretty much my thing all through my adult life. Auto settings, snap. snap. snap. Book on photography. Darkroom class.

I graduated college with my business degree and got a job, then another job, then another job. Much like Marcus, and probably many others, I found myself hating my job. Empty.

Over the years, I managed to get into photoshop, I learned it and was savvy enough to make myself look better in photos, and that's about all I used it for.

Once I had my oldest son, my life completely changed. I didn't want to work my life away while others raised my baby. I wanted to live my life my way and be there for all the good moments and bad moments in this boy's life. I finally got the courage to quit my job and be a mom full-time. Being a mom full-time was so much harder for me than working. I had to always be present, and accountable to this little boy. It was during this time, that I realized what a gift life is. I realized how fleeting life is, and how important those moments are. One day, I spied my son quietly sitting at his little ikea table, just being, and I realized I never wanted to forget that moment. So I pulled out my camera, and I found my passion. From that moment on, I decided I wanted to take more than snapshots. I wanted to record his life with the beauty and passion it deserves.

What inspires me and keeps me going is the incredible fullness, and true fulfillment I feel when I capture those moments, those true moments of love, connection, or emotion that should be remembered. I love printing those moments and looking at them, remembering, reminiscing on one moment that would have been forgotten, if not for that photo. I love seeing those moments in others and capturing their glue, their bond.

Photography is what I'm meant to do, because I suck at drawing. Kidding! It's what i'm meant to do because it feeds my soul. Because when I photograph others, I feel like I'm finally making a difference. I'm making something so special for them. When I'm at home, I'm recording moments for my boys to remember- to enjoy and pass on.

And with that, I'll end my comment with a link to the picture that did me in. When I took this, I realized this was what I'm meant to do. What I will always do. This was the moment I knew I wanted to be a photographer: http://paulinemckinney.com/wp-content/uploads/galleries/post-618/IMG_994...

Hi, my name is Betsy Snyder, I started simplytimephotography because the one thing we all need is MORE time. For me, it is more TIME with my son, Chanse, that took his last breath in my arms. I gave birth to my 12 oz son, at 20 weeks, unexpectedly, and the one thing I have of him is a few snapshots taken with my husband 3 year old cell phone. I cherish these photo's more than anything and although they are not PERFECT, they tell my story and are perfection to me. This situation made me realize that capturing EVERY moment is so important because it may not ever happen again. I started photography as a second shooter for weddings and was immediately hooked! I LOVE the special intimate moments that happen all over at a wedding, the smile between the grandparents, a wink from uncle "Bob", a tissue handed to the bride from great aunt "Sally"....I see the beauty in it all, as simple as it may be and I want to capture it...every second of it and tell THEIR story! Photography is challenging, but rewarding and I promised myself that I would shoot from my heart. I am not a writer or a blogger which is rare for a photographer, I am a mother with a story that has a heart to capture other people's stories, as they see it through their eyes, because when you do this, it is always PERFECTION. Thank you Marcus for sharing your amazing heart and talents with the world. I hope to one day inspire others like you do! My sister and her husband wrote a song "fleeting as a feather" in memory of our son, which reminds me to cherish each day with my kids because life is fleeting and you never know when you may only be left with only a snapshot.

First I want to thank Marcus and Creative Live. This is such a fantastic course!

I have been pursuing my photography dream for a number of years. I couldn't afford a photographer when I got married 12 years ago so we had to go with the friend of a friend of a friend. The pics aren't bad, but I haven't looked at them since we initially got them back, there was just something missing. I knew at that moment I wanted to be able to capture images that take brides back to their day every time they look at them. So I started shooting weddings. And everything else I could get my hands on. Things had been progressing, referrals were continuously coming in, and I was slowly narrowing my concentration to weddings. Then my 2nd daughter was born. And I literally thought my photography career was over.

My baby, now 3, was born with Down's Syndrome. Doctor's of course did not paint me and my husband a pretty picture, and I began seeing a future with me caring 24/7 for a helpless child with a disability. Then we learned she was going to need heart surgery before 6 months of age or she would die. To say I was depressed is an understatement. I felt guilty every time I thought of my photography business. Now, let's rewind a to few weeks before she was born. My student worker was going to graduate the same year in December, so before I went on maternity leave we scheduled her session because I really loved this girl and felt no one would do her justice. So when she called me to say we did not have to do her session my heart sunk. I really wanted to give her a gift she would cherish for many years, so I made arrangements for a sitter and packed up my gear. When we met at our starting point and I began posing her, it felt like little by little tiny weights were lifting off my shoulders. When I got behind the camera, I felt like I could breathe again. I knew then that this part of me has to thrive in order for me to thrive. But the road hasn't been easy. My dad was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and we lost him August 31, 2012. I took so many portraits of him and I hadn't really paid attention to how many I did. How lucky we are that he was photographed by someone who loved him, images we will cherish as long as we live.

That is what this is all about. Leaving images that capture love. Connections. Once in a lifetime moments that we'll forever cherish.

Flora Padilla
www.florapadilla.com

From as far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by pictures. I used to help my mom sort and organize her pictures. I remember thinking it was important for her to tell a story, not just leave the pictures all mixed up in a box. And then for my 10th birthday I received a camera. That was the beginning of my passion! I have been taking pictures ever since!

It always brought me great pleasure sharing my photos. The anticipation of waiting for the roll of film to be developed was sometimes more than I could stand. Ordering two prints of each picture was my standard . . . that way I could keep one and share the other.

Years passed and I was still sharing. Family and friends stopped bringing their cameras to events/gatherings when they knew I was going to be there because "Elaine takes better pictures anyway". I beamed with pride the first time I heard that (twenty five years ago!)!

Life happened, my husband and I raised our family, I provided the pictures for all the sports teams my son played on . . . I continued sharing.

His senior year in high school I took him and several of his friends out on a photo shoot. We had a blast! The pictures were phenomenal (if I do say so myself). Not too long after that someone contacted me to do some family photos because they liked my style. Prior to that, I never even thought about having "a style". That was my aha moment. The door was opening and I liked what I was seeing.

It was difficult transitioning from "sharing" my pictures to charging for them. However, a phone call from a client confirmed I deserve to be charging a price. I had created a large canvas of her two daughters. She called just after giving the canvas to her mother. "Their grandma is crying. I am crying. We're all crying here. We had to put it on the wall right away. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" That phone call made ME cry!

I have had many clients since then. I know I am on the right track. The gasps I hear from my clients when they see their pictures, the heartfelt thanks I receive from them when they receive their orders, the variety I am able to offer them . . . I am confident I am finally doing what I am meant to be doing . . . perhaps what I should have started doing long ago!

Senior photos and documenting parties are my passion. Special times are worth remembering!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being able to provide memories on my clients' walls that they cannot get anywhere else! My style, my quality, my willingness to try something different ... my masterpieces become theirs!

I would be honored to win this incredible prize package! The idea of using each of the items to strengthen my photography business and provide my clients with even better images has me on pins and needles. I have very much enjoyed watching Marcus Bell on creativeLIVE these past two days and am excited to apply what I've learned...the biggest lesson being to "connect" with the client so that each photo can tell a story.

My name is Faith-Michele James and I'm a wedding & fashion photographer in Los Angeles.

My father was a photographer and I grew up around it, but didn't begin photographing myself until 2006, when I moved to Santa Fe to do some personal healing work and bought a camera to document my journey.

From the moment I picked up the camera, I knew I'd come home.

Over the next three years, I lived by myself in an isolated and very primitive mountain cabin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I used my camera to photograph the experience, but more importantly, I used my camera to photograph myself.

When I moved to Santa Fe, I was struggling to find my self worth and value in the world. I felt that I had none, that no one would miss me if I disappeared into my wilderness retreat.

But, gradually, through seeing myself in photos, I came to find my self worth and value in the world -- I came, in short, to know myself through my own camera lens.

It took me four years of learning, of photographing, of growing, to recapture myself. And when I did, I knew I'd found the most powerful tool for healing I'd ever discovered, and that I had to share it with others.

Specifically, I wanted to share the power of learning to love oneself with women who may feel ugly, unwanted, unloved and forgotten. Which, I've come to discover, is pretty much every woman to one extent or another, no matter how beautiful she might be on the outside.

I moved back to Los Angeles and now work as a professional wedding and fashion photographer. I bring as much of the fashion work into weddings as I can, because I see how the beauty and grace of fashion photography helps women to discover their internal and their external beauty on their wedding day -- to see themselves the way their beloved sees them and to believe themselves worth loving.

The most profound and sacred work I've ever done is the work I do every day to help a woman see that she is beautiful. To see her tears of joy as she sees in one of my photographers that she is worth of being loved.

There is no greater gift as a photographer than this.

Warmest,
Faith

My name is Joyce Wright owner of Aeternum Photography. I am a huge fan of your work. It motivates me to want to be better and always step up my game.

I begun my journey in photography through love. It sounds quirky but it is true. I had the joy of becoming a parent about 4 years ago. As I fell in love with my daughter I wanted to capture what I loved about her. As I clicked away trying to capture everything I loved about her I realized that I was falling in love with photography. It was just like the passion I feel about photography got birthed.

I am a sap for love stories. I get lost in the stories of how the couple met and what draws them to each other. Why the love about each other and what they love about each other.The mystery of love and it's complexity draws me in like a vacuum. I love to watch two very different families become one. This is what draws me to wedding photography. It is a magical time for the couple. It is the passing on of responsibility from the bride's parent to the groom. With an agreement usually sealed with a kiss two narratives of love become one love story. A new chapter begins and it is my job to capture their individual love stories and capture the birth of a brand new family.
The thing I love most about wedding photography is the joy of the day and capturing the love story as it unfolds. The most rewarding thing about wedding photography for me is being trusted with the most important day for a couple. I am always honored and humbled by that.

e-mail: aeternumphotography@gmail.com

I seriously started thinking about working on my photography about a year and a half ago when I shot my first wedding, but it wasn't until about 6 months later when I photographed a breast-feeding shoot with a new family that I knew I was hooked.

This moment sealed the deal for several reasons. First of all, I had the opportunity to be present for a very intimate moment between mother and child and it was absolutely beautiful--the love and tenderness just radiated. Secondly, the new family was a same-sex couple, with two moms. Being gay myself, I know that it can sometimes be hard for same-sex couples or families to feel comfortable showing love and affection in public. The road to acceptance by family, friends, and peers is often difficult, emotional, and painful. But at the root of it all they share the same bonds, emotions, and commitment to each other that straight couples do. Sometimes it seems even more powerful because in most places in the United States their relationship is not recognized by anyone beyond themselves.

When I photographed this family, I was struck by how amazing it was to see two people just BE. They were comfortable, they were relaxed and they let their relationship just speak for itself. I barely had to give them any direction--they just radiated in the moments, in each other, and in their son.

I realized then that there was magic in photography and I knew I wanted it to be a permanent part of my life.

My business today is still new and I'm still growing as an artist, but my commitment to providing a comfortable, safe space for ALL couples and families has not changed. Love of all kinds deserves to be celebrated and I hope to have the opportunity to capture those celebrations for years to come.

Jennie Crate
Green Blossom Photography
Denver, Colorado

I have had a camera in my hand since I was a teenager. Due to life struggles and the cost of developing I had to put it down and let it go.. For years I tried to find my way in life. No luck.I tried on many professional hats.I had to except the realization I was a photographer and I was pretty good at it.

I picked it back up in my late twenties photographing children and live music events. It wasn't until 5 years ago when I decided to dive into a side project photographing the 40's glamour and pin-up look. It was here I discovered who I am . I am a portrait photographer, I am a portrait photographer for and of women. I was put on this earth to empower women ,to show them through photographs how beautiful each and every one is. I cannot put into words how passionate I am about this part of who I am. I cry and my heart hurts when I talk to women who have no confidence in themselves, who don't feel beautiful or worthy . I show them who they are, I wake them up ,I make them feel beautiful and that is more rewarding than anything I can do.This is my life and this is why I am a photographer.

I have always been interested in photography and thought photographers had the best job in the world... they lived the “good life.” In high school, I remember friends taking photography classes and being jealous of them. My family thought those classes would be a waste of time and that I should be prioritizing other things/classes, so I never had the opportunity to take them. I have always been driven with academics so I could be successful. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree at UCSD and later even went on to complete my MBA. After finishing school, I was able to land a good job – a desk job. But I was miserable in my career and bored in life.

2011 marked THE BEST year of my life… my babies, who are twin boys, were born. They completely changed my life and they are the reason I was finally motivated to get into photography. I stopped worrying about money and success, and I started doing things that actually made me happy. I wanted my kids to realize they could do/be anything they want and decided to lead by example so they don’t make the same mistakes I did... like not getting involved with photography earlier. I no longer have a desk job and spend my days with the twins and studying/learning/practicing photography… and I LOVE it. About two months after they were born is when I bought my first camera and I haven’t stopped shooting/practicing since. I appreciate and realize the benefit to the education I have received, but I wish I didn’t make the mistake of not pursuing my interest in photography earlier and include photography in my studies.

The defining moment I realized I had to be a photographer was when I first started taking pictures of my twin boys. Capturing moments and memories, as they grow older, has been incredible – priceless. I realize, because of them, that I only got one shot at this life and I am going to make it the happiest life possible… not just for me, but for them as well. I know now that photography is the only path for me because I have never loved working on something more. I am proud to tell people about my photography and share it with them. Not only do I have a blast while I am at a photo shoot, capturing moments and memories, but I have fun editing those images and making them spectacular until the moment I am able to present them to a client. I love creating beautiful images… not just ones that I am proud of, but images that help others capture and relive special moments; just like the photos I cherish of the twins. I was inspired again as I listened to Marcus Bell talk about those feelings and moments we try to capture through photography. Marcus and photographers like him… the ones that understand there is a story, or a feeling, and/or a moment behind every picture that we can capture. There is so much more than a technical side to photography. Will I be a famous photographer some day like Marcus Bell? I have no idea, but I am going to love every (good or bad) picture I take and I am going to be happy doing what I love.

As a photographer I have made a lot of mistakes, but one of the biggest mistakes I made was not getting involved with photography earlier in life. At 30, I am truly so happy now doing what I am doing, I can’t imagine doing anything else. Marcus Bell said, “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes… where you make the mistakes is where you find the magic,” and he couldn’t be more right… I found the magic, and I am happy that photography is now a major part of my life.

Thank you Marcus Bell and CreativeLIVE for this amazing course!

- Derek Chad

Derek Chad Photography
Southern California, USA
https://www.facebook.com/derekchadphotography
http://www.derekchad.com
Email: derek@derekchad.com

I discovered photography "late" at the age of 46, when my husband bought a small 3.2 mpx camera for his work. Before that he was the "photographer " in our family with the analog camera which I was afraid to use and it was too expensive. I started shooting with passion with his little digital camera and very soon he was asking me to borrow him his camera. Before that, because I have a sick child, I was able to find on internet just about cancer and other other illnesses. Than I found a photo site, and said : this is a place where I will spend the time ...and so I started learning, watching others people photos, and after some time submiting photos. I made there many photo-friends and those friendships spread in the real life, too. In very short time photography became a very significant part of my life. I was shooting with passion... I even won a prize for one photo of my kids ....and than my husband for our 25th anniversary bought me my first DSLR camera. What a joy! I can't describe you my emotions and passion. After one year of "doing something for myself" I even won a "Photography Oscar" in my country in a very huge competition. :)..and till today several others, too. people started to ask me to shoot them, and I had occasions to shoot some weddings, too. I' very glad that my approach to shooting weddings is very similar to that that Marcus is showing on CL. I did it intuitively. I hate when weddings turn into photosession, and that is what most photographers do. I try to be invisible and document the emotions. I choose locations that mean something for that couple. I look for that special unposed moments...and I love doing it. :) I usually make a photobook in which I tell a story about those people and their special day.... Not many photographers are doing weddings like I do in my town. It is hard to break the learned expectations of people who "know" how wedding photos should be. My couples are all very satisfied with my work, after I explain to them how and what I shall do. I don't do it for living. I'm doing it for passion of photographing. Once a girl who saw my wedding book approached me and said: " You will shoot at my wedding!" I immediately took my notebook and asked:"When?" and she laughed and said:"Oh...I don't even have who to marry jet, but you will be shooting it one day! :) My knowledge about photography came mostly from Internet. A year ago I discovered Creative live and since than I've been watching and learning regularly many courses. Thank you CreatiLive, Marcus Bell and all other teachers.
Greetings to all of you from Croatia!

I started my journey in a hospital. I worked as an RN in a neonatal unit. Day after day, I witnessed the miracle of life. These precious individuals fighting for a chance to make it. As I cared for my patients, it was hard not to get emotionally attached. I would watch families come in and out during visiting hours, mothers nursing their babies, fathers holding the infants hand, everyone praying for hope. It was moments like these I wish I could document.

I would often find myself going home to my husband and crying, sometime tears of joy when a baby would get discharged and other times sorrow. One Christmas he presented me with a gift that forever changed my life. He gave me a beginners SLR (back in the day of 35mm film camera). He told me to use this gift to capture my emotions, and share them with others. Like any good mother/photographer who better to practice then but on my own kids. I would take my SLR everywhere with me, and take pictures of my children doing what they do best, being innocent, playful and most of all healthy. I would often share these images with coworkers to bring morel up when most needed. Before I knew it many of the other nurses were asking me to take pictures of their children.

Well one day I had a family in the unit that I had really bonded with, the parents had been through a rough few months. The mother had given birth to twins, of which one was born still and the other was fighting for life. I remember the joy in the father’s eyes each time he held his baby girl and knew I had to document this moment. I asked the father if he would allow me to take a few pictures of the baby the next day, and he agreed. I could not sleep half the night, tossing and turning as my brain went 100 miles per hour, I was questioning my skill level, my equipment, and my ability to take a good picture that would tell the story. As I arrived to work the next day, camera in hand, I was informed that the baby was in critical condition. When I went to check on the baby and family the father asked if I had my camera, he said he would really like a picture of his baby girl.

All the planning and preparation went out the window; I know I only had a short amount of time and limited space. No fancy lighting, no pretty backdrop, no time for all of that. I had to use the resources available, a heat lamp not only served to keep the baby warm, it also served as my main source of light, the green surgical draping that line the table would have to do as my background. Lucky for me I was shooting b&w 3200. I took about 6 images, some with the dad holding the little baby in his hands to showcase scale and perspective. I recall printing the images in a darkroom and feeling overcome by emotion as the image surfaced. The image of the baby resting between her fathers hands ended up getting published, and I won several awards when I submitted it to the local professional photographers association.

To tie the story together, I was recently asked to speak to a class of photographers at a Community College, As I was sharing this story with the class a young girl in the back row started to cry. I approached her and gave her a hug, she said "that was my sister, my parents love that image and have it hanging in our living room. It's the only picture we have of my sister." Needless to say tears started to roll down my cheeks as well. It's moments like these that remind me why I gave up nursing for photography. I am so privileged and honored to be invited into my client’s lives, to share their special moments and to know my narrative of the event will be around for generations to come. That young girl said “the picture you took of my sister inspired me to major in photography.”

Dianamiller.com

In few words, i've been searching for my passion for years. I'm 44 and found it. You might say, sad the years that had passed, I'm just looking forward knowing they will be great.
Guilermo Larzabal

PERSUING MY PASSION IN PHOTOGRAPHY

i have always wanted to do photography since high school and maybe before that too. i took a diffrent path thu and left home at 17 got married the day after i turned 18 , 3,5 yrs later he was killed on Christmas eve . i was 6 mons pregnant with our 2nd child. i was forced to keep my job witch i never wanted to do and its not my passion and raise my kids alone at 21, now that they are half grown i have since remarried and im ready to put myself out there and finally pursue my passion for as long as i can remember i have always had to take care of people and myself was always on the back burner. I have never been more happier in my life than when i'm behind the camera , i am so super passionate about photography!when i photograph a weddding i put my whole heart and sould into it and really want to do my best .

I first got into film photography as a college student in the late 1980s. I loved taking pictures, but found work in the darkroom to be tedious and overly time consuming. I mostly then took snapshots for many years before purchasing a digital superzoom camera in 2006. I was amazed with the capabilities of this little digital camera, and fell in love with photography all over again. Everything that I disliked about the film darkroom was no longer an issue in the digital darkroom.

Over the last few years as my capabilities improved, I gradually upgraded my camera equipment and software. I love that there is always something new to learn. After a successful photo session, I am so excited that I often have trouble sleeping. This past year I photographed two weddings. I was really nervous about doing so, but really enjoyed myself. The wedding couples were pleased with the results, which is what mattered the most to me. It also led to my being hired for another wedding later this summer. I hope to learn as much as I can between now and then.

I feel lucky that my regular job gives me opportunities to take photos on a regular basis. My dream, which I am actively pursuing, is to be able to make a living performing this activity that I have come to love so much.

My earliest memory of photography touching my life is of me as a little girl sitting on the living room floor going through picture recipe cards my Mom had and the feelings they evoked. I have since purchased a set of cards just to remember that moment and where my passion began. Photos have the power to take you back as music has the power to take you back to a moment in time, the smells, the feelings, the thoughts, to being 16 again driving down the road carefree, etc. It’s truly amazing and such a gift. They can take me directly into a life of someone else, their feelings, who they are. I’ve heard it said that a good book takes you to places you’ve never been. I think photography can take you to places you’ve never been and also back to places you have been. I may never have another two year old to hold and spin in the grass but I can look at a picture of a mom doing so and feel her sheer joy. Or see a picture of a man seconds before he is killed and experience the loss of his life. The pain he may have felt at that moment. Or see a picture of a child hours before she starved to death and grieve for the mother’s loss, for the loss of a beautiful child. A lack of pictures can be just as emotional. I personally do not have one picture of me with my family – ever. I recently realized how this has affected me all my life. Not one family photo to say, her I am with my Mom, my Dad and my brother. This is my family and where I come from. It’s as if a part of my life is missing or who I am is not recognized. Nor do I have a senior picture. Life hasn’t ended because of it but how often I wish I had them. On the other hand, sometimes a picture is all you have. I have ultra sound pictures that allow me to look back and remember pregnancies I’ve lost – that those intimate moments between a mother and child were real and it’s a way to remember that time we had together.
When you spoke Marcus, it’s as if you spoke to my soul. It’s exactly how I feel about the power of capturing moments, love, intimacy, no matter how subtle or for who. I cried so much listening to you last night. It’s the first time I have heard anyone speak in a way that touched on the power of photography, the passion for capturing moments and memories. The beauty and the emotion. As time goes on and things change, those photos will help people remember loved ones, friends, and that feeling, that joy in a way nothing else can. For that reason, I am constantly pursuing my passion. Whether it’s reading about the technical aspects, looking through hundreds of photos a week taken by others, taking photos and trying new things myself, watching creative live and various tutorials, trying to convince my husband that the expense of a full frame camera is really worth the investment, or just paying attention to what type of things may come in handy one day. Anything I can slip into my day because it’s the most touching thing we have here on earth other than our loved ones. It’s just part of my life – an enjoyable and much loved part of my life. I often wonder why I am so persistent to learn, why I’m so driven in this one area. Who creates a website and posts pictures so they are ready some day to go further with photography? Why do I LOVE to look at picture after picture after picture? I feel so strongly that I need to be better before I can even think of getting into the field of photography because when I do, I want to deliver! Not just pictures anyone can take but with a sense of responsibility to provide a blessing. It is serious what a person can capture and I want to be sure that I can adequately capture those. So I’m still on the road of acquiring and learning the technical aspect even after years! I hope to arrive soon to a place where I am competent enough to bless more people.

I grew up in Eastern Europe, in a small historic town. My mom was a single parent, widowed at a young age, and determined to be both parents and provide everything she possibly could. My dad was painfully missed, but still always felt close through the genetic gifts I inherited, the greatest of which were my artistic tendencies. My entire childhood was laced with enjoying art in many different ways, and searching for that one thing. The creative need was really like a little monster within me that needed to be satisfied or I just couldn't be happy. I enjoyed music, theater, poetry, writing and visual arts. No one thing stuck with me, and I was always wandering and wondering. Every once in a while I played with an old camera someone gave me, but it only had an auto setting and film was very expensive and just too much of a luxury.
Then, one day, I made friends with this American guy I was working with in my first "grown up" job, and we started going on photo outings with two cameras, one a film SLR and the other a digital camera. The creative possibilities, the fun and the joy were breathtaking. I loved every minute with a camera in my hands. I still did not dare think it could be a profession, it just sounded too good to be true. Remember the friend, the guy with the cameras? He became more than a friend and we were married a year later. He also kept telling me I had real talent and could and would be a photographer if I wished. I thought he was cute... and crazy.
It has now been 8 years since the first did-I-really-take-this-picture moment, and in the meantime, I never stopped shooting, never stopped learning and wanting to know more. I also got a job as a second shooter with a wedding photographer, then doing more and more weddings on my own and I am enjoying the ride more than ever. The guy is still here, and yes, he has told me "I told you so".
I see it as a huge privilege to have such an important role in these immensely significant events. Wedding photography has everything I want in a job: interaction with people, a fast pace, diversity, excitement, emotion, and of course, it feeds the monster and satisfies the need to continually improve and learn something new.

I have always been fascinated and moved by the visual arts. Great images and mediums that inspire, explore, that captivate. I got involved in photography as a way to escape daily stresses and be creative, along with painting and sculpture... but it was photography that gave me complete freedom to express how I saw life when ever I felt compelled, no prepping of canvases, no digging out brushes, no clean up after mucking around trying to best represent what inspired me. A few minutes of camera set up and off I go, creating a visual legacy. When I realized I could help others create a visual legacy too, I began to dip into wedding photography, while continuing to study landscapes, and architecture.
I become inspired when I spot all those elements that I love come together in one image that best shows the world the client's story. In doing so, I always get to show the world who I am too ;) Could it get any better?
Marcus, your process shown in this webinar has been very motivation and so transparent... thank you!

Do you ever work with off camera lighting for the family portraits post-ceremony?

My name is Charisma and this is my photography love story

Many times throughout my 44 years of life, photography has pulled at my heartstrings. The first time I remember really being drawn to it was in high school...back in those film days! I asked for a camera for Christmas and got one. It was a second hand Minolta and I had that camera for years. I played with it and took so many photos with it...just loved carrying it around with me and the feel of it in my hands when I used it. I believe that's where my addiction to the sound of the "click" when you push the shutter button, truly began! Sadly my life was not a very stable one and with many changes and disruptions I attended 11 different schools within my 13 years of lower education. It was stressful and hard with having to start over so many times at such a sensitive age. My main focus was on surviving... making new friends all over again and and graduating on time so that I could get free of all the drama that didn't belong to me... get a "job" and find some stability on my own! I was painfully shy with zero self esteem until high school when I started very slowly feeling more comfortable in my own skin little by little (completely comfortable there now! lol). Unfortunately... because I was never disciplined or guided much by adults towards the importance of pursuing higher education or a passionate dream... I wasn't very good at disciplining myself either. Don't get me wrong.. I felt loved.. very loved and had wonderful grandparents that provided the basics along with love but my mother was too young when I was born and it took her most of her life to grow up herself and heal from her addictions before she died at a young age of 57 and I felt like the mother most days. She loved me the best that she could but I was raising myself for the most part and often seeked out just escaping and finding comfort in spending time and partying with friends. I had a good work ethic and I've worked since I was 16 but I also worked to have fun and didn't push myself too hard to feed a passion or career with an education. After graduating high school I did enroll into business school for fashion marketing and management but didn't finish. A few years after that I decided to start feeding that photography desire and enrolled into a photojournalism course at the county college but along with that, it was policy to take all the other math, science, history classes.. etc. that bored me to death in high school so with my lack of self discipline again, it didn't take long before that was pushed down by my busy work and partying schedule. So I kept on waiting tables... hanging with my friends and just living day to day being young and in the moment for years and having some good times along the way... never really paying attention to the fact that youth doesn't last forever and change is inevitable! Unbeknownst to me.. things would be taking a huge life altering turn very soon! I went for a family visit down from New Jersey to South Carolina and met a cute guy! Yay! He was a musician and rode a motorcylce...pretty brown eyes and long brown hair. Instant swoon and chemistry... love at first sight for sure! Within the year we were living together and I had a bun in the oven..OMG... How quickly life can turn on a dime! I was 26 years old and would be 27 for one week before the birth of my beautiful son Lucas. With baby on the way I was excited and joyful and filled with anticipation and inspiration that I could do anything! So once again...I returned to that constant quiet hum in the back of my heart and I sent away for a mail order-... earn your certificate at home photography course. Oh so very different times then without computers and online courses/workshops! I did complete the majority of the course but still... never finished as my son came along before I could and what can I say... he became my sun, moon and stars and he was HARD WORK! Harder than any job I'd ever had and because I had to go back to work to help make ends meet...there wasn't much time for "me" in that mix of adjusting to new motherhood and working... so... once again... I put my dream on hold... for a long.. long time.

I know many people have children and go to school or work a career at the same time but life was just throwing change after change my way and honestly..I just had to forget about photography... at least for the time being and focus not only only surviving but surviving in a way that was completely different and more stable and consistent for my son than what I lived as a child growing up. It still didn't get any easier for a long time because after we moved back down south when our son was only 10 months old.. it wasn't long before his father and I split up only three months before he turned 2 years old and then I was really on my own! We moved an hour and a half away from his dad to where my family lived (he and his dad spent every other weekend together until sadly he died last year) so with that distance...I truly was a single mother. I slept on a cot with his crib next to me in my aunt's dining room for 8 months because she didn't have a spare bedroom. I worked closing the restaurant most nights and then up a 3 am, 7 days a week to deliver newspapers and then back up at 7/8 in the morning to be a mom...then back out to the restaurant by 5 pm to start all over again. Talk about overwhelming exhaustion..truly one of the hardest times in my life but I was determined to get a place of my own as soon as possible and to keep moving forward.

I found a great townhouse right there in my aunt's beautiful neighborhood and my son and I lived there for 5 strong years before we moved to where we are now in Charlotte NC. I always worked at night before he was born and then after so I could be home with him during the day and as he approached school age I started thinking about what kind of work I could do during the day while he was at school so I could be home with him after. Without much education I didn't have many options so I decided to start my own cleaning business. I recruited a few of the regulars that frequented the restaurant where I worked to get started and my cleaning business "Dust Bunnies" was born! It grew from there but I never really wanted to hire people so there was only so much money I could make doing it by myself but that's how I liked it. It afforded me the flexibility to be home with my son everyday after school and give him the stability and solid ground that I never had. Once we moved to Charlotte...I continued my cleaning business and to this day still do it part-part time, working my way out slowly as I build my photography business. So...that adds up to a lot of scrubbed toilets...about 14 years worth and I am working my buns off to get out of it and into my passion of photography full time!

It was about 4 and a half years ago when I was cleaning a house when it hit me so hard....how time flies and realizing that my son would be starting high school and then in no time I would be empty nesting with him growing up and going on with his own life. I became so emotional seeing myself stuck in this monotonous...robotic.. boring cleaning business with zero room for growing or learning all the while taking it's toll on my body, mind and spirit along with the added empty nesting! The thought of it was too much to bare and I found myself crying in my soapsuds right then and there and couldn't stop sobbing! Something had to change! I decided in that instant to take my life in another direction and get back to my original love! I am and forever will be, grateful to God for the blessing of having my own cleaning business that provided me a way to support myself and my child with financial means as well as the flexibility to be there raising him my self without need for daycare and the expense of it but I still have many working years ahead of me and I do not want to spend the rest of my life wondering what I'm capable of.... what could have been! I have always been a artistic person with the need to create... I was made for so much more! I've spent the last 4 year studying..researching..taking classes and workshops.. shooting and building my portfolio.. figuring out where my love lies within photography. I love life... I love "love!" Love of family... love of children... love of self and what better way to show love than through capturing moments of life and love through my heart with my camera! Weddings couldn't be a more perfect place for that expression! I have only shot two weddings so far on my own but I'm on my way! I've done a ton of portraiture work thus far though and it is priceless work and so worth the hard work commitment! I still have much to learn and much to do. The art for me comes easy the business part is hard is hard...the hardest thing I've ever done and raising a kid alone is super hard! It's also a process..always a process but one that is so very worth the struggles, challenges and rewards! I'm so hard on myself and I'm my own harshest critic but I promise you... I've become much braver now and my life is so much richer and fuller since I decided to take the leap and follow my heart!

I wish I stuck with it when I was younger...I can only imagine where I would be with it now but for some reason it wasn't on my path to do so and so what! I'm not going to beat myself up over it.... so I'm a late bloomer! Better late than never right and I get to show my son that I will not wither and die in a passionless job for the next 25- years but I will work hard for something to feed my soul with what fills me up...challenges me and pushes me to always learn and grow and change! I want the same for him! He has always seen me work hard at a "job." Now he will learn from watching me strive for my dream! I am just so proud of that! CRYING IN MY SOAPSUDS OVER A LIFE I WISH I WERE LIVING....IS JUST NOT AN OPTION!

Thank you so much for this opportunity to share my love story.

Charisma Howard
www.capturecharisma.com

does Marcus always go behind the bride when she and her dad are walking up

I don't have a story of how I knew I was a photographer since I was a small kid and held a camera. I found that calling in adult life.

I can’t remember that pivotal moment that spoke to me that I am destined to be a photographer. It was an unplanned and random moment. One was looking for a wedding photographer and someone recommended me seeing some of my previous shoot from being a volunteer wedding photographer doing it for free for relatives. Not with the intention of ever becoming a paid and professional photographer.

In my case, I do not consider my beginnings in photography as something epic. I do dwell more on where I am now and how I got here.

Yes, I took pretty pictures and they got noticed long before I got commissioned for weddings. Now I don’t feel any longer that I take pretty pictures, rather I create pretty pictures. More importantly I create experiences, preserve memories and give my clients immense joy.

The pursuit of light, the deliberateness of the frame and the overall knowledge of the whole customer experience is differentiating my present photographer me to the past photographer me.

Many times, I have changed course in my life, because I was never satisfied completely on those endeavors. Photography fits me on so many levels. I am geeky and technical. I am an accountant who loves managing her own business and dealing with numbers. I have always been a creative person and has tried a lot of creative outlets and excelled in them. I am also a people person who loves to help and make others happy. I am detail oriented. I am constantly hungry for knowledge. All these pieces fit so well in my puzzle of life.

I love preparing for a shoot and going the extra mile to pre-visualize the shot. I jump for joy and get all giddy when I come up with concepts that are not the same route as most of the photographers in my area comes up with. And more importantly, the best feeling is when I show the couple the areas (they don’t live in the area of celebration) I scouted and they say that they feel that I am doing all I can to make their day perfect. Imagine that. Me as a photographer can have the impact to perfect their day.

I haven’t had many weddings yet, but in two of them, I took the initiative to photograph important persons in the life of the groom. These persons passed away not long after the wedding. This further strengthened the feeling that what I am doing is important and that I have a strong empathy that is needed in this type of photography. I knew the value of what I was delivering beyond any currency.

So to where I am now. My life is a total mess at times. I want to be good at so many things at one time. Our current economic situation (recently got swindled), won’t let me do this for a full time right now. It feels heavy having to manage two full time careers as well as full time mom to a little two-year-old boy. One thing I know though, in spite of experiencing fatigue and depression at times, photographing gives me a relief, a feeling of usefulness and gives me a boost of self esteem at times when I am running low. And as client drives me to excel in my field, my determination also of leaving something behind that my son can be proud of, pushes me onwards with a strong force.

I was scared, intimidated, and self-conscious.

I didn't start my passion for photography since I was a child. When I was growing up in the Philippines, our life was tough and poor. My parents separated when I was young and my mom had to fly to the US to support us. So, growing up, I was taught that I have to study really hard and have a "REAL" job. To be a doctor, or a lawyer, or accountant; jobs that make a lot of money so I can help my family get out of poverty.

Because of the pressures of poverty and my family's expectations, it led me to take chemical engineering as a degree. Before I started my senior year in college, my mom's petition for us got approved and we had to fly to the US to be re-united to our mother.

When we arrived in the US, initially, I wanted to figure out a way to finish my degree. I worked hard for all my transcripts to be evaluated and transferred so I can go on and have a "REAL" profession. To my surprise, my four years of undergraduate study was never credited. I was devastated! I didn't know what to do. I was lost.

Back then, I just worked to try and save money so maybe I can just go back to the Philippines to finish my degree there. But for some odd reason, I bought myself a camera, a Canon 50D. I shoot special events in my family and just about anything I do.

My boyfriend suggested that I take a class to learn how to really use my camera. At first I didn't like the idea because I was angry at the whole educational system. But eventually, he convinced me to do so. I took beginning photography and I was glad to learn so much controls in my camera.

One class led to another, a scenic photography class. I loved it, I loved taking pictures of landscapes and even night photography. I loved taking pictures of me and my boyfriend in different places we go to. Then I realized that I can incorporate portraits and landscapes by doing outdoor location shoots. I was shooting for free for my friends and family just because I love doing it.

It was when I got married that it sparked my passion of wedding photography. The joy of the wedding day and the intimacy of my marriage led me to think about being a wedding photographer. I quit my job last year and started my business.

I didn't realize that all the struggles with my college education became a blessing in disguise. A change in my career that I never expected, but am dearly grateful for.

My business is just starting out, I am struggling to get my name out there. Right now, I am still scared. I've only done a few wedding on my own and I am barely making a living. To be honest, I get discouraged once in awhile. Sometimes, I think to myself "I shouldn't have quit my job." But, whenever I watch creative live, I get encouraged all over again.

I know I need help, But I am determined, and I know that if I continue to pour my love into my work, it will all pay off. Photography is a "REAL" profession and I can't wait for me and my start out business to grow.

Chris Paragas
The Creations Photo
http://www.thecreationsphoto.com/

First off, I thought it was neat that we both had "impressions" within our photography name!
When I lost my job back in 2010, I jumped into photography and made like a sponge for every piece of information, classes, courses that I could find. Being that I was unemployed meant alot of these were free. A great big "THANK YOU" to all the professionals that are willing to share and teach. Your knowledge and inspiration are very much appreciated.
My love for Equine since I was a young girl lead me to be owner, rider and volunteer which also led me to a passion for photographing them in every discipline I could find.
Starting out my business with this foundation in mind, I found that friends and clients were asking me to photograph for them outside of my comfort zone. Oh, the butterflies that I remember when I stepped into photographing the first small wedding, could I remember all my settings, how would I handle equipment problems, would I be able to remember the names of people in the wedding party, what would I do if I damaged or lost cards full of photos from the day....it was like a nightmare !!!!
But, after that day coming home, feet tired and exhausted.....I was still so full of joy and excitement to upload those photos and start to work. It was like a driving passion within me.
And after each wedding or photo session I have now, I still go back and look at my work from the early days and I see how much I have learned and just how much I have improved. It makes me Proud :)
But, I know there is still a huge multitude of knowledge out there still waiting for me to soak up and take in....We are never too old to learn something new and I am still just a tadpole at this stage in my photography.
Thank you for all the beauty you create for this world we live in!!

Sherri
www.impressionsonourhearts.com

Hey Marcus and creativeLive, I just wanted to thank you all so much for this great course. You all do amazing work, and are a huge influence in supporting artists everywhere.

My story is one of continuing amazement... at least I think so :)

Like many photographers I started off in a high school photography course, photographing the art student's portfolio pieces and fun night scenes. From my activity with photography in high school, I was fortunate enough to be selected for a mentorship program with a local professional, to learn more about the business end of running a photography company.

I continued to study photography in college in New York, and spend one of my Summer breaks, traveling up the East coast of Australia on a month long photo excursion that started in Brisbane. We traveled up to Darwin, then down the red center to Uluru. Of everywhere that I've been in the world, I can honestly say that Sydney is my heart! But anyway, back to my story... A

During college I was working as a carpenter to pay for tuition, and I continued to work in construction for 7 years after graduating, while keeping photography as my side job. Finally in November of 2011, I found the courage and encouragement (given lovingly by my wife, Cassie) to go full time with my passion.

After working for numerous other photographers over the past few years, and doing everything that I could to break into the world of weddings, I am sitting here extremely happy to say that photography is no longer just a side income for me. It is my absolutely passion and I have reached a point where I will never to have to work another day in my life. I just have to photograph people on the best days of their lives, and capture images that they will hang on their wall and cherish forever. We are the luckiest people in the world.

I am also very excited to say, that my company is growing incredibly fast, and brides are absolutely falling in love with my images. I'll be sure to stop Brisbane when I have my first Aussie wedding. I'll bring some Cooper's Sparkling Ale or VB... just let me know what you'd prefer.

Thanks again,
Josh

Cuppek Photography
www.cuppekphotography.com

Where does start about self, I was given a Sony A560 camera as therapy, to deal with my 27 years in the Military.In the field and countless Battle champagnes to help with My PTSD and losses, As I grow and learn life, a picture is fresh life in the moment of time and tingles of goose bumps, in all a camera is showing me the light of life ones again....

Mark Wilkins

A Heritage of love, art and passion…my story.

Photography is something I have had a passion for from a young age. Over the course of my life I have always emmerced myself in all things to do with art; school musicals, painting competitions, music, and high school photography projects. I love art, and it is something that in my family is a common joy and passion, that most of my family has pursued at one point in their lives.

My heritage of love, art and passion for people stems and ultimately starts with my great grandmother.
Roberta Vivian Adaman Lumley Fisk, or "Berty" as she was known to many, was forever teaching, loving and inspiring those around her. She was a woman of faith, an accomplished artist, and poet. She spent countless hours teaching me to oil paint and learn the true perspective of what it means to "capture" the heart of a picture. I remember fondly the days when she would sit with me on her lap, paint brush in hand, being patient as can be to teach me where a shadow should fall or where the light should touch the subject. Her heart is what evoked my passion for the arts…and alas my heart began to bloom.

As I look at my family tree, and those that are ever present within my life both now and in the past, I see how art and love for others is and has been a continually vibrant part of each of our hearts. Always changing, growing and learning and morphing into something more beautiful than it started out to be.

My grandmother is an accomplish pianist and painter, she played piano every Sunday morning at church, and taught me how to play. I have so my sweet memories of myself and my family sitting around the piano, singing at the top of our lungs and the laughter that would ensue after each song was sung.

My father has an eye for design, he is a true entrepreneur, he loves drawing and painting, and loves to do interior design. He is the true encompassment of what it means to be a dreamer…he has always encouraged me to run with my dreams and for that I am so thankful.

My uncle and brother in law are a graphic designers and have a great eye for all things design, both have helped me to develop my brand within my photography, and have given my great amounts of insight into my equipment and how to use it to the best of my ability. Many of cousins have a love for photography, and my one cousin Kim runs a successful photography business in Texas.

And then there is my mother…my best friend, my mentor and a woman how inspires my me on so many levels. She is a beautiful musician, a singer and song writer, her heart overflows with goodness, and the blessings of having a solid heritage to stand firm on.

I have been blessed with two beautiful children and a husband who loves me. They keep my smiling and inspire me to capture the sweet moments in our lives that shape who we are and where we have come from. Needless to say my passion for music, art, painting and photography run thick through my veins and truly come from deep within me.

Since officially launching my business not to long ago, I have been given the greatest gift, to incorporate my passion and love for families, art and photography into my every day life. My family have showed me that I can pursue my love for art while fully balancing the responsibilities that come with being a wife, and a mother.

I want to be able to invest in my children the way that my mother invested in me. I want to be present in their lives, all while not losing who I am as a person and the things that I love to do. Photography is an avenue that let's me accomplish all of these things. I am able to be a support to my husband, a mother to my children, and also run with my dreams and capture life beauty. It is a complete and utter blessing to be able to be home with my children. I am able to share in the many milestones that my children experience and be present as an example of what a loving family looks like, while also showing them the importance of doing what you love and following your heart.

All that to say there are so many elements in my life that have contributed to where I am today as an artist and photographer. I love being able to take what I have learned from each of my family members and ultimately my life up until now and inspire my clients and in turn show them the LOVE and JOY that is contained in those moments between their families through the beauty and faith that transcends from a single photograph.

I love photography and light it shines in so many of our lives. My camera is always with me, because it is in those pure moments that we truly begin to shine.

From my heart to yours.

-Destiny Wentzel
destinydawnphotography@gmail.com

About a year and half ago, I looked at my husband and I asked him, "What am I truly talented at?" After a blank stare from him but a loving blank stare (lol), I realized that I need to start working on myself.

I have always gotten down on myself about everything. I over analyze my looks, my talents, and my skills. I judge myself, sometimes, too harshly because of the way I was brought up. I remember my family always being good at something, something that made them stand out and be asked for help. And I remember me, not contributing as much. Unfortunately, my lack of talent gave me less and less drive at life. I never gave my all into much.

I met my husband at 14 years old and fell in love from the moment I said hello. Fast forward 8 years and we are married with two amazing children. Last year, my husband talked to me about starting up a photography business because he absolutely loved the camera and all of it's different techy aspects. So I said "What the heck, let's try it!" And whoa, did I not understand what I was about to get myself into. I got a high from picking up a camera and working with different couples. I absolutely fell in love with getting to know their love story and display it beautifully through images. All those voices in my head were silenced by picking up a camera. All those negative thoughts disappear into a vast ocean of comfort and love brought out by the couples my husband and I photograph. I finally have something that people need me for, FINALLY! I finally found my calling, my life, my love.

Listening to your opening yesterday, Marcus, has brought me new comfort, joy and reassurance. I am silencing other doubting thoughts in my mind that tell me that I am not as good as the rest of the photographers in the world because now I know to not listen to what they think, it is all about what my clients think. The true satisfaction comes from when a tear is shed or a gasp is heard from my clients while looking through their images, that I took. THAT I TOOK. The "I" that always had self-doubt, discouraging words, and mean things to say about my life.

Photography has changed my life in ONE year and if it has only taken one year to change my life, I am SO excited for what is to come in the future when I learn to perfect my photography skills alongside the one person that did believe in me and my abilities, my husband :)

When I was in high school, my family spent a part of our summer vacation on a houseboat with my grandpa. I've been on many camping trips with my grandparents growing up and it began like many others, unpacking our sleeping spaces, pulling out the food and the water toys, etc. A minor difference that passed without much notice at the time was the moment my grandpa handed me his Pentax film SLR camera. I'd never used anything other than a point and shoot so my grandpa took a minute to explain the very basic information of how to read the internal light meter and the effects of changing the aperture. Then he sent me on my way for a week with what I would later find out was a very precious tool of his.

I spent the week snapping images of my sisters jumping into the water from the boat, the family gathering around the campfire, my baby cousin learning to pull himself up to a standing position, the moments I found special to me.

One day I climbed the stairs up to the top deck of the boat with the intention of shooting some landscapes and just as my view crested the top of the stairs I saw such a rare sight that I had thought it extinct. My grandpa was sitting in a deck chair, flying a kite. He was smiling. I silently crept up the stairs, positioned my camera, quickly set the exposure as he had shown me, and captured one moment that has changed my life.

You see, my grandpa had said goodbye to his life-long love several years earlier as she succumbed to the effects of breast cancer. He hadn't smiled since. I remember after taking that picture, standing there a moment, watching the joy that shone in his smile and wondering if, as he watched the kite sail through the blue sky, he was thinking of my grandma.

Several years later, I left my first semester of university where I had entered as a fine arts major. It hadn't been the experience I had hoped for. I moved back home with my parents and spent that Christmas with my family, which included my grandpa who now himself was dying from cancer. He left this world in the first hours of the new year. I helped my mom gather photographs from his lifetime to put together a presentation to show at his memorial service. What stood out to me as I sifted through photographs was how many of them included my grandpa with a camera around his neck or in his hands. Had it really been there that often? Not long after the memorial service my mom told me my grandpa had left me something in his will. He left me the same camera he had placed in my hands just a few years before. Not only that but he left me all of his photography equipment! Rolliflex, Pentax, some German camera I can't pronounce and an old medium format camera among others! This gift had me thinking about the joy of the moment my grandpa had smiled and a photography school that had been in the same town of the university I had attended.

That summer, with the gift of some of the money that had been left to my mother, I attended the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. There I found my soul alive! I graduated from both their Summer Intensive and Digital Intensive programs inspired.

A year later I found myself with the opportunity to open business. As I hadn't yet chosen a specific discipline I felt specifically drawn to, I began dabbling in a little bit of everything. I shot triathlons, seniors, babies and eventually weddings. I fell in love with weddings because the emotion of so many moments in those days reminded me of how I felt taking the picture of my grandpa flying the kite.

Sadly, I find myself now with a closed business. My heart still longs for the passion I found in photographing weddings but I have run into several roadblocks. Like you Marcus, the business aspect was never a strength of mine and I too am mostly introverted. I also found myself struggling to keep up the quality of my work as my camera has given way to wear and age over the years, my software is outdated and I have never had the money to invest in upgrades.

You have so inspired me to forget my insecurities and just be happy being who I am instead of trying to be someone else and welcoming clients who want me for who I am and the style I have in capturing moments.

A new start. Now recently married myself and in a better position to dedicate time and finances to getting some updated equipment I'd love to start over as myself. I want to enjoy the day and share what I love and have clients that only expect that and not who I forced myself to be. Who knows, maybe I'll capture someone else's grandfather smiling for the first time in years. That's what it's all about anyway.

I am a wedding photographer based in North East Scotland, United Kingdom and i started my business in August 2010 after finishing college where i studied photography. I am a mum of two children and in an attempt to point my life in a better direction i went to college full time alongside working full-time, which meant lots of night shifts on the ward in my local hospital. The turning point for me was the summer of 2008 where i was working as a nurse in a high dependency unit. We had a particularly bad spell of youngsters in their late teens having bad car accidents, some of which died, and what i found most difficult was how traumatic a time this was for their loved ones, thinking of all the things these youngsters had ahead of them and what could have been. Those few months were so hard to cope with that I decided there had to be more to life than my feeling the way i did that summer. Therefore, in a rather naive dream, that i could become a full time wedding photographer i went off to college. I absolutely love photographing weddings and had no idea how addictive it would become. Im like a child at christmas when i load up the CF card to my computer to start playing with the images. I still work as a nurse part time and do my photography the rest of the time. I was probably too optimistic that i could do it full-time but Im so grateful for how fulfilled it makes me feel. I too have found that i underprice and overwork myself, but as much as i would love to do this full-time and for more money :) its more the love of what i do thats important. There is little else comes close to being trusted to capture the most precious moments of peoples lives.

Hi everybody, please let me share my story with you!

My name is Peter I come from Slovakia, you know that "small but great" country in the middle of Europe. Until about 3 years ago I was living a completely different life from that one I am living today. I was just traveling around Europe working as a seasonal worker at farms, hotels and restaurants. I always loved nature and I love to take pictures of landscapes, mountains, flowers and all the beauty that is surrounding us but I never thought to become a photographer because for many people, I think, it is just a wonderful dream that never come truth... but 3 years ago a miracle happened to me maybe just because I am a lucky person, or call it destiny I call it LIFE!

Well, in that time I was working in Norway in a small restaurant. Beautiful fjord scenery a lot of tourists and a lot of work.
One day came into the restaurant a woman. Very beautiful woman, smiling. She was enjoying her vacation for couple of weeks there and as she was a photographer we asked her to shoot some of our dishes to use it in our new menu. And right there that day it happened. We both did not know it that time, but somehow we both felt it. What I am trying to say here that we both found LOVE! We fell in love so strong that it has changed both of our lives. I moved to Brazil where Bianca is coming from, I started to learn how to shoot people and how to show their love in the images. Since then I fall in love once again... but this time with photography!

We are learning every day something new... about life, about ourselves, about feelings, about photography. I love my wife very much (yes we got really married few months ago, believe it or not) and definitely I love what we do! We really have the dream job but on the other hand don´t forget this huge responsibility that we have.

I am very thankful for what happened to me and I wish to all of you the same... to find LOVE!! which is the most important and the most beautiful miracle in our lives.

with love Peter and Bianca

Like many people, I've loved photography for as long as I can remember. I took event photos for the school year book. I tore out and collected pages from Rolling Stone and Vouge, not for the fashion but for the photography. My job in junior college was running the after hours dark room. It's been probably 15 years since any of my friends have even bothered to bring their cameras to a gathering or show if they know I'm going to be there.

But somehow I allowed the world to subtly, quietly convince me "photographer" was not a job. So I spent 11 years in and out of higher education. Saving money at a 'real' job, travelling and then the desire to learn always pulling me back to the classroom. I must have taken every photography class offered at 2 colleges at least 3 times as "extra curricular" filler classes. Because "photographer" was not a job. When people complimented me, my standard reply was "well, I don't have any talent but I do work really hard."

I moved to a big city, finished my degree in graphic design (art with a paycheck as we called it) and found myself a 'real' job in a cubicle on the 7th floor of a high-rise in downtown. I made excel sheets. I optimized web graphics. I cranked out banner ads. 9-5. A gym on the 4th floor for employees. I couldn't wait to clock out every evening.

Then one Thursday afternoon I discovered creativeLIVE. I put it on in the background while "jazzing up" a powerpoint presentation for the sales team. Matthew Jordan Smith was no non-sensing his way through the basic concepts of fashion photography and I thought, incredulously, "Is this guy actually going through how to do all this, step by step?!?!" A little fire ignited inside and I was hooked.

For the next 10 months I checked out every photography book in the library and read them during lunch, brought my camera to work to shoot on breaks and I never missed a creativeLIVE. I put them on in the background in a small window so that I could follow along while still laying out Word documents. My co-workers started calling me the "Tutorial Lady" and every week that long lived passion kept growing. I kept hearing the words of encouragement from pros, the laughter of Susan and Kenna, the knowledge people were sharing so freely and then in late summer of 2012 CL had on 3 distinct teachers. Ben Willmore with his fun and adventurous Light Painting, followed by Sue Bryce's passion for changing how women see themselves and then Roberto Valenzuela.

I remember the exact moment. September 6th, Roberto was in middle of this intense Soap Box declaration about making excuses when he exclaimed, "Talent is an excuse we give ourselves for not being as good as other people. I don't believe in talent." I sat up straight in my chair, stared at the screen for a moment and began sobbing at my desk. Like really, uncontrollably, scare-your-co-workers, balling.

The next morning on my way to work I got an email notification that I had been selected to join Kevin Kubota in the creativeLIVE studio. I had no more excuses.
I met with my boss and said "Hey, so... um... I think I have to....I mean I REALLY, know I have to quit."
She looked at me and shrugged and said "Yeah, I hear ya. Gonna go be a photographer, yeah?"

8 days later I swallowed my fear, walked out of the building for the last time, hopped a bus to Seattle and started my life as a photographer.

I spent my entire childhood trying to figure out what I was good at, yes I could draw, but not amazing, I played sports and I was just okay, I definitely cannot sing, instruments not even close, but photography even when I was shooting in Auto and had know idea what I was doing I was able to get a good shot because I understood the way light worked. My husband bought me a Nikon D40 and I shot the heck out of that thing and yes great shots came out but nothing spectacular, it wasn't until my second son was born 18 months ago that I really started to study and learn how to use my camera, I still have plenty to learn, but I am happy to call myself a photographer and that is my talent. I had a wedding inquiry last October and I shot the whole thing for free because it was my first wedding all I asked was for her to compensate me for my rental equipment. I was just okay with my shots because my flash malfunctioned, but I will still able to convey the love and laugher that this wedding had to offer, and I think that no matter how the quality of the photo is of the moment, what matters most is that you got it. This wedding inspired me to do more because I saw how this family really cared about each other and capturing emotion like that of a wedding is hard to come by naturally. One image I took that was the very first request of the bride was of her with her bridesmaid praying over her before she walked down the aisle. Her family was trying to get out of the shot and make their way back into the church to sit down and so they opened the exit door that led outside and all this beautiful light poured in and I just knew that was my shot. I had her kneel down as her maids prayed over her, this shot was backlit and I just knew it would convey the feeling of angels surrounding her and this shot got me 5 wedding inquiries in 2 weeks, another shot that I took was during the family photos the bride just broke down and I could see the tears rolling down her face and she fell to her knees, I immediately grabbed this shot, her family apologized to me and I just told them please do not apologize for what is real, this is life and I am here to document it for you. This is when I knew shooting weddings was my calling, I love what is real. I immediately shared this image with the bride and she recalled what happend in that exact moment the second she saw it. That is an incredible feeling to know that she will remember that moment every time she looks at that image, that is powerful and pretty inspiring to me to capture moments like that from every wedding.

I am a student at Central Michigan University and kind of stumbled into photography on accident. My parents lent me their DSLR camera for a class that I took a couple years ago and I eventually adopted it as my own. I'm currently going for my Bachelor of Applied Arts in Two-dimensional Art and have always had this dream to get into animation. I'm very passionate about my dream and that's why Marcus' story really resonated with me. My family has not really been one hundred percent supportive when it comes to my dream, but I hope to one day express my passion to them through my work and make them understand.
My family is fairly large and ever since I was handed a camera, I've been designated as the family photographer. I just recently got into a lot of wedding gigs (mostly stuff for family members that I did for free) and I can't even express the joy I get out of capturing those moments.
At a recent wedding, the bride had hired a professional photographer (one with much fancier and more expensive equipment than my own) and I brought my camera along to see if I could help make the day more special for them.
I got a lot of really great shots in and learned very quickly that paid photographers really don't like you taking pictures along side them, haha. But there is one photograph that I took that the bride and groom were laughing and kind of embracing in. And I just remember how thankful they were and how they thanked me for taking pictures that day. I spent probably three days editing and such the pictures I took (over 500) and then I gave them those photographs via a social networking site. I know from experience that some photography studios and businesses take weeks to months to get you your wedding photos back and I know that the bride specifically tends to get anxious to see how they all turned out. So it was really great to have my photographs (that I personally loved) appreciated and to have the work I did on the wedding acknowledged. And I really think that the experience has really helped me improve.
Maybe that wasn't the greatest of stories, but I really just wanted to let anyone who might read this know that practice really makes a difference and you should just keep at it. Take it from a poor, college student! If I can do it and find passion in it, I hope you all do too. Keep on pursuing what you love- no matter what it may be.

I was just a young girl with big dreams and a serious picture taking problem! It all came to a reality when a boy trying to sweep me off my feet took me to Hawaii with 1 days notice (I've never been further than my home state California). We were there for 5 days and I had a small point and shoot camera (years ago), and I took over 700 pictures, and when I got home I realized I probably seemed insane to this boy. I guess I didn't want to miss a moment, or at least relive the moment after the fact. It was then I realized photography was more than an obsession, it was a passion.
Well, living in Southern California as a young 20's girl, income is not a choice, it is a necessity. And since I love people, especially the elderly I got a consistent paying job as a home health care aid for Alzheimer's patients, as I feel I have the respect and patience to work with this specific disease. And I really did love it! I love people! I brought my small digital point and shoot to a patient's house trying to capture the love I had for these people one day, and specifically one 90 year old woman that I fell in love with and cherish with my whole heart. I took some photos of this woman with Alzheimer's who was currently under the belief she was living in the 1940's. As you can imagine when she saw a digital camera she was absolutely amazed. Can you imagine a person coming out of the 1940's and seeing a digital camera! It was absolutely fascinating to both her and me!! So many things you so quickly take for granted about digital photography! I taught her to push the button and take photos of me and whatever her heart desired, it was the discovery of her life at the moment! And I found it fascinating to see through her eyes from the photos she was taking, looking through every photo from her point of view of what she saw in the world to be important enough to take photos of! That day was so much fun for the both of us, we laughed and I was honored I could make her day a little brighter! She believed she was my age 2. That afternoon I did her hair and make-up on my break, and we tried to take photos of ourselves, holding the camera out. Well, I showed her this photo of us together, and my heart dropped as she asked "Is that old woman me?". I suddenly realized the anxiety I could have given her and quickly answered, "Oh no, that is my Grandmother, isn't she sweet!". She smiled and believed me, and I quickly put away the camera, and went on with my job! This fascinated me, to even start to comprehend photography from the very beginning! It sent me into a whirl-spin of learning everything I could, not able to sleep because I felt like I couldn't learn enough fast enough!
I learned from my trip to Hawaii and the abundance of photos I took that I loved this! I learned about perception from this little old woman's photos I had her take, and learned that perception is reality! And I learned the knowledge of photography is never ending while teaching her about digital photography (the bare basic... literally pushing the button). But mot importantly I learned that photography was where I wanted to be in this world! I bought a cheap entry level camera with teh first spare couple hundred dollars I got. I wasn't afraid to look dumb taking photos of whoever I could, because I knew it would be the only way I would learn.
Well, a 7 years later I have started a business of my own, struggling and appreciated all the struggles because I know even my biggest mistakes will be my greatest learning experiences. I sometimes stay up all night still, just because I am on to something! Learning something new! I cannot wait to see where I will be in the future, and hope I give some people photos that will be cherished for a lifetime along the way!
xoxo
Michelle

My love for photography started with my trips to Europe from Canada as a teenager and then moved beyond travel into running photography, a sport I did competitively for 20 years, when my mum gave me her Pentax SLR to use. After doing my first wedding in 2003 with film, I moved to digital and slowly funded my purchases with a few friends' weddings and selling running and triathlon race photos. I realized how much I love the pressure of capturing real moment in real time, so that really drew me to weddings. In 2007 I realized I could make a proper business of this and decided to go all-in and switched to Nikon and bought the 70-200, which really gave me those 'wow' photos I wanted. The next wedding I did really spring-boarded my bookings and then next year I went up to 8 weddings. Then I had the luck of moving to Canberra, Australia for 3 years to follow my now-wife and things really took off. Now I live in Colorado and have to start my business for the 3rd time, but it's my love for connecting with people that keeps me going through a slower start here. You can see my wedding photography work here.

I was lying in a cold recovery room having just had heart surgery. The words of a former painting instructor rang through my head "there is no money in art, only art supplies." I was contemplating my future, as one does having just gone through a life changing surgery.
I was in the middle of a college semester, working for a cell phone company, fathering two young sons and trying to take care of my beautiful wife. I had a love for art and photography since carrying my dad’s old Yashica around on my hiking trips through the southwest. I had been shooting here and there with my Mamiya, trying to keep that love alive. And as I was recovering, I thought,’ is this my life’; struggling to make ends meet, at a dead end job, studying what I think I need to in order to take care of my family?
My wife and I talked the next day. She looked me in the eyes, said, “We don’t need money as much as we need happiness, whatever will make you happy, makes me happy.”
I wanted to be a photographer; I knew that is what would make me happy. It didn’t matter if there was money in this art or not. But, should I cut back on hours, as I build my photo business? I couldn’t. I knew that working for someone else would only act as a crutch. I would never be able to run with a crutch.
I called work that day and quit. I took the money that I had and did a last minute bridal show and never looked back.
Today, we now have four kids, a great business and my beautiful wife is now my business partner. Desiree, my wife, started as my assistant, changing camera backs and lenses, and taking care of film. While I was busy setting up photos, she saw all the moments that I was missing. It got to the point that she could no longer be my assistant. She had to shoot. I bought her a camera taught her how it worked and let her heart teach her how to use it. She still shoots from her heart and captures the moments that our couples cry over when they relive them through her images. She now has a deep passion for the art of emotion. And she expresses that through her photography.
That was 11 years ago we now shoot together, work together, laugh together and we have that joy that our life was meant to have!
Thanks for giving us all the chance to tell and relive our story, sometimes there is no better motivation, when one is in a rut, than to look back at ones own story and reignite that spark that started them on this journey! So again, Thank you!
Seth Jones
jonesphotoart.com

Well i am a student of photography my story is to long i came from a family that dont care about kids be on school i am from Mexico and we are not bless with the free school that we have in this wonderful country and i did t finish elementary not because i dint not like the school i dint have the money and the resources because i was just a child i start working really earlier in life i remenber working in a house of rich people and be amaze with the portraits on the wall this portraits made by the most prize photographer of this place i really love his work and there was the first time i remember love photography i grow up and the life bring me to this wonderful country i get married and buy my first film camera in a yard sale i was so happy thaking pictures of every moment of my baby there was the moment that the photograpy passsion return on me we are a hard workers my husband and me he love videography and all that we know is by online seminars and you tube now i start school in a try community of photography and i really happy getting crazy with iso and shutter speeds apertures lenses and all that nice toys i just want to add that wen i was child i didt have the oportunity to go to school but never is to late i feel so good for all the things and satisfactions that go to school give to our hearts and i am anxious to shoot my fist wedding sorry for my bad spelling and thank you Marcus because your words went direct to may heart ...

So, I started out in photography accidentally!! : ) My family had a musical band and we traveled the United States playing country gospel and Bluegrass music for most of my teen years up until I got married three years ago. Our bus broke down when I was like 17 so we stopped at a Walmart Tire store to get it fixed so we all just roamed the store trying to stay entertained while we waited to get back on the road again. I came across the photo department and they were having a sale!! I ended up buying my first SLR Canon Camera cause it was just too good to pass up and I had always been interested in photography! I then got so involved with my wonderful new film camera I took an online photography course and borrowed every book on photography possible and even had books borrowed from other library's in my state, until I had read them all in the course of a little over a year.
I was first interested in Landscapes and wildlife. I loved being out in nature and being able to capture a beautiful landscape at sunrise and then being able to share that moment with family and friends who don't maybe get up that early to enjoy it was wonderful to me! When family would ask to have enlargements made of my landscape images to hang up and enjoy in their homes I thought I had definitely found my dream job!
Then I met my husband and fell instantly madly in love!! : ) I knew in my heart he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with very early on in our relationship! ( He took a little longer!! LOL ) We had a very VERY tough relationship in that my family, namely my father didn't like my chosen boyfriend ( my first boyfriend I had ever had! ) in fact as time went on it became a horrible situation in that my father refused for me to see him, talk to him, or him be around my family. My family is old fashioned as is my husbands, but my father didn't feel that my husband was the one God had chosen for me to marry. To make a long story short, this went on for about a year and a half of arguing and back and forth with our two family's. I was 23 and my husband was 24 so we decided we felt it was indeed God's will for our lives to be married and start our lives together and that we were old enough to make that decision on our own. So when Jesse asked my father for my hand in marriage my dad said to do what we wanted, but he wouldn't give us his blessing. Growing up in a home where my Dad was my hero as a little girl and could do no wrong, my Dad is a very loving and gentle man so this was such a new side of him for me to see. I was very hurt and confused, yet I knew my father was just not excepting the fact that I was no longer a little girl and that he was gonna have to let go of me.
I had other family members supporting us both that knew both family's well ( cousins, uncles and Aunts ) so we went ahead and planned a small simple wedding in 2 months!
My wedding was the happiest and saddest day of my life as strange as that sounds as not a single member of my immediate family came!! ( Father, Mother and 6 brothers and sisters! ) Since the whole relationship had been so stressful and dramatic, my husband and I choose to not have a regular wedding so cut corners. Unfortunately one corner we choose to cut was to hire a professional photographer originally felt that why hire someone to take photo's when none of my family will be there anyway, I didn't want to have pictures that would bring back bad memories. So I had a friend take pictures using my equipment. ( As at this point I had a DSLR and was doing some portraiture photography in my spare time )
To end the story once again happy and sad : ) My family has now accepted my husband into our family with open arms and our relationship with them is totally fine! It took lots awkward visits and lots of time, but we are now comfortable visiting them and my husband and father now ENJOY each others company! Something I never saw happening! I am a very blessed woman of a wonderful husband I do not regret marrying and a sweet little 2 year old baby boy. : )
I started my business in wedding photography last year because of the emotions I now have looking at my wedding photographs. I hate them!! I almost cry every time I see them. Not because my family wasn't there, but because now that my family and my husband and I are getting along, I don't think about that pain as much as I thought I would when viewing my wedding photographs, I now look at them in pain because they are blurry, bad quality, bad lighting...etc Also there's hardly one good photograph of my husband and I! It was hard just trying to find a decent one to make the thank you cards. I don't have any pictures of my dress, details on the tables and so forth as the person I choose to be behind my camera didn't know how to run it! It's my own fault and now I will pay the cost forever!! I don't want anyone else to ever feel the pain that I do when I look back at one of the most important days of my life hardly even documented for me to remember! Now that the pain of my family is healed I would love to have some beautiful portraits of my husband and I on that day we fought so hard to have!! And that's what I try and explain to my brides... I will capture the little details and the emotion to the best of my ability because I know first hand how IMPORTANT they are and if they are missed they can never be replaced! It is our job as photographers to capture those memories and moments for the bride and groom so they will be able to look back at those beautiful images and feel the same love, emotion, and excitement they felt that very day, years and years later!
Sorry this was so long! End of my novel!! LOL

Hi Marcus. You are RAD! ;)

Like many others, my passion for photography began was I was very young. But, I was absolutely amazed at how a rectangle piece of metal could transform what I creatively saw in life and allow that to be captured on paper. It still, to this day, blows my mind.

We all have hardships in life and photography allowed for me to be able to express myself the way I saw it. I am a very visual learner. Growing up, when it came to the arts, I was overly thrilled. Finally, something I can do that would be all mine... no rules to follow, no real wrong way or right way. You could have an opinion on it, but it was ALL mine. My mom bought me Ansel Adams books, as he was one of my favorites. I could sit for hours taking in how his use of light created shadows and made you feel like you were looking at the most amazing image. The raw emotion of it. I became obsessed with trees... Sooo many pictures of trees. lol. Took as many classes as I could, joined yearbook and dove into the darkroom.

Life has a funny way about it though. I also played sports, and basketball took me off to college where I met my husband. And it wasn't until after the birth of my twins, that it hit me. My oldest daughter (2 at the time) and my newborn twins were hanging out on blankets in the backyard and at that moment it all came rushing back. I used grab a blanket and head off somewhere and just lay there, taking in all the beauty and learning how to capture different light with angles. How had I strayed so far from this? I immediately went out and bought a Canon Rebel and began to fully chase my passion.

My love for photography is deep rooted... I never stopped shooting, from college till my children were born, but I couldn't be as deeply connected to the passion of it because of my high stress job and constant go-go-go life. I decided to stop... and actually value life. The little things. And with that came all the emotion of my passion. Honestly, I am such a nerd about it that at times, it brings tears to my eyes.

I LOVE shooting weddings because it's the chance to tell a love story. Two souls coming together as one and making a new heartbeat together. It is a beautiful thing. The raw emotion of love. Nothing else like it. That is my passion and why I cannot stop. It stirs my soul. It is me.

Thank you for listening.
All the best,
Erin

I actually started out shooting wedding video's with the old super vhs cameras. I know I am dating myself. LOL! I loved taking pictures of all the special moments of the wedding day to add to the end of the video as a moments to remember segment. Those moments captured were moments frozen in time that no one could erase. I began to realize that my photography told a story. A story that was unlike any other story because each client was uniquely different. My clients loved the photos and purchased them usually with the comments "these are better than some of the pictures I got from my photographer." Many of them encouraged me to pursue a career in photography. And so I did. I started shooting with a Nikon FM2 film camera and shot weddings for several years on and off until my family was raised. As I was raising my children the love of photography was always a large part of my life. I purchased a cheap home studio kit and began taking portraits of my children, and anyone else I could get my hand on, for that matter. I never had any formal training but knew that life was a long journey with twists and turns that needed to be recorded. Preserving memories to say "I was here" was a documentation that had to be captured. I knew I wanted to be one of the blessed ones to be able to pursue my passion and tell all the wonderful stories that otherwise would not be told. I purchased a Canon 20D when the digital age came about and could not put it down. What better story to tell with your photography, than a love story on a wedding day.

What does photography mean to me? Photography allows me to show my interpretation of the world. When people look back at my work in years to come, they will have a better understanding of my perspective at that time. They will have an insight in to how I told my stories. How I made other people feel great about themselves. How I felt about myself. What my thoughts and opinions were. What I was interested in. How I saw the world. How my vision of the world created art, that was unique to my own style. How I grabbed my life with both hands and ran with what I loved most, in a direction that I chose.

My life is fuelled by the passion for creating a moment in time and freezing it forever. I am drawn to fashion photography and I am inspired by the creative freedom it allows you to have, telling stories in your own unique way. I love how fashion is constantly evolving and this forces me to adapt, evolve and continuously improve as an artist that lives in a dream world far from reality.

I took up photography as a hobby, when I realised I could express my real self artistically through this medium. I became a photographer professionally because people said that I couldn't. I am a great believer in chasing after your dreams and breaking away from the restraints of 'normality'.

I have this image of my mom. She's bathed in warm late afternoon light and reclined back on a sofa. Her long straight hair looks just like mine. She has a very slight smile on her face, but she looks tired. She's 8 months pregnant with me and has one hand resting gently on her swollen belly. I adore this image. I love being able to see my mom at such a time of anticipation. I can almost see it happening -- my dad behind the camera, her looking at him with a slight annoyance, and then finding that small smile. A time I never would've been able to witness without this photograph. When I look at this image (which hangs in my office), I look back at a time when I wasn't around yet. The early days of my parents' love for each other, their carefree lives before kids. When I look at this image I see my husband and myself now -- moving towards starting a family, happy, in love. I also see the life that is ahead of us by looking back at my own life. In this split second I see myself growing up, my siblings being born, family dinners, crazy years of everyone's packed extra curricular schedules, holidays, my high school bedroom, and moving out of my parent's house. I see the same story, but this time with me as the mom. A photograph has the power to take us back in time and forward in our dreams at the same time.

When I ask myself why anyone takes pictures (professional or not) I think of three things: to remember a fleeting moment in time, to capture something beautiful, and to show someone something that they missed. How amazing that the press of a shutter has the ability to do all of those things at once.

When I pick up a camera I try to remember this. That the shot of the bride and her dad walking up the aisle with tears running down both of their faces is not just for the two of them. It's for her children. To see how much grandpa loved mommy even way back then. That the picture of the newborn baby boy snuggling with his mom isn't just for her. But that when he's a teenager he can see how she felt about him from his very first moments of life.

Photography has a power unlike any other. Because in that split second of time that I'm pressing the shutter, I'm preserving history, capturing relationships. I am a memory keeper. I am so grateful for every moment that has been preserved for me to see. Those moments I wasn't around for...beautiful little snippets of my parents' life before me. And I can't wait to have someone capture my own pregnant belly for our little one to look at some day. This is why I shoot. Photography is love made visible.

Growing up I always loved art, and even though I had owned my own cameras (film and then digital), I guess I never saw the career potential in it. I went through high school taking every art class but photography, and then took off to university to become an art teacher. I quickly found out that I wasn't made to enjoy education like I thought I was, and that's when I was paired with a roommate who had a passion for photography. She showed me the ropes, introduced me into the world of portraiture, and I came to love it. I also came to love the idea that there was an opportunity for me to make a living doing something I really enjoy, something that can make other people feel good about themselves, and can bring joy into their lives. Now I'm in my third year of university as a Photography student, and I love every minute of it. The other courses are hard, but I know being here will help me gain the knowledge and experience I need to create photographs significantly better than when I started. I have yet to have the opportunity to photograph a wedding, but when I do I hope I will have the experience and courage to inspire, enhance, and maybe even change the lives of the people I work with in the same way that so many photographers before me have done. I take every chance to learn new things, and I'm so happy I found your workshop. Thank you for your work to inspire young photographers like me!

I am from Mexico city and I am not afraid to say that when I moved to NY city was really hard for me because I had no English at all and I felt like the doors are never open for people in my situation :( living in a basement with NO friends or family in the whole country you feel alone and desperate. I was working as a busboy in restaurants but I decided to be someone here so I enrolled a small photo course and I bought an used SLR camera, I start taking pictures everywhere and watching videos online and reading more and more. Ads on Craigslist and giving away business cards made me start my business now www.bluedoornyc.com. Now I have an small studio in Manhattan, my pics has been in pictures like "Life in a Day" by Ridley Scott and National Geographic, my pics has being shown in Museums in NY city, I've shooting events like Fashion Show in NY and a lot of famous people has been shot trough my lens :) etc.. My secret is to "practice, try hard and practice again, don't be afraid to make mistakes and fix them. Is not about the equipment you have.. is about the feeling" I am having an exhibition in Manhattan on February 11th.
God luck everyone.. Don't be afraid to make mistakes!

My godmother gave me my first 10mm camera when I was 10 years old. I remember running around and taking pictures of everything, flowers, bugs, socks on the stairs. Even then I knew I was telling stories.
When I turned 13 she upgraded me to a 35mm point and shoot. I now had a little bit more knowledge about film and used the camera to capture events, like my trip to Chicago to visit my uncle.
Later that year my godmother was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. I forgot about my camera. Looking at it was painful, knowing that I might lose her.When she went into remission, I renewed my love of photography and took a class. I sucked at the darkroom, due to a fear of chemicals. But I still loved it.
I planned to take more classes once I got into college.
My first week of college, my godmother passed away. I had a very hard time finding beauty in life, in anything really.
Many years passed. I met my husband. My husband designs video games. He told me he wanted a husband and wife team that developed video games together. I had no graphic design ability, and though I had learned to tell stories through a written medium, video game stories are a dime a dozen. I offered up an option. What if I rekindled my relationship with photography and used a photographic and video based medium to create a video game. That game was released in 2009.
In order to pull off the game I needed to hire actors and models. It was actually the models who encouraged me to get back into my photography in a more profession way.
So now four years later I no longer work in a job I hate with people who I can't stand, but I am building my photography business with the encouragement and support of my husband and my clients.
I sometimes think about how my godmother used to tell me I could be and do whatever I wanted and not to let anyone stop me, and that she would always support me. And even though she never got to see me arrive here, I think she was maybe the biggest part of how I got to be here.

I am a honest to goodness storyteller. I have been writing, telling and illustrating my tales for the past 22 years. Good grief, I should be sitting down! Photography, well that's something that like storytelling happened to me one day. Through developing a stationery line to sell on the internet, I purchased my first 'moving' camera three years ago. By moving I mean it actually had a manual setting that I could move the dial to. I taught myself how to take the best product photos I could.
Then as is the tale of my life, I happened upon a website called 'Creativelive' and a world of professional photographers was open to me. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, hearing and most importantly feeling. I was eager to develop a higher learning about photography and Creativelive became my university.
My teachers were the world's great, Bambi, Penny, Tamara, Jasmine, Roberto, Jerry, Sue, Jules, Ben, Erica and now Marcus can be added to this list. All of them teaching me not only the skill set behind creating an image and developing it but the joy in doing so. Every course talked about the importance of story to photography and it felt like the universe was talking to me personally. Letting me know that the same confidence that put me in front of 900 people to perform; was the same energy that put me behind the camera to perform in a new light.
Feeling confident, I made the decision to leap towards this 'something old, something new' dream and became a professional photographer. I shot my first wedding this past July and I am so proud to say that I loved every minute of it! I loved the interaction, the excitement, the connection and performing my A game. It was just like being on stage. Each photo shoot is a one off for me and I am grateful for the opportunity.
Finding photography has been like rekindling a marriage. I have found that 'eyes across a crowded room' excitement and I promise not to look away. So to Creativelive, my photography 'professors' and my classmates, thank you for the inspiration and the support as I continue on my journey as a visual storyteller.

My story isn’t any more special than the other beautiful stories posted before mine, but it is special to me. When I was twelve years old, my mum lost the long fight with a rare disease. She had been sick for almost all of my life and my biggest regret is that I only ever got to know the disease and not the woman who was my mother. After she died, all that I had left of her was fading memories and an undying desire to give her a legacy she would be proud of. I don’t remember at what exact moment my life led me to photography or at what moment it became a life passion, but I do know that I have my mother to thank for it. While I never learned how to apply makeup or cook elegant meals for groups of twelve, in the moments that she shone through her sickness, she taught me kindness, and how to work hard, and how to dream big. She taught me that no matter what life could throw at me, I had the choice to do something good with it; I only had to make that decision. Her passion to see the beauty around her, even through the days when it seemed that only darkness loomed, has led me to follow my dream. I’ve been told that being a photographer isn’t a glamorous or luxurious dream, but it is my dream.

I trying to become a wedding photographer for many years, but it wasn’t till I had my son 2 years ago that I decided to seriously do something about this dream. I came to America just over 5 years ago. As any other immigrant, not only did I leave my country Venezuela, I also left my mother and my father along with the rest of my family and basically my whole life as I knew it. I need it to get married fast due to immigration difficulties and due to the distance my father was not able to make it to the wedding. A month later he past away from pancreatic cancer. The past 5 years my country has change so much into a communist state that I lost everything, my families have move all over the world escaping the horrible faith of living in Venezuela. And so my dreams of a wedding with my family in the place I grew up, really banish. I’ve been very depress in the past couple of years, in an empty job and an empty life with no purpose. I was so sad and disappointed with my life that when I had my son, I felt ashamed to tell him I never did anything about accomplishing my dream to become a Professional photographer. So last year I took the leap, and thanks to creative life and many forums and other wonderful photographers in the industry I’m learning more and more and practicing even more than ever and the 3 weddings I have done by myself so far from the begging I’ve known and valued what I do at the wedding. I’m not there just to take photos, I’m there to capture moments that will never happen again, I’m there to treat every family member with respect and put a smile in my face no matter what, because I would give my life to have everyone of those moments back so that I could have a wedding as beautiful as theirs.

I am an Active duty military Member. I have been in service for over 12 years and have loved it. While serving in Iraq in 2008 I saw a picture of a local national child being placed onto a MEDEVAC helicopter and it changed my life. I really wanted to be a person who could capture moments in time that might never have seen the light of day. When I returned home I asked my wife for a SLR camera for christmas and got it. She had no idea what she was getting into. I immediately began shooting everything I could, I devoured books on the craft and went to every learning site out there. I was deployed again to Afghanistan where I took some of my favorite images in my collection. Since I received my camera I asked a friend if I could be a 3rd shooter at his wedding and they said sure. Being unsure of myself I showed some of my images to the Paid photographer to get some advice and he said his only advice was to get into the industry now. He said I had a gift for story telling and i was shocked. He put his money where his mouth was and bought the image I showed him. I fell in love with Wedding photography that day and have never looked back. I am deeply grateful when the families allow me to capture usually one of the most important days in their life and I try to treat it as such. I have been doing wedding photography almost full time along side being an active duty soldier, which is hard but worth every minute. I am inspired by the shortness of life and how precious each moment can be. My motto for my company is Capture Your Passion. Thanks for the class I am learning so much.

I grew up with my dad being a photographer that like marcus said didn't price himself right and didn't really make it in the industry. Growing up and seeing the sadness that he had that his passion was going down the drain I decided that I couldn't let that same thing happen to mine. I decided to buy my first "professional" dslr when my husband deployed with the marine corps for a year when our 2nd daughter was only 1 month old. I couldn't stand that he was going to miss seeing them grow for so long. I grew a passion for it and fell in love with photography. I am so glad everyday that I am doing it with my husband about to deploy again I can still document our 2 little girls lives with pictures for him. The passion has now lead to so many more things as I have donated my services to an organization called "The Gold Hope Project." Which many photographers have to capture the precious live of little kids fighting cancer. I have never felt more alive to be apart of the project and to have found something that I'm passionate about.

Becoming a wedding photographer was a very personal and emotional journey for me. When I was 17 my mother passed away, so when it was time for myself to walk down the isle I felt so alone without her. I remember crying when I was trying on wedding dresses because I was the only girl in the shop without her family. A day before I was to put on my dress, my hair dresser canceled on me. I was already a disaster but then, just a few minutes before it was time to walk down the isle my wedding planner whispers "you're photographer didn't show up."

Already emotional after having placed a photograph of my mother on an isle seat, and having a not so glamorous hair style, I broke down into tears. Can anything else go wrong? Are these signs that I shouldn't be getting married?

Of course, I walked down the isle and after was embraced by a new family, happy tears streaming down their cheeks. After we returned from our honeymoon I knew I had to be in the industry. I had to make sure this never happened to anyone else so I bought a camera and practiced, practiced, and practiced some more.

To this day, I still cry at every wedding I shoot. I am so proud to say that my job brings joy to people's lives. I am so lucky to capture these beautiful happily ever afters.

When I was about to choose my profession, there was no question about it: it's gonna be photography. Wedding photography to be precise. And so it started. Now, with more then 600 weddings behind me I can be honest and say that I don't just shoot weddings, I live wedding photography.

It's not just a mere profession. It's what defines me as a person. Being with all this people in the happiest moment of their life fulfills me in the deepest of ways, it gives my own life a bigger meaning because I know I made something extraordinary: I have captured and transformed their memories into beautiful photographs that will outlive both me and the couple. It will show their children how their great-grandparents looked like. It's an incredible feeling, incomparable to any other and I get to feel it every single day. Isn't that great? That's why I am a wedding photographer and wedding photography is my life.

After we got married and got the pictures back from our photographer the only thing i felt was sadness. I felt like those moments were lost, becouse no one captured them like I envisioned. While rasing my two babies i constantly thought about wedding photography and in 2011 I finally got the courage to buy some gear and went to some friends weddings. I posted the images online, and trough social media I got enough publicity to get 7 payed weddings in 2012. For 2013 I allready have 18 weddings booked, and I'm curently building up the courage to quit my day job. My dream is that my husband could quit his job and we could be toghether on this adventure full time. I allready day dream about the day when my son will be older and could come with me as a second shooter :)

Anyone who knows me would say that I am good at finance after a very long career in Banking. I started in banking at age 16 when my father said I had to get out there and get a 'proper job'. At the time I wanted to be an actress and singer. This was in the mid 70's. I had spent most of my childhood only knowing my family through photos as my Grandmother brought me up and my Father worked abroad as a musician. Photos were very important in our household as they held many memories of passed family members and was the only way I knew who was who.... My Grandma used to take me to the local studio every year where I had to stand and have my portrait taken.. Back to the 70's, I was good at my job and had a bubbly personality which worked well in the corporate world and I was soon promoted. All the time I was a hobbyist photographer and my first SLR was a Praktica EE2, which I only ever shot at F8. Obviously like most photographers I gathered a massive collection of cameras and slowly worked my way into the digital age. After getting embroiled in my life and my family and working in banking for over 30 years, I decided to quit. Yes, just like that. I realised I had been selling my soul and wanted to live my life for me. That was 3 years ago and I now spend most of my days doing something to do with photography. People like my work because I capture moments.... I am gradually growing in confidence and have now done 2 small weddings on my own and several others as a guest (annoying I know). After my daughter got married last year and I had to get involved in the madness of a wedding, my daughter said to me 'Mum you could do this easily'. So here I am, 2013 and I already have a booking for a Christening a wedding and a blessing.... Not bad eh!!!

I am a novice photographer and so far Ive learned numerous details about shooting. Shooting isn't just about taking a photo but a reflection of who ever is involved. It's not just a photo but connections and emotion that is captured through a camera. And I realize it's also not what type of camera it is bt if you can see the emotions, connection through that point if view. Thank you Marcus, I look forward to more tips..

Being a 20 year old student who just graduating college with an AAS degree in Architectural Drafting you wouldnt think that photogrpahy would be my strong point. Growing up photography has always been a passion for me. I always begged my mom to let me have the camera and be the "annoying camera person" as we call it in my family. At the age of 15 I my sister got married in Florida and I grabbed my moms DSLR and followed the photographer around shooting everything he was trying to gain an understand of composition. After the weeding is when I started school and didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I found myself in a field that I was familiar with and studied it for two years. My last semester of school was my breakthrough. I took two online photography classes and finally learned everything that I had been dreaming of. This was my time this is where I got inspired to be a photographer. Fresh out of school I have only been shooting for about 6 months and I LOVE IT, but theres a catch. I have a very limited budget and cannot afford all the equipment that I think would make my photos stand out. I love weeding photography but with the equipment I have I am just to nervous that the outcome would be disastrous. This class has tough me so much and made me realize as a photographer I need to just relax and find my breakthrough moment. Being so young and not having the equipment really puts a load of stress on me when I am shooting for a client. I have learned to love this field so much and I do not want to fail please help

Like you Marcus, I was working in the banking industry when it came to me that I was not going to be happy or successful unless I was doing what I love- photography. Me and my then boyfriend were in New Orleans and we went to see a psychic. He told me that I needed to do whatever it takes to do my dream job- if I had to buy one piece of equipment at a time, I HAD to get my dream job. So that is exactly what I started doing. That was a few years ago and I am just NOW quitting my job in banking to commit to making my photography business succeed. I have two small boys and it is one of the scariest things to risk everything on a passion. That is why what you are speaking about resonates with me. SO many big photographers try to act like they never worked a secure job in their life, that they were photography Gods when they were born. Thank you for being REAL! I can spout off a bunch of words of how I love being chosen to "capture" memories but to be honest? Photography is just something I love. Yes, I love being able to have an image that expresses such strong emotion but what I love is the clients face and when they start thanking me, it breaks me down. I feel like they should pay me sometimes because it is such a rewarding art. When I am on location or post processing, it is not a job- it's a fun past time to me.

I started taking pictures with my cell phone and printing them out. I got compliments so I upgraded to an actual DSLR camera. I practiced on my oldest son and then friends and family. I loved it all so much, I decided I couldn't live without it.

I have always heard if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. I have always thought that I understood that but really never did until I decided to make a leap and try to get my own photography business off the ground. I have been a photographer since I was in the Army as a photojournalist. Over the years I have worked for a number of organizations doing what they asked but not always what I wanted or envisioned. After being laid off last year, I decided it was time to do it on my own. Your workshop reminds me of the reasons why I LOVE this job.... the people. Those moments in person's life that mean the most and you can't get back.. those are the moments I want to capture, the love, the laughter, the tears and all the joy. It is difficult getting a business off the ground and getting a following but I refuse to give up because this is my dream. And everyone should follow their dream.... right? Thank YOU for all your inspiration and sharing!

I have been photographing weddings since the early 60's. Age, cancer, and 6 strokes have caused me to put my wedding cap away. This past year I did weddings for grand children of couples who I photographed their weddings 40+ years ago. Film gave way to digital but a whole new world was opened up to me. I have watched many fads come and go but good photography has always been the winner. I can't remember how many PPoA and WPPI Conventions I have attended. When classes were offered from6 M to 11 PM, I was there for all. I studied with Monte Zucker and Don Blair to the point we were friends on a first name basis. I never quit learning. That is why I am watching your Creative Live Presentations even though my tears and heart cry out for the weddings I will miss photographing. I loved your quotes....."my clients educate me!" and "your choice is to be ordinary or be extraordinary." I always had several sessions with my couples before the wedding so we could look at my images, wedding magazines, and images they would bring me so I could be prepared to deliver images they would be proud to have. I feel my photographs were successful when the viewer felt the same emotion I felt when I took it. Continued success to you and your wife. Joan

My story is like so many others out there. Photography is a true passion. I feel 100% that this is a calling - something that I have no choice but to do. I began my business 3 years ago at the age of 47. My background is art and graphic design but it was not until a few years ago that it all came together through my camera. My motto is: "to create images that encourage self-confidence and make tangible the inner beauty that we all possess" and I feel that this describes this crazy uncontrollable passion turned career.
I am not a wedding photographer but have learned so much from Marcus. Just his calming personality draws me in and the information that he is sharing with all of us is invaluable! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Your generosity is beyond words.

God blessed me! I have always been an artist first with drawing and paint. I joined the Army and met my wonderful husband While I was painting murals on the companies walls. He has continued to risk his life in the military while I take care of our babies and strive to be the greatest photographer I can be. I am happy for everything I have been given. I rarely see my husband but our love is stronger than anything I have ever been a part of including the Army. I Love my life and I am thankful for people like Marcus who help people like me make our dreams come true. A big thanks to creative live also! you guys ROCK!!

Wow Photography is a family business: my son Ofek is the brains behind this website, my daughter Noa is pushing the right buttons and posing as Ballet dancer, my wife Hadas keeps me on track and I simply shoot …

Traveling extensively as a child, I spent a few years in Turkey and in Iran where I got my first plastic camera for my seventh birthday: a simple device which was great for early experimentation in black and white film with limited success but lots of passion. At the age of 16 I met my first photography mentor Tim Keating who nurtured my emerging talent and appointed me Year Book editor at the International School Bangkok. My reputation as a talented photographer quickly grew after graduating with High Distinction in Photography.

My early inspirations came from viewing black and white masterpieces by Ansel Adams. Also influential were repeated visits to New York, during which time I not only enjoyed the great art museums but also documented the bustling street life of Manhattan. Robert Mapplethorpe and Henri Cartier-Bresson were among my earlier influences. I also admire the amazing photos of Dorothea Lang, Walker Evans and Steve McCurry. I am now focusing on family photos, pregnancy photography and baby photos as well as portrait photography. Other famous photographers include: Peter Coulson, Dan Winters and Joel Grimes.

My strengths in IT [B.Sc and MBA] led to a successful corporate career as a business analyst, where I worked on a number of key international projects both in Israel and in NZ. My young family moved to Auckland in 2001 after a successful and inspiring four week farm-stay tour around New Zealand. After settling in the North Shore, the family quickly integrated into the NZ way of life and social fabric. I became a volunteer teacher at a community Sunday school, coaching basketball and had been sitting on the Board of a community centre.
2010 is when I left my IT career to commit myself and follow my dream of building my photographic practice, to realise my creative passion and my long-held ambition to be a portrait and wedding photographer. I love taking pictures of people and watching their expression when they get to see their images. I feel honoured and privileged to be able to create their family legacy. I am grateful to be doing what I love and keep learning from the masters.

I never thought in my entire life that I would one day become a wedding photographer. I grew up in poverty in southern california. I grew around drugs and gangs. I left that area and moved to Oregon with my Family. Since then I have volunteered all my time with local Law enforcement agencies. In 2011, I married my best friend. Like everyone who gets married, we had a very nice wedding. We spent hours preparing for our special day. We had tons of family and friends to help out. One area that lacked was photography. We soon learned that the "Family friend" was not the way to go. My wedding inspired me to be a great photographer. Every time I walk into a wedding I walk in with a high level of passion. I cant be happier. its exciting to be part of a special day in someones life and for them not to worry about who is taking their photo's. its a great feeling with they feel comfortable with me and trust me to capture every moment.

I was always a shy kid growing up so it was hard for me to express my feelings. Growing up not as fortunate as others, it was hard to be able to do a lot of things other kids did. But one thing I always had was a camera in one form or another. It was my gateway to the outside world where I can feature my vision and feelings. It wasn't until I had the opportunity to use an SLR camera that I fell in love with photography even more. I just had so much freedom and the ability to create so much. In 2010 I received a camera as a gift and it became my best friend. I brought a camera to my friends wedding and those that saw my photos were amazed although I didn't think I was that great. Then I headed to WPPI, not knowing a single person to see if I wanted to pursue wedding photography. It wasn't until I met the great group of people at WPPI that I had realized this is where I want to be. Everyone was so helpful, friendly, and encouraging. I stay in photography because I love creating these images for people to always remember. It might be a picture to some but for others its a lifetime of memories.

working for more than 10 years now as a graphic artist/web developer for a private company. everyday sweating like a worker, day-in, day-out. I wanted to break free from this misery. Started photography as a hobby, but was quickly sucked in and couldn't help but to give in. now slowly, working my way-up, building my business as one. hopefully someday, i will see the light and shape it the way it was meant to be......FREE!!

I can remember from when I was a little kid I'd look at things and mentally take a picture. I thought I was different like something was wrong with me. Whether it was a person eating a cookie, a dog walking along the street, someone having a conversation I would mentally take a picture in my head.
It wasn't until high school that I discovered in a photography class that I was a little more normal with a lot of extraordinary passion. A passion for people a passion for capturing a moment a memory.
So I invested into a point and shoot film camera. I took more pictures that I knew what to do with but I love it. Fast forward to 2004 I received my first film slr camera. I really thought that I was on cloud 9 then. I was developing into more of a professional even more.
Taking pictures of friends and family. Going out into the city and country practicing and developing my craft even more.
Today after that film slr and having threes dslr's I have a fantastic dslr. I have various lens's and I've really developed my craft and expanded my eye for it. Not attending any classes not really reading any books.
I developed my eye for it. So many people would try and tell me no and thats not gonna work. I never listened to anything except my heart for it.
I have such a passion for people and for photography. Being able to capture that memory and that moment for the client.
It's only been in the last two years that I've learned the technical aspect to photography.
But the passion is still there. The fire is ever-growing, and I never stop learning.
The frustrating thing is seeing other photographers that take the ordinary photo for a client and they stay busy, yet me I feel I take the extra extraordinary photo and not so busy.
Nothing will stop me from taking the photos pursing my dream and my fire to share with others. And thats
capturing the moment and creating a memory for others to remember.

As a fairly new photographer, this session with Marcus is so helpful. I've already learned a lot and am taking notes. Thanks for giving your time to teach us.

My husband and I are in full time ministry, and Loving people is really what we do, I have always wanted to find a way to make a difference in the life of people, just by loving them and building relationships. I always took my daughters own Rodeo pics and people really just began seeing her images. Once I realized this is a way to truly make a difference in the life of people and one that lasts a lifetime. I began to pursue it a bit more than just doing my kids. I love people and just hate the thought of people not being able to capture those things that are so valuable. I am always learning, practicing and learning some more at every chance I get. I am passionate about things that make a lasting impact.

Today is my birthday and I'm not afraid to say that I'm 42 years old. I've been a photographer since I was 13 years only and I picked up a Canon Snappy. This little red 35mm camera ignited a passion that has burned for almost 30 years.
When I was 17 years old, I got a Pentax K 1000 and I got my first job as a photojournalist for the local weekly newspaper. I worked randomly for several years, supporting myself through college by working for the college yearbook, newspaper and PartyPics. While working for the newspaper, I interviewed an ROTC solider who was a reservist and was getting ready to deploy to Iraq for Desert Storm. There was a Military photographer there, and something just clicked.
I joined the Air Force and became a military photojournalist. Because of the nature of this career, I stepped away from professional photojournalism when I became a mom and took on the full time jobs of parent and military wife.
I've tried for the last few years to start back but I have had many arbitrary set backs to overcome: health, location, equipment… it never seemed to work out. NOW is the time, it must be the time; but finding my niche outside of photojournalism had been a challenge. My first digital camera wasn't easy to adjust to for me either. I still shot with my Pentax up until the Canon 20D. Now I have a Mark II and I know how to use it but work has been limited.
I booked my first wedding a couple of weeks ago. It is in June. I'm excited and scared all at the same time. The bride is a distant relative, but booked me because she like my journalistic style of my personal photography and my infectious enthusiasm. I can't help but ask myself… will this be my niche, my calling… Do you have to find you niche or can you fall into it?
Marcus Bell's presentation has really made me feel more confident about going for what I'm passionate about
So, here I go.

In seventh grade, circa early 80s, my father brought home a Canon AE-1. He had purchased the body and several lenses to travel with as his job took him across the country. I immediately became enamored with the sleek glass and importance of what was held in the black bag. It felt secret and special and within days I had read all the manuals, combed our encyclopedias to learn about aperature, shutter speed, film speed and lighting.
Sneakily, I toted the bag off to school and took photos of my friends, my teachers, trees, bugs, whatever I could until the film rolls were full. Without a job, I could not develop the photos, so I had to come clean and tell my dad that not only did I steal his new toy, but I also used his film up. I remember being grounded, but he developed the film. One afternoon he brought four envelopes of photos home from the drug store and together we looked at them and he gave me that camera bag that day and I still have it today. I put miles and miles on that body, dings, dents, scratches all made it more dear to me.
I decided to trade my hobby in and become a photographer the day I received a photo from a friend, who I'd asked to photograph candids of my own wedding using "my" old camera . He captured my father and I in an embrace that was not posed, not orchestrated or editorialized. We were nose to nose and tears streaming down our faces. The camera he gave me years before, captured the most stunning, definitive photo of my life to date. Still makes me cry to look at it. He's been gone 19 years now and I know he's smiling as I practice me craft each day.
I want each of my clients to have "that" photograph that captures their heart each time they look at it.

Hi everyone, I was 7 when I first got interested in photography and it took me 23 years to actually get involved and quit everything and devote myself to photography. At the begining, I was so involved in music that I joined a band and actually toured around the states 3 times and mexico about 4. In a van, DIY. We actually got some MTV nominations, a walk of fame in my home town of Tijuana among tons of other awards. Oddly enough I was not satisfied, iwas part of something but this something was not part of me. Last year I decided to quit after 10 years of building something I thought was mine when in reality I was doing something that wasn't even close. After struggling a lot with money because of it.

I quit my band, I quit everything.

I took out a loan (I know it wasn't the best choice) and bought my gear and devoted myself, different mind set. I was going to build something for my self.

A year later, I have never felt so accomplished in my life, I still owe a ton of cash but now paying it with my work, MY vision, My career feels so good. My wife has supported my career change and has been there for me all the way.

It's barely Feb. and I already have 4 weddings booked. I did this, not the band, not someone else. I getting recognized by what I do, and that feels awesome. I honestly find serenity in what I do and love beeing part of that magical day with my clients. I'm still buying gear here and there, building my portfolio, and looking for a studio now, wow 1 year. I am so proud of myself for the first time in my life.

I wish everyone would take the leap that I took and do WHAT YOU LOVE.
Thank you Marcus for sharing everything I really hope to meet you soon and just have a beer. You have taught us so much in a world where nobody shares anymore.

Thank you.
Alex

We made the break from cubicles and suburbs to country acres with farm animals. We made the choice to open small businesses. Our new town got a huge hit of the major employer pulling out. The town was on Nightline twice and Racheal Ray came out to build a new food pantry. I struggle to keep up with my costs of living and charge people what I think I am worth because they really can't afford it. Three cities are within an hour to my home and I am trying to market there but it is my name that comes up here because it is my home town. It is a much bigger pool of Photographers in the city and I struggle to get the attention. This is my second year with a home based business and I am usually the most expensive thing at the DIY wedding.

My interest in photography started a long time ago when my dad gave me my first camera. I was around 12 years old and since then I've been in love with photography. With every picture I take I realize more and more the amazing power of capturing and telling stories through photography.

What I like the most is how photos can lock down life's everyday and special moments so you can remember them forever. For me it is all about memories and the enjoyment of being able to look back on those memories and enjoy them all over again as if it were yesterday.

Photography was also my dad's hobby, but he couldn't pursue it because he lost an arm in a work accident in his 20's. I have my own barriers to overcome, I am a busy mom of 3 kids, working in an office environment, shy.... But every minute free I have, I am reading about composition, lighting, I am practicing, watching lectures, and I feel so alive and happy. Every time I capture a real connection moment and emotion/feelings, I feel so good and realized. For me, becoming a professional photographer, it is a dream yet to come true.

Watching & listening Marcus Bell gave me hope & inspiration. I have watched several workshops, but Marcus really talk to my heart and I felt so identified with him.

My name is Regina and I live in Cumming, Ga. I have been married for 30 years and I have 2 boys. My husband was a successful home builder until the housing market bottomed out. I did not work outside the home for 23 years, while I raised my children. As our income dwindled to nothing, I knew I had to get a job. I had always been the mom with the camera at all the boys ball games, but had no idea how to really shoot. I started working for a school photography company and that is where I fell in love with photograpy.

I started teaching myself all the ins ad outs of photography throught the internet, books and a few continuing education courses at a local college.
My passion grew along with my knowledge.

I shot my first wedding in 2010, and so far I have shot 9 more, with 5 booked so far for 2013. I never thought that not having any money and loosing my home, and vehicles (while trying to put one son through college) would lead to such a blessing in my life. Photography has done so much for me not only helping with my income, but the personal confidence and peace of mind. It took a long time for me to call myself a photographer, but I AM a photographer.

Hi Marcus and creativeLIVE,

I'm Katy Winterflood. I'm 25 years old. I'm from London, England, and I now live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
My journey to becoming the photographer that I am today began about 22years ago, when I was about 3 years old. Yes, I was taking photos on an old film camera as a toddler! This camera was my pride and joy. There is home-video evidence of me on a family vacation to Disney World, Orlando, intently focusing on a subject, which as the video camera pans across to reveal, was none other than a duck.... Haha! Yes, just a duck! But that duck was the coolest duck ever... To a 3 year old... And I would not accept any help from my parents as I attempt to take my photos of the duck and then carefully proceed to put the camera away in the case that was hanging around my neck! I still have one of the very first photos I ever took in a frame in my house and it's a photo of my dad from that Disney World Vacation! That's where it all begun.
From this moment it become a hobby for me, I was always the one with a camera in hand, transitioning from my little film camera, to disposable cameras, to the first chunky digital camera my family bought; on school trips, at family events, at those teenage parties, prom, at Uni Fresher's week - I was at all those moments, camera in hand. The moment I discovered I wanted it to be more than a hobby was 9 months into the first year of my Media and Theatre Degree at University. There was a photography segment as part of my media course and it was my best class and i got the highest grades in this class and I suddenly found my passion for photography because I became so consumed by taking photos, and realized I could make it a career. So I quit university. I wanted to go and learn the craft of photography. My grandma bought me my first DSLR, and I never looked back. I took some part time classes and then A few years on, I was enrolling in photography school in Canada!
I knew I wanted to take photos of people - portraits and weddings, in particular, but my other passion is also fashion photography. It's a tough industry, photography in general, and I have had my fair share of ups and downs over the past 6 years since quitting university to pursue a photography career, moving to Canada with my family, and setting up my business. Working full time alongside my photography and now leaping into trying to make it a full time career. For me, there's no doubt about it though, I couldn't do anything else! I will do what I have to do to build my business and be successful! Practice makes perfect and even if it takes me 20 years, I will simply continue to learn and grow as a person and as a photographer. To be honest, I don't really know where the photographer in me came from. I think I was just meant to follow this path. There is nothing more rewarding than photographing someone's wedding or a portrait of a moment in their life, that they can treasure for ever. I feel that I am helping to document little pieces of history and that is such a rewarding feeling... Although my business doesn't sustain me financially full time yet, I know that it's just a Matter of time and hard work. And I won't give up. I can't give up. Doing what I love is enough to keep me going and follow my passion.
And I have to thank CreativeLIVE for helping me to keep believing in myself and what I do and allowing me to continue learning from the best in the industry. xox

“Oh crap! You are going to have to shoot a wedding!” Long pause. “Do what???????” The year was 1999, what some of us have coined as the dark ages – film. My husband at the time was working a full time job and I was at home with our new baby. He was trying to become a successful photographer so he could leave his day job. I was doing the bookings for him and I kept a very detailed calendar. For some reason he booked a wedding without consulting me first. And that’s when he learned a big lesson for he had double booked a Saturday for 2 weddings. I had NO experience with photography except for using a 110 camera in high school. I had attended college for studio arts but my interest was in sculpture, watercolors, and design. He insisted that I had to shoot the wedding he double booked because he was so embarrassed at the mistake and could not tell the bride. I, on the other hand, was FREAKING out. So you want me to take 2 cameras to a wedding, shoot their once in a lifetime event and just be cool about it? You have got to be kidding me! I had 4 months to prepare. I took a bunch of photos of our daughter and the trees in the back yard. I wanted to make sure I knew how to load the film, rewind the film and how to use the camera in general. He gave me a crash course in what an F stop was and shutter speed. He explained ISO to me but it was a foreign language. The day came for the wedding. I was sweating bullets. I had Yashica & Minolta manual cameras, 30 rolls of film, one flash, and the 2 lenses already mounted on the cameras. Talk about being sick to my stomach!! I showed up to the wedding pretending I knew what I was doing. Luckily those acting classes in college came in handy! I had NO idea where to begin or what to do. So I started to think to myself “if I were the bride, what would I want photos of?” I would see people laughing so I took a photo. Then I saw the brides’ shoes sitting on the table and I took a photo of it. And so the day went along like that for me. I just kept shooting stuff that was unraveling before my eyes. I was really having a good time just taking photos of everything happening. I was enjoying the process! After the wedding, I got home and my husband asked me how it went and I proudly said “I shot all 30 rolls of film!” I thought he would have a heart attack because that meant we would have to develop 30 rolls. I did not think about that part because I literally had so much fun. We took the film to the lab for developing and also got a set of 4x6 prints. We went through the prints and both of us were in shock. It was not a bad shock either. What I had done was taken 30 rolls of photojournalistic images. The images were exposed correctly and I had composed them like I would a painting. The bride and her groom showed up to get their prints so they could make their selection for an album. They showed up and the bride started crying her eyes out. I thought “oh man, I screwed it up bad!” She was crying tears of joy and said it was perfect. She said she loved that I captured moments that were not posed. (That was still a foreign thing to me at that time!) They loved their photos and I had taken them! I knew at that moment that it was fate and I was meant to be a photographer. 13 years later and I am best friends with that same bride. I love her dearly. She has divorced since then and re-married. Guess who was there to shoot her 2nd ceremony?

I have had a fun journey of photographing weddings & I am still on the fun ride! I am glad my husband at that time made a mistake. Had he not made that mistake, I would not be creating imagery for brides. I love to see them smile, cry and love the images I have created for them. It gives me pure joy!

Hello,
A brief introduction about myself. My name is Ralph Rmeily and I live in Birmingham, USA. I am originally from Lebanon, came to the US after I finished my finance degree in Lebanon and decided to come pursue my MBA degree here, graduated from the MBA program december 2010, 5 days before I graduated my mother's present for me was a professional Canon Camera, that moment changed my life.
I had a long life interest in photography, everywhere we go my friends would know that I would at least have one camera on me if not along with a video camera. After I graduated highschool life got busier going to college and working part time jobs, so pursuing my dream of being a photographer had to be on hold because my mian concern back then was helping my parents stand on their feet. They have helped me a lot in my life so I thought it was selfish from me to pursue a dream that would have cost them more, while they were trying to make ends meet.
I had to wake up and stop dreaming for almost 4 years, I got an internship at a bank while I was in my MBA degree and prayed to God that I would not end up working for a bank for the rest of my life, because the creativity and innovation that I long for was not there.
The first time I got the camera and started taking pictures I couldn't stop, my family would tell me please take a break, but I couldn't, it was just glued to my hands. I decided at that moment that now is the time to dream again, and I saw that in my mother's eyes as well.
I went to my friends wedding, took some pictures, came back home tweaked them a little bit on photoshop and posted them on facebook, and I was surprised of the volume of likes and comments I got, but the number of comments wasn't as important as the grooms comments, he said "you did a better job than our photographer that we paid a descent amount of money for, next time I get married I will hire you" that's when he got beat by his wife.
Since then I loved wedding photography and thanks to CL I have been attending several courses and it's been a tremendous help for me.
This is my story, hope you like it, and I hope everybody will stop, ignore the busy life for a second, and pursue their own dreams.

I had studied photography 25 years ago, I had always loved it as it was my way of recording things and moments in time my background is Sri Lankan and on my first holiday at the age of 7 my father gave me the use of his Kodak retina. I couldn't speak the language so my way of communicating was with this camera, recording faces, colours, flowers, street scenes. Later on I went to art school and decided that photography was the art form for me as this was the way I could preserve special moments and memories. I did a degree in photography and graduated in 1990 from Edinburgh.

When I finished I came back to my home town of Liverpool and started working for The philharmonic orchestra as a documentary photographer . I loved this then a lady who worked there got married and asked me if I would shoot her wedding. I was terrified but said yes and from that day never looked back. This was like creating the most important story in someones life, new beginnings, moments in history to be looked at by future generations, how wonderful to be part of that!

Then I got married, I married another photographer who ran a gallery, unfortunately I didn't realise he was a alcoholic in my naivety. I spent the next 4 years been physically and mentally abused, and belittled, I lost all my confidence as a photographer and my photographer husband at the time would always tell me I was rubbish. I took as many jobs away from home that I could possibly get as I was afraid to be there with him.

After 4 years of this hell there was a situation where I was being kicked on the floor I realised if I didn't get out I had no chance I had kept this a secret from everyone for too long. I eventually broke free and started to sort out my life again, I didn't photograph very much as my confidence had been shattered, then I met someone new and fell in love.
This was great as I was picking up my camera again we also had a love for food and food businesses, lots of things went on and for some reason we decided to go into business with some friends. We opened a restaurant which was going really well. By this time I had had my first child and was pregnant with my second. My business partners who I known for 20 years decided to disappear with 40k of funds in our first year of trade and left me in the middle of it. We called in the lawyers and accountants and decided that the only way forward was to liquidate one company and start again.
So we did we re-invested every last penny we had and got it all up and running again. Then 8 months later the global recession hit! we had put our heart and soul in to this business and invested everything. Come Christmas we decided to close the restaurant I was on the verge of bankruptcy with two small children, what could I do now? on the last day of trade I turned round and said to my husband with the proceeds from today we can either feed our children or buy a camera I knew I had to follow my heart and go back to what I loved to be happy and to survive. My parents stepped in to feed us so we bought a camera! as the only cameras I had were film based ones and I knew I needed to go digital.

I bought a camera and stared on my new photographic career against all the odds. I knew deep in my heart that this was what I should do as I had loved taking pictures so much I just needed to feel confident again. It saved me from going mad and from losing everything, I was back with my passion creating images,Now another four years have passed as a full time photographer and Im loving every minute of being a wedding photographer, having empathy with people I meet and recording their special moments that will remain a long time after us. Thats was gives me a special feeling deep inside.

I love photography, it tells a story and gives us a glimpse into someones else's moment, I know that without it I wouldn't have been able to cope with all the crazy situations in my life. Its been my life saver! I came across the live show today with Marcus and it touched me a lot, Marcus you are a true inspiration and such a wonderful photographer. You have helped me connect with my past but in a good way to use these feelings in my work I feel will be beneficial. Thank you!
My website is http://www.samanthabrownphotography.co.uk

This past year, my landscape and wildlife photography took an unexpected turn when I attended the "marriage" of my two very close friends, who happen to be lesbians. They asked me to photograph their wedding day because it would mean something very special to them. And, of course, I said yes. In fact, I was honored they had asked me. During one of our pre-wedding planning sessions, they told me they knew their photos would not only mean something special because I was taking them, but that their family and friends would be more at ease because they know me. It was a fantastic wedding on a summer day in a boat on one of 10,000 lakes in Minnesota. During the reception, the pastor came up to me and asked me for my business card. He explained that many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples in his congregation often don't feel comfortable having photographers who don't know them take photographs on their most cherished day and would I mind if he contacted me now and again. My response... Absolutely. My hope is that when the day comes when GLBT people can finally get married in Minnesota (and elsewhere for that matter), that I can find the perfect photographer for my long-awaited wedding.

should you ever have the inclination, you could see a sampling of our portraits on texturephotographyviewing.com

Regards, Jan and Holly

My name is Jan Tenneriello. My story begins with being the 5th of 11 children. I HAD to get along with people, and I have always been one determined to connect with people. For the past twenty years I have joined my husband in caring for people in the Ministry, as my husband is a Pastor. I have always loved to take pictures, however, I frequently was a frustrated photographer because my camera was never fast enough to catch the moments that I saw. When I had the opportunity to try my brother's new Canon XSI DSLR at a family reunion several years ago I was hooked!!! Finally a camera that could capture what my heart saw in pictures!!! I never intended to start a business, just to capture the life moments that were most important to me and my family. When my daughter in law, Holly wanted to go into Photography as a business, and her family thoroughly defeated her by saying it would be a waste of money and a waste of her time to do so, I became determined to encourage her in her passion. We both had purchased an XSI by then, and I began to take classes with her. This was two and 1/2 years ago. One day I saw a picture on Facebook of a dear pregnant woman in our church. She was 8 months pregnant and she had taken a picture of herself in the mirror with a cell phone and had posted it on Facebook. I called her and told her she deserved to have some beautiful pictures of her pregnancy, as she had spent nearly the entire pregnancy alone with her husband away in a drug rehabilitation facility. She was thrilled. So I called Holly to come with me to do what would become our first photo shoot. From that point, we began to have many requests for our photography, and before I knew it, Holly and I were in business. We have since both purchased a Canon 5D Mark II, and have been slowly accumulating equipment and more knowledge. We are currently being pulled into Wedding Photography by three brides how have implored us to do their weddings. Although we have explained that we do not feel ready, they have all still insisted. I believe this is because of what you have said about photography being from the heart! I don't think we could do it any other way...however, we KNOW we need to learn more about lighting, and work with more lenses, etc. This class has already been such an encouragement to me, because I see that the Lord has given us the first most important characteristic for a successful photography business....a heart for people. Thank you for sharing your special gifts with us!

Since I can remember I have loved photography. When I was younger -- maybe as young as even 9 or 10 I would love to make my siblings (usually the younger ones) pose for me and I would follow them in the playground and take shots. Even then I would notice perhaps the fact that in this park for instance your backdrop was views of the Brooklyn Bridge --- I lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. So I would take shots of this and now looking back on these photos I can truly say that I have always had that eye and passion for photography.
Photography to me is the only way to keep the past alive. Its the visual montage of my life or the subjects life. Whether a simple day with no particular occasion, a birthday, a wedding.....even child birth (one of my favorite projects).
Through my teen years I continued to love photography and I can't even begin to count the endless amounts of films I would take to Chinatown to get developed. I would love to see the end results.
Today, I work in the corporate world. I am a mother of two beautiful girls. I long for the day that I can actually stop working and focus on LIFE itself vs trying to just live. There's a difference. Part of focusing on LIFE is to live through your passions which gives purpose to your everyday life. So to keep sane and for fun, I photograph. One day I decided to try to take it to another level. This passion could after all be my way out of Corporate America yet the fears and financial struggles associated with that dream have kept me from leaping full force into it. I started by photographing events and people at different events that I was invited to, vacations, school functions etc. As family and friends began to take notice of my so called "talent" they began to ask me to photograph their events and families. So I do so on my "free time". Not focusing so much on the money to be made --- as my husband will attest to but to the end result and the wonderful feeling I get when I see how happy people get when they see that I have managed to "capture the moment".
I tend to have a journalistic approach as Marcus does when shooting events.I try to tell the story through the lens so that whoever views the photos can actually feel as if they lived the moment.
Even if I am not shooting an event or particular person I always feel like I am viewing the world through a "photographers" eye. Many times family and friends will hear me say, "that's a great photo opp right there". Unfortunately I don't shoot much because I have been working long days and have a long commute for work but when i have those photo moments I transport and become that same 10 yr old with the camera. And that love for the world of photography will probably live on forever whether just for fun or as a career.
Marcus Bell's class could not have come at a better time. At the end of this month I will be shooting my FIRST wedding!!!!
I am both excited and scared. I have tons of ideas going through my head but I also fear that they won't manifest into the amazing photo session that the bride expects. I hope and pray that my passion kicks in and does all the hard work for me. After all they asked me because they saw my raw talent and they related to it. No pressure --- riiight?!
Needless to say, in the first class alone Marcus has inspired me and has actually made the fear turn more into excitement. I hope that this is the beginning to so much more. My story is not yet over - it has just begun and I hope it continues to live on forever through all the photos I would have left behind documenting the lives of so many!

I grew up on the country side of Jordan about 30 minutes from the Jordan River. My mom is from Jordan and my dad is from China, so I was actually the first mix of the two countries. They got divorced and my mom raised me on her own for 16 years, while my dad moved to the USA. I moved to the USA when I was 16 to live with my dad because my mom knew that I would have a better opportunity to live there. I also knew a missionary that was in Jordan that lived in a small town in Mississippi at the time also. I gave her a call and she invited me to come down to visit her. I ended up going to college in Mississippi on a soccer scholarship. Few year went by and I still did not know what I am suppose to do with my life. One day a friend of mine asked if I would be interested in working for a photographer shooting cheerleading events and such. I had to training at all but I always loved to take photos. Well, they told me that if I shoot with my own camera I would be able to pay me more. Well, I ended up buying the Canon 1D Mark II and paid it off as I worked every wkend. I always had a connection to weddings and wanted to try to capture one just for fun. A girl at my church was getting married and I asked her if I could come and just capture her day as it went. She gave me the name of her photographer and I called him to ask if its ok if I just shot during the wedding. He did not mind at all. At the end, she ended up liking my photos better than the hired photographer. Her sister was getting married in 6 months and they hired me to shoot her wedding for $750. I was like, WOW thats a lot of money. Ya, right!!! I had friends getting married and shoot their weddings and was able to save more and buy more equipment. This was 8 years ago and today I am averaging 25 weddings a year at about $3500 per wedding. To me though the money is a blessing, but to be part of some ones special day and to capture that moment for them to share with their children and grandchildren is just priceless to me. My passion is to share with them my believes of a strong marriage. I only been married for 6 years but we have had out ups and downs in our marriage but I know that if God is the foundation of your marriage it will stand strong.

Coming from Jordan to being a successful photographer in Mississippi blows my mind everyday and the journey is not over. I know that God has more plans in the future and I trust Him fully with everything. Starting off a photography business right before getting married and being able to do that without any debt at all has been a blessing also. It was very scary at first to be able to take that leap of faith but I did.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I know you have plenty to read from.

Jeff

I take what I do seriously and personally.
When my wife and I got married, we didn't have a lot of money, as we were a fairly young couple just entering the work force. We hired a photographer, the best we could afford, who did a good job. However, we did not hire a videographer. Sure, pictures are great, but video can capture so much more of the feelings, emotions, and expressions that all create your special and unique day. We really regretted not having a videographer even until this day.
One day I got an idea to write a documentary. I borrowed a camcorder and began to shoot scenes for my inspiring idea. Four months later, I was editing my first documentary and producing my first DVD. Some time later, I was asked to help some close friends, who were young and who were not rich, with their wedding. This was my opportunity to provide a service to someone that I wish I had for my special day. What a honor! To top it all off, the couple was very well pleased with their product and began to tell their friends. Before long, we were on a personal journey to help many more who wanted professional services but who could not afford a Hollywood photographer or film crew.
I definitely growing and learning a lot, but each wedding that I'm hired becomes personal and reminds me of my wedding day and my goal; to make my clients happy and capture those precious moments. I want to give what I didn't have and make it available. Seeing the smile on your clients face is priceless.

I come from India, when I was 5 my dad gifted me my first camera. I still remember partially cropped aunt with my mom on the sofa. I just loved it. Since, then any function, event, travel camera was my friend.
Like other kids, I studied to get a job. I did my MBA in finance worked in corporate atmosphere. The love and passion for photography was always there.My whole family was living in different towns and whenever we met it was the celebration. In 2004 my father came to visit us for my youngest sister birthday and their 26th anniversary. We talked had fun. He had little fever. We were talking about their grand 50th anniversary. We went to donate food to temple on 17th April 2004. As it got late , the studio got closed .we could not get our family portraits taken . Everyone went back to their college/school/office on 18th evening. We lost our dad on 19th April morning.
We can never ever have a family portrait taken . Never...
I realized the power of healing that photographs have can never be replaced by anything in this world.I worked for a while till I decide my husband can ensure food on table. I decided to take the leap of faith and help people the create their own masterpieces. Which they can treasure forever.
I have lost a lot of photographs with me and father taken at my Uncle's marriage. I cry every time I think of it.
I gave up my job.. invested in camera, lenses... training. I really love seeing my clients crying when they see my work. No job package could have done that for me.

Marcus focus on emotions is really touching... Thanks creative live for helping people like me , we get to learn from the best in the industry.

Ok so i guess here comes my story...I'm 27 years old and I am from Germany so I hope you don't mind me if my english isn't perfect at all :) When I finished school, when I was 19 years old, I had to decide how my feature should look like. I guess many of you can understand that for such a young person it's not always easy to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. Being very interested in molecular biology I decided to start my studies of Biology, because I thought that my passion for photography should be something like the plan B if the career as a biologist doesn't work out (8 years later I know that this was the wrong decision...). As I didn't get to start my studies immidiately I decided to follow a good friend of mine on his journy to Africa. We spent a couple of months travelling through Africa and this was the time when I really fell in love with photography and especially landscape photography. But anyhow I decided to begin my biology studies. But that journey to Africa was somehow the point which led me to the decision to buy my first DSLR camera. That really was a big step forward considering my photography skills. So during the next years I travelled a lot during the semeseter breaks and kept on improving my photography. A couple of years ago, my sister decided to marry her long time boyfriend and as she knew that I am a passionate photographer she asked me if I could take some pictures of them at their wedding, besides the professional photographer. I was really really happy to hear that from her and of course I decided to do so. After I showed her these pictures she started to cry because she was so happy to get these pictures and she liked mine a lot more then those that the professional photographer took. I must admit that this was one of the most touching moments in my whole life...I am a very emotional person! And exactly this was the point when I decided that I want to work as a professional wedding photographer! I knew that I want to be able to give that feeling that my sister had to a lot more other couples out there. That was at a time where i was still studying biology. So slowly I got more and more requests from people to shoot their weddings and I realized that I was really born to do this! That would be such a great job! I have really really a lot of fun doing this and help people to capture their most beautiful day in their life. I somehow feel really privileged being able to do this. It's been almost a year know that I finished my studies of biology and it's relly hard to find a job in that direction...but on the other hand I do not have enough money to start a wedding photograper business...So I try to earn a living through a job that I don't want to do...That is really really hard for me to know what I want to do in life but my plans could fail because of the money! It's like having an unknown feature...By incident I got to know of your live seminar here on crativelive.com...and by even more incident that is now during a weak wen I finally started to plan my own homepage :) What should I say...that first day of your seminar was so inspiring!!!!!! I fell like it was somehow my destiny that I got to be able to listen to you exactly at this point in my life! I never got the ability to be able to listen to such a motivating and inspiring person as you are, in my whole life! I do not even know how I could thank you for that! It is so pushing for me right now. You are thinking exactly the way that I do and I can identify myself so much with you. I am doing so many things exactly like you told that you are doing it. I really had to laugh when you were telling that you hate to do big group shots because that is exactly the way I feel about that :) Couple of months ago I decided to name my bussines "Soulful Reflection" because I want my clients to get pictures that can deliver or capture their feelings...And not just a random scene! It should all be about them and not about me!

You can have a little look at my work on Flickr as my homepage isn't ready yet. Though there are not too much wedding picturs on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompytt/

So once more thank you very very much for being such an encouraging person for me!

I have loved taking pictures since as far back as I can remember. I have always shared the pictures I take because I never felt comfortable taking money from anyone. My family and friends stopped bringing their cameras to events because "Elaine is here . . . she'll take better pictures than me anyway." I loved being the go-to photo taker.

In the past two years, I have started to delve into the photography business. My defining moment was when someone called me and asked me to take their family Christmas photo. She said, "I've seen your pictures and I love your style!". I didn't even realize I had a "style". That was two Christmases ago. This past Christmas I had a client call me just after she gave a canvas photo of her two girls to her mother. . . "Grandma is crying. I am crying. We're all crying. The canvas is so beautiful!" I LOVE touching people's lives!!! How awesome that I can touch people's lives doing something that I love. Yes, this is definitely what I am called to do!

I have done some weddings and birthday parties and family photos, but I especially LOVE taking seniors out on a photo shoot and making them feel really special! I am becoming more confident in my skills . . . more importantly, I'm realizing that true photography IS a skill!

As I gain more clients, I am finally becoming more comfortable with charging them for the photos I take for them. I would be honored to win this prize and put ALL of these items to use on a regular basis. I am thrilled to be listening to Marcus Bell who has taught me after only one day that it all comes down to coneecting with the client. Taking the time to think about what THEY are feeling and experiencing and then allowing that to come through in the photo. . . "capture the moment".

THANK YOU Marcus Bell for reminding me that this isn't about me trying to get a great photo, it's about me relaxing and FEELING the photo that's waiting to be captured. Once I feel the emotions, the great photo WILL come! I'm so excited for my next client . . . this will be AWESOME!!!!

It's such a privilege to learn from Marcus Bell, and it makes me feel alive to be still involved in the creative process. I've taken photos most of my adult life, and especially loved weddings. In the last few years, I've been the second camera, assisting my son, who is a professional, with weddings. Although I'm 71, and my health is failing, I want to learn and get better at my craft. Creating beautiful photos, especially of those I love, gives me great joy. I have four grandchildren who have yet to marry, and it's my dream to capture their weddings. Thank you for this great gift.

Though I like to took photo when I was a kid but I don't like people and I would say I’m a total introvert, this due to how I being raised in a not so happy family which make me hate grown up people. Being declined from entering photography School by my Mother due to our financial status, I went for a Computer science major and let go my photography. Something strike me when I was at 3rd year In my University, when I woke up I realize that my left eye was BLIND.

This sickness happen for 3 months it was really devastating for me and it made me thinking of suicide since the doctor said there is nothing they can do, they scan my eyes, my brain and took my spine liquid for health check but they found nothing. No Medicine nor treatment could be done to me.

In the end of the 3rd month my blindness was cured miraculously which leave me with a gift that not all people could experienced it. Being in the dark for a long time make me precious all that I see, all things suddenly become more beautiful than before.

After working for a year as a programmer I bought my first DSLR for fun. I still remember watching Master wedding photographer DVDs and tears keep on dropping when i saw the great moment being captured on a single photos. I decided learn wedding photography with a friend of mine by being his assistant until the day he stop his photography business. It was a wonderful feeling, I fall in love with wedding photography. It feel like I having a new family each time I took on wedding assignment. Working as a programmer for 5 years I start to invest on camera and lenses and without a long thought I resign and start doing wedding photography service on 2010. it surely still hard ride for me until now but I know what I want is to be a Photographer. what make me keep on trying are I feel blessed to be able to see another day when i wake up, to see the love that happen in wedding day is a great experience and the smile on my client face when they see the photo I produce make me smile too. Though sometimes Photography assignment are physically challenging but it always make me happy.

Seven years ago I finally received my first DSLR. I had ALWAYS wanted a 'good' camera but could never afford it. My life changed when I held it in my hand. I joined the local photography club, made lots of like minded friends & became captivated with learning, growing, learning, trying, making mistakes, trying different subjects & did I mention learning! I dabbled with landscapes & flowers making greeting cards & prints until my first grandchild was born & then I discovered portraits.
I was terrible & realised that I had so much to learn. So, that is what I have been doing. Two years ago I opened up 'my studio' - a room in my home & started baby portrait sessions which have now moved into family portrait sessions. I just love how much I have learnt. I am still very small time, but I have a quote sitting beside my computer which I read constantly: the only photographer you should compare yourself to is the one you used to be. This quote never fails to reconnect me to my passion & to my yearnings.

I was asked over the years to shoot a wedding for a friend, then again for a relative, then someone was in a jam so I filled in. Now I have shot 11 weddings & until the last one which was 5 days ago I was always scared, always apprehensive & always had my fingers crossed that it would work out.

This time however, after my 4th shot, I saw the beauty in the bride. I actually took my eye from the camera to have a look for myself. She was beautiful, she was radiant & this woman, who I had met a few times before I had always thought of as 'plain' BUT on her wedding day she was beautiful. Then, as I followed her I saw the groom & I saw his beauty too. This was a very defining moment for me. Even though this couple were not the 'Barbie & Ken' couple I saw for the very first time that not only they, but all the guests were beautiful too.
I was stunned, but remarkably calm. This is what I want to do. I am so lucky to have discovered photography, but I am so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to discover the magic & the beauty of the regular person. For this I give thanks. I now am looking forward to pursuing this medium. I have said 'NO' so many times previously because I was scared, afraid I would ruin this special day for the couple, afraid I would not capture the 'moments', but I know now that I do see the magic, I can feel the magic, & I believe in 'the magic'.
PS... After watching day 1 of your Creative Live feed I am truly inspired & know that I am on my correct path. Thank you so much. xx

My natural preference for visual got lost during the time I was raised as a kid. It wasn't supported. Instead I increasingly was directed into audio preference, learning an instrument and so on. Therefore in my youth my only experiences with photography - and other visual forms of expression - were triggered by art classes at school. And with no support at all in my living environment at this time my photographic activities ended after some ten film packages of BW film. At least it included development and enlargement in a home based dark room my father had installed for him - but never had used. Just plain development, no creative techniques like dodge & burn, nobody told me about those possibilities and back then there was no Internet to learn from others. In addition, art as a future also was not supported - I was directed into more 'solid' careers, like technical in my case. With this kind of misdirection during childhood, as soon as I got more independent, I started to try out myself - who I am really? Did several kinds of sports, started sailing off shore and on lakes. And even tried new instruments, i.e. piano, but discovered soon I had no real talent for this. It was with the start of digital cameras I came back to photography. Did an increasing number of snapshots from year to year. And had fun with it. Some more consciously taken picture during hiking trips in the Alps mountains were added. And I tried out video, also with fun and with positive recognition by those I had captured with their activities. In summer 2007 I started shooting street photography in a probably much too aggressive way, like I was shooting runway shots during a fashion week. Girls dressed in inspiring outfits. In 2009 this developed into first planned shootings with models. In 2010 I did planned shootings frequently and by then I knew it is photography where I belong to. Since then I develop my skills as much as I can, do as many relevant photographic work as I can (besides my job I had for a living). Now I try to launch myself as a professional photographer. Started doing so in the field of fashion photography because this is my initial passion - the expressions of young people combined with inspiring outfits. It is much about beauty and about expressing yourself who you are through your outfit style and about dreams that are visualized. Now, I had to learn this is not enough. I need to grow, need more capability to show a subjects personality, not just through outfits, but as a portrait. By capturing the right images in a right way. So this is where I am now, exercising portraits in various ways and learning. Looking around for adjacent genres, e.g. wedding photography, to find my final best fit for a life as a photographer.

My journey began long before I started to believe in myself. It started with a passion for art, for emotion and the love that truly gave me wings to explore myself as a daughter, a wife, a mother and a photographer…
Going back in time I always had a soft spot for people and emotions and their journeys that had lead them to that specific moment in their lives. The fear and questions that come with making life changing decisions...
Our wedding day was one of those moments for me ... it was a beautiful day, we've planned the details carefully and enjoyed all those special people that surrounded us. I saw how my mother glowed when she helped me with my wedding dress. As mementos this special moment was for me, I could see in her eyes that she had lived up to this moment in time. Being a mum myself, now I know she must have envisioned this day from the moment I saw my first daylight. Her youngest daughter all grown up and getting married to an incredible loving man. We cried and hugged and really lived in that moment. As those precious moments flea on a wedding day I knew I would have them captured by our photographer. We had a budget and made, looking back, life changing choices. One being, to save on a wedding photographer. We asked a friend who loved photography to capture our day. Little did we know at the time how devastated and heartbreaking it would be to learn than not one photo was saved from that day. All the images where clouded. All those special moments full of emotions that we still hold dear 9 years later where lost, never to be recovered. As devastating as that was, nothing had prepared us for what came next. We learned that my mum had been sick for quit a while before our special day. She had developed longue cancer and kept it quiet so we could enjoy one last moment as a family without worry. Our wedding day was one of the last moments I remember my mum to be healthy and radiant. She glowed, she cried, she must have even said goodbye at that time but ever so gracefully gave me away knowing I would be all right, we would be all right…
To fast forward our story a year and a half later my mum had become a grandmother for the second time to our daughter and we were expecting our second son. She was losing her battle with cancer and still managed to love, give and guide us like only a mum can. I knew as I listened and observed her being my mum and grandmother to her grandchildren I had the responsibility to capture those moments for our children. So they can see how amazing she was, the love and pride she had in her eyes when she looked and played with them. How important those moments were and these photos are now … full with emotion … they are treasured. The last conversation I had with my mum is the most defining life changing moment in my life as a photographer. She looked at me and asked me to follow my heart, to love and live with all my being. She said I had been given a talent, to be conscious in the moment and to use it. To develop it and lit it grow, to make it count ….
So that’s how my story started. It took me a while to go for my dream and every day I still struggle with the little voices in my mind. But I owe it to my mum, to my children, husband, family to live a full life and to do my best every day . I owe it to my clients to capture their life changing moments with passion, with emotion. To understand their story and connect, to capture those special bands and people in their life…

I love you mum, thank you… Wendy

Creating emotions without words. That has been my creative outlet since I was young. I began dancing at the age of 3 and was intoxicated with the feeling and emotions expressed in dance. I never thought I would be able to find another outlet that allowed me to express myself in such a poetic nature until I discovered photography.

I began photography as a hobby after college, (when I could afford a better camera.) After traveling the world taking photographs of people and landscapes, I realized that not only do I have a passion for capturing people in their element but I also have an "eye" for seeing the heart of who they are. I am inspired by all that is around me and am passionate about capturing the moments of emotion in people (brides, children, families, babies) and the intricate details in nature (landscapes, buildings, plant-life.)

I always dreamed of going professional but I was intimidated by that fact that I didn't have the right equipment or degree (I have a MA in Education and a BA in Business.) Throughout my career, whenever I have had the opportunity to be creative in any fashion I have felt alive. But the thought of having a career doused in creativity seemed out of reach.

It was only after my own wedding in June 2009 that the seed of potentially going professional was planted. Our photographer was recommended to me by a friend in NYC and low and behold he had been a dancer as well! I began to think that maybe a person can have multiple passions in life and photography was most certainly one of mine. However, this little seed did not fully sprout until March 2012, with the birth of my daughter. I held my precious little girl and prayed that she would have the courage to pursue her passions and let nothing stand in her way.

It was then that I realized that I had let fear keep me from pursuing my own passion. So on 10.11.12 I launched my photography business. And even though we live on student loans (while my husband is in school pursuing HIS dream) I knew that it was now or never. I know that I still have much to learn and am sure there will be bumps and bruises along the way, But I won't back down, because this snapshot, this moment, shows a mom facing fear and failure in the face and standing tall, knowing that two little eyes are watching her to see how to follow her dreams.

I spent 27 years devoting my life to my husband and children (with absolutely no regrets). I have always loved photography but didn't have the knowledge to go along with that passion. (I am so grateful for "Creative Live" and the format they offer for people like me to learn.)
I knew I wanted to photograph weddings when I attended my niece's wedding. The day of her wedding the photographer came and paid no attention to the bride, the groom, or the bride's mom. She over posed, over clicked with no thought to what she was capturing. During the reception the photographer rushed the bride and groom to the cake for the cutting. She instructed them to go ahead and cut the cake even though no one was watching (including the mother of the bride). She then told the couple that she was finished and would be leaving.
I decided after watching that no on deserved to be treated like a number, a time card, a NOBODY. I wanted to go into this competitive field to make the bride and grooms that I come into contact with feel special, because they are special. Their day is special. I cry at most of my weddings because I remember that these are real people, this is a real parent giving their precious daughter to another.
I am into my 3rd year, and am loving it.
Thank you Marcus for all of your inspiration and encouragement to remember again why I began this journey.
Antoinette

I do not have a story that starts with a camera in hand at the age of 10. My story doesn’t begin with a passion for photography or even a hobby, but my story is no less special or unique than everyone else’s. I was 31 years old, I was a single mother to an 11 year old boy, I was a team-mom and a room-mom and a snack-mom. I had worked my way up to property manager at a large resort in my unique little beach town of Destin Florida. I thought I was on a good career path and I was happy with my job. I loved working with people and forming relationships with condo owners and guests who were here on vacation.
My mother is a wedding officiate and was in the early years of her beach wedding company, Surfside Brides. She loved marrying people and we have the most beautiful beaches in the country that couples are drawn to for spectacular beach weddings. It was late spring when my mom called me and asked if I could help her the following evening. She had a sweet couple planning to get married on the beach with only their respective children in attendance. It was a family elopement. The kids were young, all under the age of 8 and the couple had no budget for a big wedding or even a wedding photographer. My mother could not allow this special moment between the 5 of them go undocumented so she asked me to step in and just use the Bride’s camera and take some photos for them, and I did. Afterwards, Mom and I went to local restaurant and sat at the bar, I was reflecting on the evening with this awesome new family and told my Mom, “That’s what I want to do; I want to photograph weddings and families.” I scoured the internet for information and spent hours and hours looking at other photographers sites, I joined groups that seemed helpful and I bought my first camera. I shot anything and everything I could; I used my friends and family as guinea pigs to learn the lighting situations on the beach at different times of day. I filled my head with as much knowledge as I could and I photographed small weddings every chance I had. After a year, I was ready to upgrade to a more pro camera and I began to develop a style and build a reputation for myself. 3 years later I was able to quite my full time property management job and give up the security of a weekly paycheck to pursue photography full time. (Woop!Woop!) I’ve gone to seminars, and trade shows, Imaging USA, different photographer workshops and I’ve taken a little something away from each one but ultimately over the past 8 years I’ve learned that for me being a great wedding photographer is about being a great person and forming connections with my couples and clients. I’ve discovered that it works best for me to wear many different hats on the wedding day and to fit in wherever I’m needed ~ I’m my Bride’s biggest advocate. I can clear a room when she’s getting overwhelmed and I can track down a shot of tequila when her nerves are on edge, I can fix a bouquet when something’s not right and I can sew a bridesmaid into her dress 5 minutes before we head to isle (true story).
It’s been 7 years since that first small wedding and I have photographed over 60 weddings a year for the last 4 years. I have the same amount of pride whether it’s just two people eloping on the beach on a Monday afternoon or a couple with 150 of their closest friends and family. I still search for knowledge and new ideas and new products and I work hard to offer my clients a unique and stress free experience all while telling their story.

Photography chose me. Nothing else can give me such release and inspiration. My mother always loved photographing my brothers and me when we were children and I learned from a very young age, how a single photo could touch someone. My family moved from Nova Scotia to the US when I was 7 and it was only because of the photos my mom had taken that I was able to remember the smell of the rain outside on a fall day, or how funny it was when my brothers learned to walk and would toddle around our house. I feel comforted by these memories and they come alive when I see each photo. The understanding of how photography would influence my life, overcame me in the first few moments I stood in the darkroom of my high school photography class and I knew from that moment I would always be with a camera.

And, it has become a way of life. It is how I let go of all my negative energy, it is how I heal and it is how I celebrate what is most important in life. There is nothing, more satisfying than capturing a beautiful moment or visually creating a dream and sharing it.

But the defining moment of when I fell in love with shooting weddings came in a very unexpected way: My mother was catering a wedding and when the photographer did not show up, she hastily called me. I was there, camera in hand, 15 minutes later. The entire party, the guests, the ceremony and reception took hold of me and when the day was over and the bride thanked me, teary-eyed and yet blushing, I knew I found my place. After the photos were developed, I realized what an honor it was to be the photographer in a wedding. To be allowed entry into such a sacred moment for friends or strangers and to have their trust that you will capture all those true and raw emotions, it is an honor and privilege.

4 photos. That's all Sandra and I have from our wedding. All formal and so overly posed to the point that my joints ache just by thinking about it (Photographer :" Your left knee a little backward" ... me : " it does not bend that way..." ) All we have to remember the our wedding day by is little short glimpses of things happening we still remember and try to keep alive more than twenty years after they actually happened. Memories that fade with every passing year.
We got in the wedding photography business so our couples will have the exact opposite experience. It is often we give deep discounts to young, penniless couples... just a way to spread good Karma.

It is great watching you Marcus. Thank you for your candour.

Cheers!

Bogdan
Studio Solaris Blog

I've always been the person behind the lens. I started chasing my nephews around various ball fields/courts and snapping any shenanigans my puppies got themselves into. I always loved experimenting with different types of lights and colors. It was never more than a hobby until a couple of years ago.
My father lost his battle with AIDS when I was very young. My mother took on a second job to support herself, my sister, and I so family time was scarce growing up. My sister is seven years older than I. It's enough of an age gap that it left me having more solo adventures than not. I always found myself looking through all our old photo albums of when Dad was still alive. I never really understood the appeal of a Leisure Suit or polyester shirts, but I am sure Mom didn't understand me wearing combat boots and babydoll dresses.
I've always wanted a family of my own. After ten years of trying I was due to have a little girl on December 15th 2010. This is both my and my father's birthday. (He always told me I was the best present he had ever received.) Sadly, in October of that year I was in an accident and my baby didn't survive. The trauma resulted in my inability to carry any more children. (I promise this isn't all sad) My two prized possessions are a 1979 Snoopy Christmas ornament that belonged to my father and my ultrasound photos of my daughter. I was never able to meet her. These photos are all I have. They're beautiful and I have never been so grateful for these three slips of paper.
I didn't touch my camera until the next year. In a way, part of me stopped living as well after the accident. A friend of mine (a single mom with three children) asked if I would take a few family photos for her. I knew she was struggling and couldn't afford the sitting fee of our local photographers. I didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't do that type of thing anymore and spent the next day with her and the children. We went to the county fair and ate way too many fried confections. Why did anyone ever think it was a good idea to fry a candy bar, twinkie, or oreo? More importantly, why must I try every last one?
I ended up with around thirty really good candid shots along with a few more staged. I decided to make her an album and a slideshow set to one of her late husbands favorite songs. As she watched, we were both in tears. A million tissues and thanks later I went home a little different than when I left home.
I found I am an emotional photographer. I love capturing emotion. Over the past couple of years I began spending more time with people doing portraits, chasing babies, puppies, and sweet talking grandmas out of peach pies. Photography became more than my passion. Photography brought me back to life as every moment I shot healed my heart a little each time. My clients are my family. Even though I am not a mother myself photography has allowed me to share in more special moments than I could ever imagine. Now, I constantly push myself to learn as much as I can doing what I love. So Blessed.

I have been loving photography for many years, but it’s only been for the last couple of years now that I have actually dreamed of having a photography business, but, like Marcus and so many others, I am very shy and introverted and can’t ‘toot my own horn.’
I love photography and love capturing images for memories and saving the emotions of the moment…however, something happened recently that has given me a new passion - I feel as though I have to, that I need to photograph everything and everyone, because our moments and memories and lives are so temporary and you may not be able to recall them.
This past August my close relatives and I met in a neighboring state for a graveside funeral for my aunt. At the last minute before we left, knowing that my dad’s remaining brothers and sister would be there, we grabbed my husband’s point and shoot camera. After the service I went around asking if I could take their picture and of course I would send them a copy. They all were kind and let me take my pictures. At one point I walked up to my cousin and said, “Jay, may I take your picture?” He shrugged and said okay. Little did I know that this would become such an important image.
After returning home, I processed the images and shared with everyone. Jay posted his on Facebook and made it his profile picture. This past Dec., on his 54th birthday, Jay died suddenly in his sleep of a heart attack. His family, while so much in grief and shock, grabbed onto that photograph and used it for everything…the obituary, the prayer brochures, the slide show at the service, 8x10 sitting out; the photo was everywhere.
When the service started - the slideshow was stopped, however, they left THAT photo on the screen above the ministers and priest during the whole service. It was then when I was looking at this photo that I thought, “he was looking at ME in that photo.’ It was very sobering. The next week my uncle went to visit my husband at work to ask him to thank me again for that photo. He said ‘every time I look at it, it’s like he’s looking at me.’
I am so thankful that I took that image; that we will have that picture of Jay forever.
I have to take photos for people…I need to.
(I would love to share the image of Jay, but it won't let me paste it.)
shirley
shirleyvaughn@hotmail.com

I could fill a novel with all my "this is where my love with photography started..." I, much like anyone else was the person with the camera, catching the moments and loving it. I loved to capture the fun, the laughs, the bizarre dares that I knew I'd need photographic evidence for when I became old and senile.

To this day, I am in love with people and their stories. I am humbled that people trust me with some of their most precious moments. I love the moments that make my clients squeal with an outstanding "yes" or cry because that shot resonated something in them that only they could appreciate and understand.

My personal journey really started when I was faced with a deeper appreciation for capturing memories...even when I wasn't sure I wanted them. I will try to keep this short as it could be a loooong story and honestly, who has time for that ;) I was in the hospital having my son. It was a wonderful time knowing my family was about to be complete; one boy and one girl...perfect. The following morning, my husband and I were awoken by a nurse informing us that our son had flat lined and by some miracle the doctors were able to intubate him and bring him back. The next 24 hours they ran tests on him and never found the cause or the why. I thought we had seen the darkest days when I was later told that our daughter had a weird rash that needed to be checked out. By the end of the day my husband called to tell me she had cancer. Caner? At 19 months old? What?? But I am in the hospital too and we have a new baby!?! She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and thus our new life had begun.

It was my own mother who was the one who gave me a deep appreciation for photography. So when she picked up the camera to take "family pictures" I was angry. I didn't want pictures of us then. My husband and I were exhausted. My daughter, filled with steroids, bandages... she didn't even look like her sweet self. Our son, well, to say we were freaked out that he could stop breathing at any given time was a HUGE understatement (would the flash from the camera freak him out and make him stop breathing? Yes, it was that insane). Pictures? What? This is not a happy picture moment. But we did it anyway.

As time went on and blessings unfolded one after another for my beloved family, I am now so grateful for those images. Even if the road had gone another direction, I'd still be grateful for all the images I have from that time. See, my son is now 6 years old and my amazing daughter is 8. She is nearing her 5 year off treatment mark and I no longer hold a mirror under my sons nose to make sure he's breathing... and those photos are a reminder of the blessings in this life and to document how far we've come. They also serve as our memory... we were so tired that we hardly retained much from that time but the pictures tell us the story.

Please know, I am not playing the sympathy card here. I am already a winner above and beyond all things. I just want to share that I have grown to appreciate more the weight and responsibility of being a part of someones life to capture their moments, weather it's something wonderful like a wedding or something heartbreaking like the last family images before their mother passes away from cancer. I've had the honor of being apart of the good and the heartbreaking. I will always strive to learn more and try to be better, but the appreciation is already piece is there. The moments that I am so blessed to give others is something that I just, just love.

Thank you Marcus, for sharing your gift, your story and your heart sincerely. You are an amazing photographer and a lovely human being.

Thank you creativeLIVE for being a source of help and hope for all of us who aspire to live the dream.

During my pregnancies nine years ago I suffered from a condition known as obstetric cholestasis, this made the pregnancies difficult and the children very wanted. This started my interest in taking photos and documenting this time with my children and soon I had purchased my first SLR camera. I started investing time into learning as much as I could about capturing lifes precious moments. During these earlier years I had asked my brother numerous times to be able to take some photos of my nephew also. My nephew suffered from a disability from birth and my brother was very protective of him. I was only given 2 opportunities that year to take photos and I am so fortunate that I had this opportunity, as he passed away not long after. I look back at these photos and feel so grateful for those memories. My sister in law also has a neice and nephew that suffer from a condition known as cystic fibrosis and I treassure the oppotrunity to be able to take photos of them as they begin to blossum into beautiful children despite the many trips to hospital. Time with them may be limited but capturing their joy and laughter throughout the years is amazing for me. Less than 2 months ago I quit my day-job as the hours were starting to become too long and I felt I was not being true to my family and my passion for photography. I am hoping this year will begin a new chapter in my life. Even though I have never done photography professionally, I am now beginning to set up my own business, I am here facing a new direction, and the opportunity to capture precious memories for many others.I can't wait!

Holy smokes you have your job cut out for you with all these amazing stories!! My husband and I are so blessed to be able to do what we truly love and that it gives us a life that we love even more! As a teen and young adult, I loved photography. I subscribed to photography magazines and loved pouring over the amazing images! I was the "family" photographer on vacations and such but my skill level left much to be desired:) Meanwhile my "future" hubby was in Lake Tahoe, CA taking amazing photographs of pro snowboarders. When we met and I saw his images I told him that he HAD to pursue photography. We moved to MI and the landscape was not as impressive as CA but he still took photographs of anything he could. We are both introverts so landscapes and animals were the best fit. Gradually as friends noticed his images and "nice camera" we began to take on weddings. In 2009 we had our first season with 17 weddings. It was amazing to me that we would begin the wedding day and a switch would be turned on and we became almost like different people. We were outgoing and funny, who knew! I fell in love at an instant with the entire process. I love being a part of such an amazing moment in each couples lives. The families welcome us into their lives for such a sacred time and it is beyond a blessing! Wedding photography has also allowed us to have the most amazing family life. We have 6 children that we homeschool and I do not know of any other profession that would give us such flexibility to pull this off. Our kids are already so interested in photography, editing, and weddings that I am sure they will be itching to help out when the time comes. What a blessing it is to do what we all do. The work is so hard but the benefit is SO great!

I'm one might call a late bloomer going into photography. A good friend got me into photography at a point in my life where I've been seeking a creative outlet. I'm in my late 30's and have a full time day job as an engineer. So pretty much in my career, it's always been numbers and logic and why am I suddenly interested in something creative. Even my wife was questioning this and for good reasons. So, bought my first DSLR and my friend was generous with his time and knowledge and showed me a few tricks here and there about basic shooting. One of the things I took to heart from him was to really be good at this is to one, practice and two, learn from the best. From there, I took some Nikon classes, took Cliff Mautner's class and Zack Arias lighting class. In my mind, if I'm going to do this, I want to be the best I can be so I can give folks the best work that I can. This was about 2 years ago. Since then I've done styled shoots (personal work), 2 weddings, portraiture shoots and I just love it. Another bonus is, my wife caught the photographic bug and now shoots with me. We still have our day jobs, it's a security blanket for us, since we're not there yet where we can support our family doing this full time. And now the question, why weddings? It's a sense of personal satisfaction seeing all the joys, emotions going on the entire day and capturing those moments and being part of all of that. Just on that one day. My wife and I eloped when we got married, so we didn't get to experience the whole wedding day thing, so I guess we're trying to experience those moments in other peoples wedding.

Thanks for sharing your life and your journey!

Regards,
George

The Road that led me here.

Through my whole life my parents fought. They ended in a nasty divorce and separated my sister and I.
I had been bounced around between the two for my entire childhood. Until I was able to make the decision to stay with my mom. Not even 6 months after I made this choice, moved back with her boyfriend and her, I found out my mom had cancer. The Doctors had said there was no guarantee. I was 13. 7 years of radiation, chemo, surgeries, radial implants, her being sick, and my high school years being spent taking care of her, I lost my mom to cancer. She did not have a peaceful end. I had always loved weddings. I wanted to plan them, get lost in them, and had been planning mine for as long as I could remember. Making up my future husband in my dreams until he showed up. I realized when she died, I had only a handful of pictures of her. And 2 of she and I. That was it. I vowed from that point on I would keep a camera in my hand no matter what. A few years later, my grandparents, my dad, and my mom’s boyfriend (who had been my rock) all passed on. This whole time I did what I had to do to get by. I had never been so miserable. I wanted to do what I loved, which was anything having to do with making s difference to people and my fiance at that time, supported me in everything. But now my own dilemma was my family had all passed on. They would never be at my wedding and I knew that. While planning my wedding I was sad the entire time, I wanted my mom. Planning weddings became something I no longer wanted to do. I still loved them, but I didn't want to plan them anymore.I thought long and hard about what it was that would make a difference in someone’s life, whether they realized it or not, that would make me happy, and that I could leave them as a gift when the people they loved the most, just were not there anymore. And it clicked. Literally. If I could capture in my camera, what I knew was there for them, what I saw, then I could give them the one gift I wish I could have. Images of love from the family that may not be here tomorrow. I am not an amazing photographer yet. But I want every family to have what I don’t. What I never will. And I still love weddings. So for me, this is a perfect marriage. I made a promise to myself & my girls, when I had my twins, they would have a visual library of their life. Of the love that I have for them and their Daddy.And all I want is to tell those stories. I am not Marcus Bell but I am a continuously growing Genevieve.

At age 15 I was drifting through life as a straight A student who had everything set to fall into place for university, until one day that came to a crashing halt. I was not feeling myself and was later diagnosed with major depression disorder. The constant struggle to get out of bed everyday became my very own civil war. I felt as if my life had no purpose or I was placed on earth with no talent or gifts. I felt totally abandon by the world and all it had to offer. Then one day I had a camera placed in my hands without having any prior knowledge of how anything worked. I studied and became fascinated with this beast of a thing and threw myself into the world of photography. Suddenly there was sparks ignited within. I became a whole new person and a whole new life had developed for me. Regardless if this wins me anything it's just very amazing to share with people publicly for the first time my battle with depression and finding a purpose for me life. I'm happy to say that while today fighting this disease is still very difficult for me and it isn't something that I wake up and is gone but I owe my life to the world of photography both figuratively and literally. It has shown me that my life wasn't purposeless and that I was indeed worthy. The feeling of shooting images for couples and clients and the feelings I see them have shows me that this is exactly what my life wsa meant for. Although I might not be as successful or as rich as I may have been had I been able to stay in school and get an amazing degree and job it has shown me that when your life feels like it's meaningless just try something you it just might be your calling.

Thank you creative live for always having these workshops so that people like myself who are struggling not with just confidence by everyday living can wake up and see that we just have to keep pressing our boundaries as we don't know how strong we are until being strong is all we've got.

just a quick note, have LOVED watching Marcus, and sent my photographer friends the Creative Live site, and just had to post her response. (also my feeling!!!)

Thanks so much Debbie!! This site is fantastic!!! (I totally just found a new favorite photographer through it!)
Thank you for passing it on.

Well, I've been grown up for a while now. As a kid I always had an instant camera in my hand, you know the ones that kodak used to make that you took to the chemist to get processed. I also stole my dad's pentax spotmatic (to his delight) every now and then and snapped a couple of rolls of film. Then I got discouraged from an artistic career and lost my way (in retail, sigh), for fifteen years....... The passion and inkling that I needed to change my life came 6 years ago, at my own wedding. Watching the photographer work and then seeing the photos made me think, "this is what I wanna do, capture people's lives and give them everlasting memories to cherish." It was only after having 2 babies and losing my pre-pregnancy job that I begun to really think about what it would mean to change my career so drastically. It was my husband who encouraged me, as well as my friends and then finally my family to do my diploma last year, which I can honestly say was the most enriching year of my life. Not only did I love every minute, I got to meet the most amazing people and work with some incredible photographers. I am now setting up my own business, and slowly (painfully) building my client base. This is the rest of my life, and I can't wait!!!!
Wendy Maley

I first became interested in photography during my early teen years. I would take photos of nature, my family and, of course, my pets. Oh so many images of my little furry friends! I got my first decent film camera when I was in my early 20s and I took a couple of photography classes in college. I loved being in the darkroom! My interest in taking photos grew further when I started having children. My camera was always available to capture all the special milestones of my children, even right up through their college years. That interest expanded over the years as I began to travel. I love photographing beautiful, scenic landscapes and interesting people and places in the world. I think I first realized that I actually could be a professional photographer when I had the opportunity to photograph my brother's wedding a number of years ago. I eventually purchased a professional camera and started to dabble in the professional photographer's world by assisting other wedding photographers. But I've known all along that I want to be a professional photographer on my own and being able to create images as I see them, not by working for another photographer. I would have to say that the truly defining moment for my wanting to become a photographer occurred after a tragedy in my family. My 28-year-old nephew went missing for a week and was eventually found dead due to a horrible truck accident. During the eulogy and life celebration (memorial), it was said over and over by so many people that my nephew loved life, he did everything to its fullest, and above all, he had no regrets. That last little bit about "having no regrets" kind of stuck with me. I don't want to have any regrets in life either...so I recently began the process of becoming a professional photographer. I still have more to learn, but I am on my way to fulfilling a dream! What inspires me to keep going is other photographers who are supportive mentors -- they keep my passion for photography going even when I think I can't do this. They are my "cheerleaders". I have to also say that CreativeLive has been very instrumental in my realization that photography is what I am meant to do. Watching, listening, and learning from the CreativeLive family has been a BIG influence in my becoming a professional photographer. My learning curve has certainly been shortened due to all of the terrific instructors here on CreativeLive. I am so thankful that I found this means of education. Lastly, I am a Pisces...I need to have a creative element in my life. For me, that creative element is creating beautiful imagery through the art of photography. Thanks for listening to my story.

Lynne Patton

My husband deployed in 2010. I became a "single" mom with 3 kids one a new born. Photography has always been a safe place, my love, passion and dream. All my stress and worries disappear when I am photographing a shoot. I quite my job and was bless to be able to stay home with the baby. Through out the year I would study, practice, listen, read and breath photography. I was not sure I would ever be able to live out my dream but if the occasion occurred I wanted to be able to take full advantage of it. Once my husband made it home safely from over seas he sat me down for a little talk. I will never forget his words as long as I live. Its time for you to follow your dream, its time for you to do something your great at. You have a gift, love, passion and I believe in you. I will support you and be your number one fan. You will face challenges, bumps, and unexpected events I will be here to push you through them. He said I love my job protecting out country and I want you to love what you do! I was in shock and could not believe this was happening. I am so blessed that I am able to follow by dream. I knew I wanted to specialize in wedding from day one. I love the emotion, love, passion and to tell their love story through pictures that they will cherish forever. I have always photographed with me heart. I provide soldiers with free homecoming shoot and I love every min of it. There is a different type of emotion that come with a homecoming that no one can explain. I to have had that feeling and was lucky to have someone photograph it for me. I help high school seniors that cant afford to capture their senior year that is oh so important. Single moms that want nothing but the best for their children. These shoots may not be wedding but they have the love and emotion that I long for. I am blessed to do what I love and I want to pay it forward. My dreams have came true! I have 3 beautiful, health children, a supportive husband and clients that I adore. My dream to love what I do and to capture the stories of peoples lives that will last forever has come true. Now I am able to help make, brides, soldiers, high school seniors and charities dreams come true!

Wow. I'm a talker so I'm going to try and keep this as short as possible. I started this love affair many moons ago. My gift showed up first in 4th grade where I had a state competition and had decided that I would do photography for my project. The day before it was due I ran and took a snapshot of a local old cotton mill. That snapshot ended up winning the state competition. Fast forward to the age of twelve, at my uncle's wedding, this twelve year old kid stands up in the middle of the wedding and takes a snapshot of the bride and groom at the altar, with an amazing light just enveloping all around them. I think at first they were annoyed, with me for standing up...until they saw the picture and were taken aback by the simplicity yet beauty of the photo. They even questioned if I had really taken the picture....piff! :) Every since that moment, I couldn't not take pictures at a wedding.
My Father passed away in Fall of 2010 and it made me really stop and think about how short life is and how precious the moments are. Up until then I was a real estate agent for 12 years and I didn't enjoy it any more, at all. I really wanted to do something that made people happy, and I wanted to preserve memories of happy times and loved ones. Which in reality is all we have at the end of the day. I kinda took a step back from everyone except my immediate family and really started looking around at all the beauty around us everyday. In a way, you could say I went on an internal 'Walk About'. Of the times when I did venture out to be around others I was obsessed with capturing those times with my camera. I also wanted to share those moments freely with those that I had taken photos of. Then all of a sudden, I had more and more people asking me to capture their special moments, too.
I seem to have fallen into this profession. Maybe not fallen but was guided here by being quiet (for once) and just quietly paying attention. I see beautiful moments all the time. I see them and think that those moments will hopefully be there for the people in my photos to cherish and for them to tell their story to their loved ones.
Another quick reason for choosing weddings as one of my favorites to shoot is because I had an amazing beautiful wedding and thought I had an amazing photographer. Problem was he didn't show up until the "You may kiss your bride" moment. I personally know how having a horrible photographer feels and also how no matter how much you want to recreate those moments, it is impossible. I want to show their story. I want whomever that sees those photos feel the happiness, joy and beauty, that was present in their special day. To see the beautiful story at the beginning, middle and the end.

I am 25 years old, and have been photographing weddings for three years. Looking back, I've always had a deep-rooted love for photography, but I just didn't know it until I was around 21 or 22. My dad gave me my first camera, which had also been his first, when I was 8. I ran around taking pictures of everything, with my little brother being my favorite subject. As I grew up, I remained very artistic--drawing and painting constantly. In highschool, on top of all the art classes I was taking, I also got very involved in yearbook staff. Plus, I ALWAYS had a point and shoot on me, and was taking photos of my friends and of my life non-stop. However, when it came time to go to college and choose something to major in, I didn't think that anything artistic was practical in the small Iowa community I live in. I started doing general studies, but knew it wasn't right. After about a year, I decided that instead of continuing to rack up student loans without a goal, I'd stop and work until I figured it out. This is where I started seeing similarities to the story that Marcus told of himself and how he got started in photography. I was working an office job that I hated--doing the dirty work for insurance underwriters--and remained there for 4 years. Although I didn't mind all the medical knowledge and working with physicians' offices, I was bored to death. When I got married, it dawned on me that I needed to make myself happy to make my husband happy...so I went back to my most basic instinct, which was to be creating something. I let go of the notion that I couldn't be creative in Iowa as a profession, and decided to go for it. Like Marcus, I don't have any formal training. I took any job in the Omaha area that I could get in the photography field. I started doing portraits in a chain portait studio, then went to boutique-style newborn portraits in an Omaha hospital, and then the big one--working as second shooter for a wedding photographer who owns her own venues (wedding photography "studios," essentially). At each of these positions, I was hired on the spot, but it was once I started working for the wedding photographer, that I really realized that this was the path that I was supposed to be on. We were photographing two weddings each weekend, and sometimes three. I became like her right hand, and after about a month, I was photographing a lot of the weddings alone. I was also learning all kinds of other areas of the weddings, such as the decor/design process, coordination of the day and floral arranging. Her venues really are a one-stop-shop for weddings. But this gave me such a huge understanding of all of the details that go into the day, and I feel it gave me a big advantage. I was able to photograph so many couples and families with all kinds of stories that I could connect with. All this time, I was also shooting on my own, and my boss was very supportive. After some time, I decided to really go for it on my own, and I opened my studio in September, 2011. My clientelle is constantly growing, and I even got an opportunity to do a destination wedding in Mexico last year. I am thankful everyday that I let go of my fear of the small community limiting me. I haven't let anything stand in my way, am always learning and always continuing to grow. Watching Marcus today has left me so inspired to keep going. I relate so much with his emotional connection to all of his couples, and I love how he has a story to go with each image. You can really see how his couples have left their mark on his heart.

My interest in photography was sparked on a snowboarding holiday to Italy where my friend had brought along his recently purchased Canon 20D. Before that point my experience of photos had been poorly exposed images from cameras with straight on flash and I could never see the value of it. Why take a bad image of a moment when it is better lived. With this camera and the control over the shot it started my journey along the path to learning and shooting as much as possible.

Little did I know at that time it was going to be something that I would pursue as a full time career. Starting off shooting landscapes and really enjoying that I develop an interest and want to shoot more and more. Weddings were not something I was particularly interested in shooting to start with, far from it but after taking images at a wedding it started to become more of an interest. Shooting like many people do, a few wedding from Gumtree (London's equivalent to Craigslist) it became a lot more of a serious venue and pursuit.

While I was working a full time job back in London I didn't want to give up the steady money from that and me and my wife knew that we would soon be moving to the USA to live there and be closer to her family. The move to the states gave me the boot that I needed to get into photography full time and I don't know if I would ever have made the jump had I stayed back home.

It's hard to give up another job and it's a big step to make the move into full time self employment as a photographer. I took the opportunity that was given to me and I hope that this will be my profession and passion for years to come. Using courses like Creative Live has helped to progress into taking this full time and listening to photographers like Marcus speak give me the drive to continue the push forward and upwards.

Regards, Roberto | www.robertofarrenphotography.com

Although my love of photography began in the late 80's photographing live bands, I feel my journey is really only beginning.

I bought my first SLR in 1991 - the first of the Canon EOS series and was a hobbist for many years - converting the laundry into a make shift darkroom...it was cold and I spent hour upon hour in there producing black white images. It was my winter time passtime.

Then I met my partner, Frank who also shared a love of photography. We bounce off each other and inspire (and yes compete with each other.)

Then in 2006 I became very ill. So much so we had to postpone our wedding while I was in hospital recovering. I was made redundant from my job at the same due to a restructure.

We married six months later in May in Thredbo - its were we spent our first holiday together and somewhere we love taking photos. (I would love to do a wedding there!)

This was a good thing - when life shows you how mortal you are you realise what is important. It was through this that we decided that I would not return to full time work (I actually was not well enough for another five years - it was when I was introduced to a new medication that my health returned and I actually felt strong and capable again.)

Naturally after some much down time and uncertainty I realised it was time to do what I really love. I attended a variety of photography workshops in Sydney and they turned my life around. Although I had 20 years of loving photography behind me, these courses helped me fill in gaps in my knowledge and has inspired and motivated me to be better and do more.

So here I am - offering a boutique wedding and portrait business. My motto is It's all about you! And you have reinforced this Marcus - its about getting what the client wants - working with them to capture the candid moments and also create some amazing memories.

My first official wedding was in September 2012 - from this wedding- I am embarrassed to say my lovely couple (Justin and Amanda) were chosen as Bride and Groom of the year by our local paper from an image I submitted. I was awarded two Bronze Awards in the International Loupe Awards from their wedding.

These two actually just makes me want to do even better. In some ways it scares me as I am often filled with doubt it doesn't make me complacent.. it makes more determined and more terrified!

I work hard to offer a personal service to all who contact me and my aim is not to conquer the market but to give 200% to a handful of brides and grooms each year.

I am so thankful that out of some unfortunate events, my life has turned around so completely. I have a long way to go and will alway be learning something new. For each person who puts their trust in me to capture images- their essence - I am thankful - its a team effort I can't do it without them.

In addition to that there are many photographers out there who give inspiration and are willing to share what they know. Thanks for being one of those inspiring and generous people Marcus! Its so exciting watching you on creative live. You will help many of us take our photography even further. :) Happy shooting. Sharron.

I have always been a lover of photography, specifically film photography. My mum bought me a Polaroid camera back when I was about 7 years old and it's always been one of my favourite cameras ever! However, the digital age is looming upon us. When Polaroid film production stopped in February 2008 it completely broke my heart, knowing that I would no longer be able to use my Polaroid camera once I'd finished the film I had left (which wasn't much at all!). So I started using digital cameras, both compact and DSLR. I just didn't get the same excitement with those... The image appears right away with digital cameras, on the display screen. Then you have to spend countless hours looking through the photos and printing them - printing was the worst! Knowing exactly what the photo would look like before printing it; I felt like it wasn't fun anymore. School gave me the opportunity to choose a work experience placement, and I decided on a photography placement at a local college. This was probably the spark that fuelled my passion for photography as I had the chance to work with current students and tutors who aided me in learning the basics of film photography. This included loading the film, using the camera settings, developing the film and enlarging the prints in a real dark room! After this eye-opening experience, I spent time researching film SLR cameras and finally decided on a Canon AV-1 model, which I subsequently found on ebay for the reasonable price of around £35! It arrived in perfect working condition and I was thrilled! I took it everywhere with me for a good few months and every roll of film I finished was even more exciting than the last! Opening the print sets gave me butterflies, discovering what images I had managed to capture and each photograph showed how much I had developed as a photographer. One particular event I photographed stands out to me, and that is my cousin's wedding. I was only just starting to get to grips with my Canon SLR and felt quite overshadowed by the professional photographer that had been hired to capture the big day! Nonetheless, I got some beautiful photographs of the memories from the few days I spent celebrating the wedding. I entered one of the photos from this event to an exhibition for my university college and it was chosen as one of the favourites by the judges to be displayed in Feb/March 2011! This small exhibition was the first time I got to display my work, which was a great experience and a huge boost to my self confidence. More recently, I have been a part of the Show Us Your Art (http://showusyourart.com/) exhibition with one of my photos being chosen for a 3 day exhibition in my local town centre. Last year, one of my friends got engaged and approached me to capture her special day... I nervously accepted of course! I've only recently picked my DSLR back up and now I'm looking to make an investment in some new glass and a new body! Just this past week, I took some "Save The Date" photos of her and her husband-to-be. It was such a short shoot for my first ever but it was super fun and they loved the results! Wedding photography is what I'm hoping to blossom into - I'd love for people to place this trust in me, to capture one of the most important days of their lives.

I started photography by going to the beach on a regular basis to take pictures of my son. He's a surfer and if you know anything about surfers, you know they relish having their picture taken. Upon taking pictures of my son and many other surfers I also, started taking pictures of everything that made me say aww or wow. I started posting my photos and noticed many people enjoyed looking and commenting on my pictures. I just continued doing what I love and from their my passion for photography has blossomed and escalated into a small business. My sincerest desire is to capture the essence of a soul and then present that to my clients as a gift. When I deliver my pictures to my clients, I take a step back and watch the overwhelming joy that covers their face as they embrace their photos. I don't have years and years of experience, but I do have a passion for what I do. Thank you so much for sharing your gift and talent. Your mannerism and ease of photography comes naturally, because it is obvious you love what do.
Thank you again,
April Dingman / Pass the Salt Photography

Early in my career ( about a year ago ) I had the opportunity to photograph my sister's wedding. About a month before the wedding, my dad had been put in removal proceedings by immigration. So, photographing my sister's wedding was really emotional as I know that could be one of the last and most important moments not only for my sister, but for my dad and the whole family.

At that time, I realized the importance of wedding photography. What it really means to the couple and to the family, and during her wedding I photographed with ALL my heart, and not my gear without even knowing it. Thank God we were able to turn the situation around just recently, and now I carry the responsibility of providing quality wedding photography to my clients.

Marcus has touched my heart profoundly.

I came upon photography by chance, I have fond memories of rummaging through my grand fathers closets and looking through his old photographs and glass slides for hours on end. I've always been in love with his work, from a young child and maybe this was what inspired me to be a photographer. When I was 19, after pursuing a career in dance for 18 years, my body began to break down with constant back spasms and aching foot pain that felt like someone parked their car on my foot! Who knew that I actually had a collapsed metatarsal that was left untreated for almost a year, causing significant foot damage. When the day came that I could no longer dance, no longer express myself in the way my body knew how, I was broken and devastated. I felt that all hope was lost, that nothing, nowhere and no one could fill the void that ballet had left. After leaving the company I was training with at the time, I felt like I had lost my identity. A couple weeks later, entirely out of the blue I had a strange new desire to buy a camera, to photograph and document my quickly changing world, I had no intention of pursuing photography. I planned it out one day, went for a walk into a local camera store with 5$ and a copy of my credit report. Applied for a credit card, bought my first camera, a Canon Rebel with an 18-55mm zoom. It never left my side for 3 years, I photographed everything. Everyone I met, every experience I was having, the good and bad, the new and unfamiliar. In this time, I felt that familiar creative spark reappear. People started complimenting my images and I was getting good positive feedback, this is when I fell in love. For the first time in my life, my passion, my joy made me truly unbearably happy and the comments I got from others were positive, constructive and helped me grow as a person, unlike the comments I received in the dance world. I enrolled at Dawson College in Montreal, extended my two year program to three and graduated with top marks on my final portfolio. That was 4 years ago and I'm still as outrageously passionate today about photography as I was the day I got my very first SLR. I think my passion in life shows in my photographs. I love sharing this passion and joy with others, whether it be teaching, shooting or volunteering. I absolutely love shooting weddings and even though I really look up to Marcus Bell, I feel like I can relate to Mr. Bell in feeling so utterly honoured to be a part of such an important day in peoples lives. My photo work has taken a new direction this year, as I've committed over 400 hours of volunteer photo work. I use the funds I get from my wedding work to fuel my volunteer work with the Tiny Light foundation but mainly with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. A non-profit organization that provides no charge professional photography for families facing the death of a child. About once a week (sometimes 2-3 times a week) I go to hospitals in my area, or sometimes travel on my own dime, to families who have lost a son or daughter or are about to take their child off life support and I photograph the last moments of the childs life and the last seconds mothers and fathers have with their infants. To preserve their essence, their memory and to give families beautiful tangible memories of their beloved. This commitment has taught me more about myself than I could have possible imagined. It's taught me selflessness, how to be truly altruistic and how to live a life not simply for myself. It's allowed me to fully open up my heart, despite how hard the circumstances may be as I know I'm providing a generous gift for others. This is what inspires me to keep shooting, to see the changes that I can put forth into the world through my talents and abilities. Knowing that what I'm doing is making a difference.

Thank you for the wonderful workshop, I look forward to watching Thursday and Fridays session as well! I truly admire your work and am awestruck with how you are such a humble genuinely caring person!

Best regards,
Lori Waltenbury
http://www.loriwaltenbury.com

Since my early childhood I have enjoyed telling stories. As a young child I used to write short stories, I grew out of it. As a teenager my dream was to become a journalist, I did everything I can to gain experience: I attended in journalism camps, I interned for a local newspaper, I was the main editor for the school newspaper. But things went differently when I didn't get into university to study journalism because my family didn't have money. Few years I worked as a travel coordinator in an international engineering company. My job was very well paid so bought myself a DSLR camera and started taking photos of my international colleagues. I was fascinated by the different cultures I was photographing - India, Ireland, Poland, China, Saudi Arabia. Since then I have been photographing people and I have realized I have found my perfect way to tell stories. For years I thought I am meant to write but as soon as I pointed my camera towards people I never looked back. When I photograph people I don't have to think about poses before the photo shoot, I have to feel the personalities that are in front of my camera along with the light conditions, location and the weather. For me this is the most magical way of telling stories. I have now realized what means the term "a picture is worth thousand words"
Berit Alits
www.beritalitsphotography.com

I picked up my first 35mm film SLR camera when I was 14 years old. The camera belonged to my father as a source of a hobby. I took the camera out to a Pecan Orchard in Georgia and photographed a friend of mine. From that moment on, it was impossible to separate me from a camera. I wanted to capture every moment and every memory. I took photography and developing film classes in high school and college. During college I worked for a corporate portrait studio that are in department stores. I was miserable working there. I still enjoyed capturing those precious moments that meant the world to my clients. The miserable side was being a sales associate trying to convince people to buy expensive products of their photos while many of my clients did buy those expensive products because they loved the moments I captured, but I felt I was cheating my clients of a genuine experience. I didn't want to focus on sales and fancy products, but the photography. Where I worked was all very much cookie cutter similar and I didn't have very much creative freedom.
My father has always taught me to be my own boss, that being successful in life didn't mean having a 9-5 job or a high income job. What I learned from him was that being successful in life meant chasing passionately after your dreams, you might stumble upon the way but the fact that you're pursuing that dream set you apart from the others who settle for a 9-5 their whole lives and leave their dreams in a box.
So naturally, I was encouraged to begin my own photography business. I started this part of my journey when I was 19 years old, only four years ago. I had a lot to learn about the business side of photography and I still do, as well as the subject of photography itself.
When I first started my business I was also nannying to help provide income to support my photography. But I let nannying become my crutch. I was truly afraid to step out and pursue my dream, I was afraid of failing, that my photography wasn't as good as it should be. My first two years I may have done a total of 6 shoots, no weddings though - I was fearful of shooting weddings. I wasn't doing anything to advertise myself because of my fears. At the end of those two years I became engaged to my, not husband. I took a position as an after school supervisor for pre-k to 6th graders at a school to help pay for the wedding.
I kind of put my photography on hold to plan my wedding, but by doing that, photography opportunities came after me. Last year was a bit over whelming but I had so many awesome experiences and opportunities to be lead photographer for 3 weddings and also have countless other portrait clients. I believe that since I was planning my own wedding, I had an intimate connection with the weddings I shot. I understood how important every moment and memory was and how meaningful it was to the bride and groom.
I love photographing weddings because each bride is very unique and deserves her fairytale/love story to be captured. I am always honored to be the person to photograph it and help preserve those memories. After getting married this past year I had to move to a new state. I immediately took a job with my church - once again fearing failure and nervous about starting from scratch in a new place where I knew no one. But I was desperate to get back to my passion and to capture beautiful weddings. Being blessed with such a wonderful, supportive husband we have decided that I can give my full attention, hard work, and effort to my photography this new year. I have a lot to learn about weddings but I am looking forward to daily growing and learning and developing my unique abilities that I can bring to my photography but I am also looking forward to having the honor to capture and share the stories of weddings and the ways they can impact my life.

I have taken pictures for years. Nothing fancy or even creative just out of a need to document. Then life got crazy and I didn't take many pictures. My husband and I got married at the courthouse with only our parents to document our day. It was when we had children that a passion and need lit inside of me. I was a mother. I had these children that looked to me to teach them and I wanted to be able to share every moment I could with them as they grew. We bought our first DSLR and I shot 1000's of images each week of these little ones. Soon each image became art. alightly more creative. more thought out. I loved it. It was soon after my baby boy was born that my friend asked me to shoot her wedding. She had been following my work and loved it. I told her I would shoot it for free. It was my first wedding and I fell in love all over again. To me it was more then just creating images for them but for their children and family to look at later on in the years. I was giving them something to remember and pass on. Now I shoot weddings and families and so much more. My husband and I plan on having a vow renewal on our 10th anniversary in which we will finally get the pictures that we really want. But to this day I treasure the pictures my father took of us so much.

Tears came to my eyes while watching Marcus presentation. I became so excited to revisit my photography career.

As a teenager I had great enthusiasm in capturing special moments so I would borrow cameras to do so, until I was able to own my own. I would capture moments at various events I attended such as church camps, church functions, beach trips and excursions. When i had my sons I would get my mom's friends who was a photographer to do portraits for them. But always dream of producing my own and have them look eve better than these camera men, as I viewed them. I questioned my mom's friend once on how to produce a good shot and he didn't assist me. With determination to learn I sought and found a 6 weeks course being offered and got certified. My first paid job was my son's kinder school package portraits which included a personalized calendar. I got discouraged because great amount spoiled. From there on I just did volunteer work as not to be blamed for spoilage because it was free. I became discouraged because I didn't have the money to get proper equipment necessary. Now I hardly even walk with my camera anymore.

I recently moved to a different parish in my new home and is frustrated and broke because I am not working. My sons are still attending school in the city about 3 hours drive from where we live now. I didn't want to be tied to job where I wont be available to go school meetings so for the past weeks I have been thinking of what business to start. As the bible states use what you have in your hands, I thought about all the skills I have and the one I am most passionate about. I didn't really think of photography because I am scared of failing. I was browsing Facebook and saw someone post the link on the free photo shop presentation and decided to check it out. I saw the section on photography and checked it out. I have cancelled another engagement and now hooked to Marcus Bell. I am now seeing photography in a new light. I am now excited to start my business in photography. I am inspired and it is just day one. Some of the things he said that stands out are: "If you hear laughter run for it", "let them choose the defining moments", and "Take charge of yourself and deliver the best possible jobs".

Thank you Marcus Bell for this FREE presentation, you God sent. You are destined for greatness. I am excited to go in depth in your work. You have become my mentor. I wish I could meet you in person. you remind of my photography tutor who was selfless in imparting his techniques. May his soul rest in peace. Before he died I would seek his assistance. Since his death I haven't really found someone who was willing share until I found you. All the best in your career.

There have been so many events and people who have influenced my journey into photography so far that it's difficult to keep this short. First my father, an enthusiastic photographer and keen observer of life. He had the ability to capture emotions, expressions and details that told the story of our childhood. While Dad is gone, I still have his 35mm film camera and a treasured box full of black and white photographs that capture the very essence of our childhood.

Next was my own wedding photographer on a sunny day in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. She arrived as our photographer but left as a friend and still is to this day. I’ll never forget the gratitude I felt to her for the amazing images, but more so, the incredible experience she gave us. It made me wonder if my own career could ever be that rewarding. She opened my eyes to the possibilities of loving your career and following your heart and set the precedent for the type of experience I strive to give my clients today.

The defining moment however, was following the birth of my second child, after moving to California. I was diagnosed with a chronic inflammatory form of arthritis that causes swelling and stiffness of the joints. I struggled to complete the simplest of tasks – changing a diaper (nappy), driving a car, putting on shoes. I couldn't even hold a camera. Each day was filled with pain and I could barely take care of my children.
Learning that I had an incurable disease was the biggest challenge I have ever faced and a difficult period of my life. At a time when I should have been enjoying those fleeting and oh-so-special moments with my new born baby and my sweet toddler, I found myself retreating to a dark place full of fear and negativity and struggling to come to terms with a future different to the one I’d imagined. While I was incredibly thankful I wasn’t dealing with something much worse like cancer, or god-forbid a sick child, and my condition was treatable, it took time to overcome the self pity, bitterness and sense of loss I was experiencing.

Because I felt like I missed a significant part of my boys development I became fierce about capturing memories – their smiles, their frowns, especially their tantrums! My passion for photography and storytelling grew stronger and stronger. Around the same time something incredible happened. I stumbled upon Me Ra Koh Photography and an initiative she was running called the SOAR Scholarship. It's what gave me the push I needed to follow my dream. A dream I had never dared to voice was suddenly made public therefore real, and what followed was an unbelievable experience equally challenging and rewarding that shaped the future for myself and my family and gently pushed me forward into the world of professional photography.

Five years ago I didn't have the confidence to even voice my dream of being a professional photographer one day, let alone a WEDDING photographer. I dabbled in child, family and senior portrait work but it wasn't my calling. I second shot a wedding after wedding but was scared to step out alone. I was living in California while my heart wanted to be back in New Zealand to bring up our children. I was crippled by fear. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown.Fear of my own ability. Then one day I took a leap of faith and let go of the fear. Today I am excited to say I am a wedding photographer in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. I am approaching the end of my first season here - it's been hard work but it's been a success and with every wedding I grow a little more.

Inspiration comes in many forms and we don’t always see it for what it is. And when we do, whether through fear or through circumstance, we don’t always act on it. In my case it took several years, some incredible events and some inspirational people, to set me on the path I find myself on today. It took the courage to voice an audacious goal and risk the potential of failure. While I still have a long way to go to become the photographer I strive to be, looking back on how far I've come, I'm more grateful than ever.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. It reminds me how lucky I am.

I just loved taking pictures. I would go to weddings as a guest and take pictures then give them to the brides mother. Later the bride and her mother would thank me for the kindness of the pictures. They would tell me how their photographer had missed certain pictures that I got. If they knew I took pictures they would of hired me.
Years later I lost my job and I had a new grand baby on the way so I needed a job. My children and hubby talked me into being a photographer and get paid for my services. I started out just as a beach photographer doing families. I was asked to do my first wedding and I was scared to death. I did okay for my first wedding working with BRIDE-ZILLA. I decided at that time I would just stick with what I do best and not do weddings. A very good friend of the family asked me to photograph her daughter's wedding, I said okay. THey were getting married on a boat called the Soloris. Everyone was waiting for the bride on the top deck. They were married 11-11-11 at 11 am and the sun is right on top of us. When the time came and the Capt. said you may kiss your bride, I'm snapping away hoping and hoping I get that shot. The first chance I got I looked at my pictures to make sure I did get that shot. YES, I got it. and then the tears filled my eyes. Stephany & Hunter's first kiss has a glow around them and a sun star over the top of them. Stephany saw the tears and asked to see the picture. She stopped, looked at me with tears in her eyes and gave me the biggest hug telling me thank you.
I knew from that day on I was going to continue to do weddings.

Some of my earliest memories are of being with my father in my parents' darkened bedroom with only a tiny red colored light bulb glowing and watching with awe as he created magic!
My dad was a serious amateur who was passionate about photography. Those were the days of black and white film as color film had to be sent abroad from India or was too expensive to be developed and printed in the small city we lived in. Daddy would develop the exposed films at a friends photo studio and the printing process would be done at home. My brother and I would be allowed to stay in the room and 'help' him which usually involved guessing whos picture was going to show up next as the paper was put in the chemical. My dad never got tired of my questions and noting my interest, he got me enrolled in a class run by a friend of his when I was 9 yrs old. I had an agfa camera and got 2 rolls of 120mm film per month and had to practice with that. I would later go on to using his camera and other equipment but that camera is still my favorite.
My dad passed away from cancer in 2006 leaving us all devastated. A year later my mom visited me in the US where I now live, and got me all his photography equipment saying he wanted me to have it. When I look back, I realize that it was the point where I started re-emerging into the world and learning to accept that my dad was no more. Up until then I could not even bring myself to speak of him in the past tense. Photography for me is my connection with my dad. That is why what Marcus said about his dad brought me to tears.
I enrolled in community college and started learning photography formally and am now what I guess can be called a semi-pro. I have been paid for my photos but cannot afford to leave my day job. I donot have the resources to go on workshops and such things but grab every opportunity such as this one to learn. I cannot thank you enough Marcus for sharing with us.

I became a wedding photographer just because it came to me. Truly it did. I never planned to be a photographer and I can't say that I was photographing when I was six years old or anything. I have a degree in journalism and a master's degree (because of sheer determinination) and I became a newspaper reporter, then worked in the corporate world in public relations and thought I was determined to succeed in that arena. Yet regardless of what job I was in, I was always photographing people and I think my subconscious mind knew very early on that this is what I would do for my life's work. But if you would have told me that I was going to become a wedding photographer a few years back, I would have said "you must have the wrong person." I had training in photography for my journalism degree and I took photos to go with my stories, but I was always the writer, the photos just helped me tell the story. Funny thing is, that is exactly the truth isn't it?

I just have my own way of relating and seeing the moments that happen in a split second and those moments change everything. That's why I truly love the art of photography. Everyone has such a unique story to be told.

I have gone through thick and thin in my life. I raised my daughter by myself since I was 18. We lived in a trailer. People still to this day tell me that I won't be able to do something or that it just isn't possible and that I need a more solid plan, that I need to do something ordinary. But I've always known that wasn't quite a fit for me and I always knew that I could do it if I just never give up. It isn't easy to live this kind of life, but its made all the difference.

Each of us is here on earth to bring certain gifts to share with others. I am here to bring joy to people through the art of wedding and portrait photography. Life's a journey! Let's see where we can go!

I've always had an interest in photography, but was always the one that used to cut off heads or get the photo to dark... My ideas were good though, so my Grandma bought me my first keychain camera when I was 14 yrs old... I gradually got better making sure I captured everyone's entire head.. lol

As I grew up, I still took as many photos as I could and knew I wanted to do Photography as much as I could, but never got past my family members as my models...

Recently, I married my soulmate... I knew the importance of those special memories that you can only capture once, and wanted my wedding to be a dream wedding... so I hired my photographer based on a family friend and just a couple portraits I had seen... We scheduled her for the night before for our personal wedding portraits and the next day for the Ceremony with the promise of our dream photos...

She ended up leaving our wedding 30 minutes early and we only received a handful of photos that all turned out to be sideways and blurry... I was heartbroken, and decided then that I wasn't as bad as I thought... This lady called herself a professional and destroyed all the memories I could of had in print... I decided then, that I could give my clients the photos that they dreamed of... I knew what I wanted for my wedding... the small moments, the ones that you don't get to see everyday... and I take those moments, I wasn't able to receive and I look harder for those with my clients... I want to make sure that even tho they may not be looking at the time, that I capture something I know they wouldn't want to ever miss...

I apply all I have to making sure in the future days to come, that they have something special to look back on and carry with them... something to share with their children and grandchildren...

That is my Passion... and I have chosen that make my passion my career... and I love each and every moment... Every sparkle in every eye, and every color I can capture... because to me, my clients dreams and memories are in my hands while I am in their presence... I don't ever want to let them down, or disappoint them... like I had been, and that has become part of my motivation in my career...

I am commited to art expression, but unfaithful to all mediums!

From a very young age I have been a quite and shy, introverted and observant person. I have always been very aware of everything arround me, and if something intrigued me I have always been compeled to examine it. I also traveled a lot as a child (born in congo, raised between spain and belgium, and came to the states in 2003 to play basketball), this made it that much harder for me to socialize (ethnic barriers, language barriers, cultural barriers).
So as I kid used art as an outlet to express myself, and fill my constant desire to learn and to create.

I started with with markers and pencils, then I focused for a while on black and white charcoal, 3d shapes with paper, comic books, grafitti, iron on t-shirts, screen printing, hand painted clothing, and finally graphic design and custom sneakers that resulted in cofounding www.pimpmykicks.com. After parting ways with my partner, I moved to the east coast, where I decided to continue customizing sneakers, but do it all my way. In the fall of 2009 is when I picked up my first camera, the sole purpose was to get higher quality photographs for the site visitors, and a dslr was the magic wand for that. I learned the hard way that it was not the case, so I spend long nights on youtube for figure out how to work the camera (why read the manual right? lol). Being the new guy in town, I fell it would be clever to go to night clubs to photograph people and lead them to my blog, here they would have view my sneakers prior to accessing the party images. Though my attempt to sell more sneakers failed, my popularity grew, and soon everyone knew me as the camera guy. They assumed I was a professional photographer, and would inquire about sessions, and I just went along with it, and shot anything I was asked to. within a few months, I was asked to photograph a wedding (I had no clue by the way), I assumed that I would be an extended party, lol what a fool! I went with one camera, 2 4gb cards, a 16-70 kit lens, one flash, one battery for the camera, and one set of batteries for the flash! The only precaution I took, was to bring my lap top, and chargers, and those saved my life!

By that time I was getting really interested in light, studio mostly, and eventually I fell in love with the sun, open shade, and window lighting. Today, I do not photograph in the clubs anymore unless there is a celeb in town, nor do I do much families, I do mostly weddings, I love the emotions of the day, the challenge of creating on the spot, and having to make something out of what is already there. But I also do fashion on the side, I love the controlled aspect of it, the challenge of seeing an image, collect all the aspects and make the image. Together they give me a balance between creating as a reaction to my surroundings, and creating as a reaction of what is within. Fashion has yet to pay bills, but it influences my weddings, and I would love to do commercial and editorial bridal fashion.

As many photographers out there, I have picked up film, and I love it! it is so similar to photography while totally opposite at the same time. Though for the most part the principles of lighting, composition, and interaction with subjects are mostly the same, I create differently when I film from when I photograph, it is like I use a different eye, or may be is just because I use both eyes lol. But wether it be my wedding work or my fashion work, seems like I look for different things in each medium, and my learning path goes different directions for each, but at the same time it benefits both. I have been working on film documentary projects for this year, and may be some portraits come out of it, I am very excited! :-D

Bottom line is, I am a fat kid, eating out of any creative plate i see! And so far, photography is the biggest bowl with all the different chips, so I am stuck on it.

Herman Van den Brandt
http://www.hermanphoto.net

I am from Germany. My husband and I moved to Dallas, TX five years ago.
That relocation totally changed my life and brought me back to what I always wanted to do – taking pictures! Being creative!

In Germany my profession was and still is being a teacher. I am in maternity leave and we need to decide right now if and when we go back to Germany. We love being here, but there are a lot of things to consider, especially with and for the kids.

I love to be a teacher, but my passion is and always was taking pictures. Back then I did that just at weekends or on vacations.
I actually started an internship to become a professional photographer when I was 15 years old, but ended up to become a teacher and went to a University. Probably because of the same reason you worked in a bank.

When we moved to the States I started going to college and taking photography classes at night or on weekends. One year ago I finally started my photography business. When I shot my first wedding I knew that this is what I want to do. I am so happy right now with being a photographer and that there are people who love my work. I learn something new every day.

Now I get scared, because it is almost time to move back to Germany and to my “old” job. As a teacher in Germany you work for the government and have pretty good benefits.

I hope that we are able to stay (at least for a little bit) so I get more in my photography business and we will be able to stay forever.

But I know for sure if we need to go back I will keep my photography business and always put photography first – right after family.

Sabrina Moormann
www.moormannphotography.com
www.facebook.com/MoormannPhotography
sabrina@moormannphotography.com

I have always been creative. As a little girl I used to weave brightly colored fabrics on my loom. Later as an adult I took various craft courses at college when my children were babies and then a few years later I discovered oil paints and Bob Ross. Painting in the Bob Ross style meant I could create beautiful works of art without having to wait for my oils to dry between coats. However creating beautiful images was a hobby, a sideline to my main career as a midwife.

It was after the death of my 29 year old brother, Jon that I purchased my first DSLR. Jon was the 2nd brother I had lost, the first being when I was 17. Jon had a wife and 2 young children. Losing my brother and looking through the family snap shots of him, made me realize that what I really wanted was to capture moments in time and freeze them. I had always regretted that we have very few photographs of my other brother, Jeff. I knew very little about photography, so just I purchased the most expensive camera on the supermarket online catalogue and got started. It happened to be a Nikon D80. At last I realized that I could capture the essence of memories and create beautiful works of art without waiting for the paint to dry.

Since then I have taught myself how to use my camera, I have been on courses, bought books, watched creativeLIVE, bought lenses and studio lights, been inspired by the beauty of the images I’ve seen and practiced, practiced, practiced.

Then I was asked to photograph my brother in laws wedding. It was through this interaction with the bride and groom that I realized how similar it was being a photographer and being a midwife. In both scenarios I am honored and privileged to be so involved in such emotional, intimate moments of other people’s lives. Being able to be that close to a couple and share their wonder and joy as they become either husband and wife or mother and father has made truly grateful for the position I am in. In my role as a midwife I want endeavor to bring the family through the child birth experience with beautiful positive memories.
Through my photography I endeavor to capture those memories.

I started photography when I was little cause I need the pictures to help me remember. I started doing selfies before selfies are popular just to see how I grew. Then it changed where I wanted to do more with my photography, I started out by photographing my friends Maternity photos then family and so on... I am a very creative person ( I sing and play piano too) and I am lost sitting at a desk job selling insurance. I am now on my second maternity leave and am trying my bestest to make it go so I dont get put back in the dead end windowless corporate job. My husband keeps me focused and driving forward, and I have completed a photography course (diploma'd) and have learned so much. I just want to keep moving forward so that as my girls grow up they have their mom around and also allow them to have a chance to be involved in creative mediums what ever they choose.

I’ve been privileged to many amazing and interesting moments in my last 11 years of being a Wedding Photographer.

One such case was Gina and Brock’s wedding. Gina’s grandfather was 95 years old and very frail. She wanted to dance with her grandfather but he could barley walk. One of his family members had to hold him upright while he danced with his grandaughter , the bride. My job was to shoot and keep the holder out of the shot.

It was one of the most heartfelt moments I’ve ever been privileged to witness. Gina was crying, grandfather was crying, on lookers were crying. I even admit to a tear welling up in my eye. The next year I received an email from Gina. She tells me that sadly her grandfather passed away and thanked me again for the photo’s I took of them as they were the last one’s of her and her grandfather.

I am a photographer by trade, I make my living as such, but the emotional connection I feel with my clients are often worth more than money. It’s always my privilege to record their passion.

My path to this point has been very windy... A short while after I decided to start my photography business I had a revelation, that I finally was starting what I had always wanted to do. So, this is my story...

I love pictures. I love being able to relive the memories they have captured. I love listening to the stories that accompany the memories. I love being able to "be" in that moment again. When I was a kiddo, I asked my parents for a 35mm camera, every year for my birthday and Christmas. I didn't realize at the time why that was not a possibility for them. We were barely scraping by as it was, and there were "necessities" (you, know, clothes, school supplies... that kind of boring stuff) that they felt were more important. But, I kept asking.

You see, I come from a family of "creatives". My grandfather was a map-maker in WWII and a professional painter, my cousin is also a very accomplished water color artist. My mom is a gifted seamstress and has always enjoyed hobby crafts, my aunt was a floral designer, my brother is a make-up artist and special effects technician (think spooky, gory), my other brother aspires to write a screen play. We were always encouraged to follow our dreams and interests, and at one point my dad commented to me that he was "glad I was doing something that used my creative talents."

My mom taught me to sew when I was 10. My parents set me up with an "art room" when I was, I don't know... 5? How lucky am I, right? In high school I started thinking about what I wanted to "be" when I grew up... fashion designer or maybe a fashion photographer! I opted for design because it incorporated the things I was familiar with, had worked with, and just seemed more tangible at the time. (By the way, love that I followed that dream but I never got into the industry.)

Time went on, I got married, had a couple of kiddos, and was a stay-home mom. My husband got me that 35mm camera I had always wanted and I took pictures like crazy, well, my kids are beautiful and very animated! I couldn't even keep up with developing all that film! lol! My friends relied on me to take pictures of our parties because, well, we're fun, goofy, and always had a good "theme" to document and reminisce about later.

Then I went through my divorce. What do I do now? My attorney suggested I go back to school because there wasn't a high need for fashion designers in my corner of the state. What do I want to do? Hmmm... maybe teaching... maybe photography... (see a pattern yet?) My attorney advised me that the judge would support a teaching certificate over photography (which was true), so I earned my MIT. (Again, love this part of my path; love working with kids.)

Unfortunately, I have struggled with teaching as a permanent career, only getting one-year contracts each year and having my position be absorbed by a contracted teacher or the school having to reduce staffing. This year I was back on the sub list and struggling to make ends meet... well, actually, ends aren't meeting. This also being my daughter's senior year, she asked me to take her senior pictures. Then her best friend asked me to take her pictures. That, compiled with my non-contracted status, propelled me to jump in and go for it. I got a business license and have been photographing ever since.

I don't do weddings exclusively. I enjoy them immensely for many of the reasons Marcus has stated so far in his workshop. I love and am always honored when asked to be a part of someone's most special day. They have asked me to be present for one of the biggest highlights of their life (so far), and that means the world to me. What fills me with joy is when my clients/friends love an image as much (or more) than I do; knowing that I captured something, a moment, that will be a treasure for them.

I know this is what I should be doing. I enjoy working with people, interacting with them, hearing their stories, watching them relax, and making them laugh for me. I love to photography their joy. Oh, and the icing on the cake? I may have an opportunity to teach photography at one of our alternative high schools soon, how awesome is that??

Hello! My name is April and I love weddings. I was encouraged by a friend, who is a photographer, to persue photography professionally about four years ago. I have always loved design and editing (I made my basketball team's first t-shirts in Microsoft Word when I was in High School!) and was given a copy of Photoshop by a friend about 9 years ago. That, combined with an appreciation for visual arts and all things lovely fostered from childhood, started me in the direction of photography.

I have a love of learning, but only on my own time, at my own pace, and what I am interested in. I never finished college but instead was married at 18 and now have three fabulous children. When I became serious about persuing photography as a profession, I knew I didn't want to be a point-and-shoot, always on Auto photographer and so I decided to learn as much technical information as I could absorb. I have a passion for learning not just the how but the why of the way things work. Over the past three years I've learned so much about photography but one of the most important things is to always keep learning. Photography is such a broad field, there is always something new or, if you feel like you're stagnating in one area, a new genre to explore.

Last year my husband decided to go back to college. He has never really been content in any job and we've decided it's because he hasn't been doing anything that he really enjoys, that God is leading him to do, or that he feels passionately about. He's now attending college full-time and we are photographing weddings together on the weekends. We make a wonderful team, even though we're still learning to appreciate one another's strengths and weaknesses and how to use them to our advantage.

I'm really enjoying your workshop and find your images to be truly inspiring. I love the 'big' shots that you take and am going to try to incorporate more of those into my style of photography. I think in the past I've been focusing too much on what the client might think they want. Of course, we need to listen to the client, but I need to just take that leap and shoot that dramatic shot.

Thank you so much for your willingness to put on this workshop and to share your insight with us!

www.blueskyphotographs.net

p.s. my one big shot from this fall ... https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_Vds2SkS_N_aHhWSTFaejVfMm8/edit?usp=sha...

Growing up, my parents instilled in me the importance of portraits. Capturing candid shots, as well as those fleeting moments. I spent many years being the subject of the photograph, but when I entered college, I wanted to take my love for photography beyond the point and shoot camera. I enrolled in photography courses, bought my first 35mm (still using film), and jumped in. I learned different techniques as well as how to develop my own film. I fell in love with photography all over again. Watching the beauty unfold before me in the lab was breath taking.

After the birth of my first child, my priorities changed, but photography remained a passion of mine. I enjoy spending time with my children and photographing them as they grow. As the times changed from Film to Digital in the photography world, I found myself more intrigued and found the passion for it again. I photographed my first wedding, and it was the most magical experience I could have imagined. As I watched the couples journey unfold before my eyes, I knew the way I viewed photography and the world was forever changed. I focus on the little things, no matter the subject; the touch, a look, a smile, the glimmer of pure joy, the simple things with a modern flare.

Each session, from family to weddings have given me something in return. I can remember each session vividly, recall conversations, stories, tears, and laughter. I am truly honored and humbled to celebrate their lives with each other. Whether its a family session, a newborn session, or a wedding, my clients have taught me to live for the moment, adjust as needed, and to make the most of each day. I don't always share with my clients their impact on me as a person or photographer ~ they all have a special place in my heart.

Thank you, Marcus Bell, for taking time out of your schedule to share with us your words of wisdom, or tricks of the trade. Your "inside" inside story is truly motivating and sincere.

Sincerely,
Lauren Staman
Take 'Em Photography

I could not believe Marcus's story.While I was listening it was like a man who was telling my story.Infact the tiny little portrait of him with glasses was not same :) Although the expression of the face was same. I was graduated as textile engineer.I knew that it was not the right job before choosing it but my family wanted me to be an engineer.I have started to work as an engineer and each day an inside voice told me that was not a right place to be and not the right job to do.I did not know what to do and how to cope with the unhappy life which I could not choose.Years past and I have tried to find a solution.Every weekend I have spent my time to find alternative.I have married.My husband could not understand what is wrong with me.I had a good job which many people try to have it.He told me that "Demet try to love your job.".The job just did not fit me and it was not about loving it or not.I was late to go the job every day.Photography entered in my life.My husband and I have photographed our friends wedding.They loved the photograps.I loved the feelings of making others happy by creating photographs.There is no feeling like this in engineering job.I loved photography and wanted to quit engineering.Due to money side I could not do it first year.I could not do it second year and the third year as well.I was about to loose my belief of doing it.Then vitiligo entered in my life.I have started loose my pigments on my eyebrow.My body gave me a signal to quit the job as soon as possible.Then I quit it and started photography.The first time in my life I have got a job which I am passionate.My vitiligo has stopped after that.Now almost half of my left eyebrow is white and I love it.Because of it I made the big change.People sometimes ask "Do you dye your eyebrow ?" and I say no :) After making the big change the life was not easy but at least I was spending my time for photography which I am passionate about.First time in my life I am experiencing being a business person which I did not study anything about.Thanks to Creative Live. By their support I am much better now.My husband cannot believe that I am watching CL course till 2 a.m. He cannot understand it.He says that he married with an engineer and later on an artist got out of me and I have fool of him :) The big relief for me was hearing from a professional woman photographer that the result of last photo shoot was ok but can be better.Then I understand that the feelings that I have is comman and natural.There is an always better photo shoot and that is a reason to wake up tomorrow and take the camera and find it.There is no end.I love learning and exploring myself and others.
Thank you Marcus and CL.

Demet

www.demetargun.com
www.facebook.com/demetargunphotography

My name is Jordan Correces and I'm a Junior in College. It was during freshman year of college, photography was simply a hobby. I would get friends after class and practice portrait sessions with them with a canon t1i (which I still use today) and cheap 50 mm lens, even though I didn't really know what I was doing. The following year I decided to take the year off to become a missionary in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia in a orphanage called Familia Feliz, and Pucallpa, Peru in a surgical/dental clinic targeted to the class of extreme poverty. I was in Bolivia for half the year and Peru for the other. I did a lot of construction work on the orphanage and helped out in the pharmacy in peru, but While I was there I was studying a lot of photojournalism and composition/design books and truly began to understand and grow as a photographer. Working in those environments I began to grow an extreme compassion for poverty and the people and I wanted to bring awareness. So I started to document and compile a photo story of everything that unfolded before me so I could share these to people at home. I wanted to show people that in other countries there is so much help needed. I wanted to show people why we should be grateful for what we have.

Throughout that time I began to see my growing talent and passion in visual storytelling and how important it is. I believe the still photograph is such a powerful tool, especially for helping people in need.

When I got back to school I changed my major from counseling to photojournalism so I can tell these stories for the rest of my life. I have a part time engagement and couple portraiture business and working on growing in more weddings, but I have a very strong passion in photojournalism and I'm hoping I can make it as a freelance photojournalist someday and still do weddings on the side.

My story began almost 12 years ago. When I became an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). With this job, my life changed. I was proud to say I was an EMT. I made a difference in someone’s life if was just because they were sick and need help go to the hospital or helping someone in a bad car accident, or trying to save someone’s life. I was proud that was I trying to make a difference.
My brother became very sick in 2007 with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which is considered a rare, serious disorder in which your skin and mucous membranes react severely to a medication or infection that makes it fall off. My brother (Jay) was airlifted from the local hospital to a bigger one that had a burn unit in Louisville Kentucky. He was placed in the burn unit and with 24 hrs. He was placed in a medical coma due to the pain.
I took off a month from work to stay in Louisville with my brother. I had to be close to take care of the decision for my brother. At this time, I had to drop out of Paramedic school, because my brother was more important at the time.
During my stay with my brother, I took photos of him because he was starting to get better and the skin started growing back. However, he still is not awake; I wanted him to be able to see what he had to go through. I was very passionate about this.
On March 27 0f, 2007 my brother was scheduled a surgery to clean away some mold that is called Mucor that is a mold. They Doctors explained that some burn patients have this happen due to the wet to dry dressing that they had to use on my brother. During his surgery he went into Cardiac Arrest, they were able to save him at that time. Later in his room, while they were getting in back to bed after the surgery he went into Cardiac Arrest again. They were not able to save him at this time. Therefore, on March 27 I lost my best friend and my world this being one day before my birthday. On my birthday, I was making funeral arguments for my big brother.
I went back to work within the week of my brothers passing, thinking I was doing the right thing. I was wrong I had a break down at work. I worked a very bad car accident. If it was not for my boss that came to the scene of the accident and taken me back to the office I would had stopped working that day. My partner and I was able to save one child of four in the car three were killed instantly.
After this traumatic event in my life with the car accident and my brother’s death. I took a week off from work and the world kind of. I needed down time. I started thinking about picking up the camera more than I use too. My brother always told me to do Photographer as a career because I loved it so much. He was right.
I continued working until this last year 2012. I decided to quit my job as an EMT. I love the freedom of taking photos of newborns, high school seniors, families, and weddings. I love creating that special moment for my clients. This is my passion for life.
Thanks for reading my story.
Wendy R. Fuller

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In 1979 I was married to my high school sweetheart! I was so happy on my wedding day. The photographer came with a hangover and shot my whole wedding with the lens cap on. we had to go back and try to recreate my wedding for the photographs. In every photo I was Mad or so sad about to cry. Ever since then I have wanted to be a photographer because I wanted to capture the Happy moments of someones life. Just recently I have been able to afford my first decent camera. I look at your shots and think to myself... THOSE are the moments I want to Capture. A moment that can be looked back on as what a memory!! In June of 2012 my brother passed away of liver cancer. He wanted a picture of him and his wife before he passed so I took my camera and headed over. Now Larry he doesn't smile, He smirks. From the chemo his head was much smaller than his wife and he was self conscious about it. That day I was able to capture a true smile from my brother cause he wanted this picture so badly for her to remember their love by. This photo wasn't the prettiest photo because of the chemo. But it was the most memorable and one of my favorites. Those are the photos I want to take!

When I was 14, my older brother died in a car accident. He was the coolest guy I knew. He was Zack Morris with brown hair. The guys wanted to be friends with him, the girls wanted to be with him, and children flocked to his energetic spirit. His spirit was amazing…. He had the “it” factor. Although there are lots of school portraits of him, there are no images that truly show his spirit, or his relationship with his family. I am extremely sad that I don’t have any pictures to show my kids what he was really like. I would cherish a photograph of us together... showing our relationship and love for each other, instead, I only have memories. Capturing these relationships for others is a passion for me....I want people to see the way that their loved ones gaze at them when you aren’t looking. I want their unique relationships to be caught on film, so that they never have to try to remember it…they can look at the photographs and re-live it. It is such an honor for me, to be the person that can give that gift to people... something that is priceless and that they can cherish forever.
Michelle

My passion for photography started at a very young age when I received a camera at the age of 10. It was a Polaroid Sharp Shooter. I LOVED that little camera; the little polaroids spitting out instantly, shaking them while they processed in your hands and the magical feeling when your vision appeared before you. I also loved how my family and friends would react when I gave them their image. A moment stilled forever ~ I was entranced and I still feel that way everytime I take a photograph.
I continued my journey in photography right through high school taking Photography, Darkroom and Yearbook classes. I lived in the Darkroom! I recall a time in Grade 12 when our instructor asked us what we wanted to be, to which I responded, "a Commercial Photographer". He advised the ladies of the class that we should look to something else as a profession because it was a difficult field for females and they were only about 10 known female Photographers at the time (1981). So I went into Business Administration.... However, I still continued my fascination with Photography and took Part time courses at night school up until I got married and had my three children. With my focus on my family, Photography would remain a hobby and any thought of wanting to be a Professional had been pushed to the back of my mind. My children however, were the most photographed kids I'm sure!

Fast forward 15 years. A Breast Cancer diagnosis followed by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and finally a new lease on life. After that long year of therapy, I decided that I would do everything that I'd always hoped to do, but never did. One of those things was a Diploma in Photography. I was employed at the time as a Full time Receptionist and was granted a leave of absence of 1 year to follow my passion. I am forever grateful! I chose a school that offered a 1 year Commercial Photography Diploma Program that went back to the basics of film and darkroom. When I went for my interview, I was overcome by the smell of the darkroom chemicals as I entered the school; I inhaled deeply, I knew I was home. My next joy came when I was accepted into the program. Would I become a Professional Photographer? I wasn't concerned ~ I was following a dream and it felt good. My Portfolio at the end of that amazing year turned out to be an emotional pictorial view of my journey with Breast Cancer. A book that I later published on Blurb entitled, "Beneath The Scar ~ Emotions of A Breast Cancer Journey". I was the third oldest student in the class and Graduated with Top Honours. I will never forget the amazing students and instructors I shared that year with and all that I learned from them and shared with them. I will also be forever grateful to my husband and children for allowing me the time and encouragement to follow my passion.

My first interview right out of school was with a Wedding Photographer who was looking for a Second Shooter. I was hired and so began my journey into the Wedding Photography Business. I shot with Stewart for the first year as his Assistant and Second Shooter and soaked up as much information and knowledge that I could. I continued studying at part time courses and also continued working at my full time office job also shooting for them as an Event Photographer. The following year, I shot mainly as Stewart's Primary Shooter as he had several family emergencies that kept him from fulfilling his obligations of shooting. I earned very little, but gained so much in knowledge. I was so busy, it was time to leave my full time job. I was now a full time Professional Photographer! Scary! However, I learned later in the season that Stewart had been shooting elsewhere and there had been no family emergencies. Long story short, I no longer shoot for Stewart and was initially left with a very disappointing outlook in this competitive photography business. I was overwhelmed and lost.

To date, I have taken the plunge and rented a small studio and I'm now trying to fight the fears, anxiety and self doubt while I try to build my business while keeping in mind everything that I learned not to do. Business however, is very slow at the moment and I'm literally fighting to stay afloat and keep positive. I'm nearing my 10 year anniversary of cancer survival and my 50th birthday. I keep reminding myself of why I love the "magic" of Photography and how I'm not a quitter. I can't quit......I haven't even started! I am inspired by your quote Marcus, "the cream rises to the top". I know that the cream needs to work to get to the top and that is what I plan on doing. I am proud of my work and I so want to share it with others. Right now, I'm preparing to shoot a couple whose 7 year marriage has survived a two year Kidney failure diagnosis. They have struggled through this together and I've watched them fight with dignity and true love. Jen posted on Facebook recently that they had just finished the last of all treatment and Jarett would be fine. I was so struck by their love and devotion for each other and I wanted to capture that for them and so I offered to shoot them. They are thrilled and I'm looking forward to revealing their love through my eyes and lens. That is why I'm a Photographer. I'm trying to find my way, but I am where I belong. I know this and I'm grateful.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story with you! Below is a link to my book, Beneath The Scar.

~ Teresa Corsie
www.teresacorsiephotography.ca
http://www.blurb.ca/b/1463942-beneath-the-scar

How I got involved into photography? For 12 years I planned to so many weddings as I was a florist, caterer, event designer and wedding coordinator and over 12 years I worked with brides/grooms to make their special day come true and I was always the one behind the scenes to make everything come alive and pretty in pictures for the photographer back then. One day I was doing a bridal fair at our local venue, and as I was setup my booth with all the pretty flowers, beautiful cylinder vases, decorations, linens dressed to the fullest, sample catering was on presentation, I always had a showcase with a slide show of brides and their wedding events to show future customers that “I wanna do your wedding” and “I wanna make it the best and be everything you had ever dreamed of so come to me”! In my 12 yrs of events, I never and not once ever looked at my work the way of an another photographer did my last bridal fair. All of a sudden a florida photographer came to my booth and ask who does your photography work? I explained to the photographer “it was all me” after that I continued the conversation “it’s just my work on display, it’s my portfolio work, it’s what I do” – make things pretty for the special day.” The Photographer said – you work images are remarkable, you have shot a lot of brides and your wedding work is great, I really thought you were a professional photographer! My mouth about dropped to my toes because she called me a professional photographer! I was a little shocked at her comment, but she continued to ask more about my camera gear which was a canon rebel at the time, back then, I knew NOTHING about camera’s & gear at that time, I was a point and shoot person, just capturing my work!! didn’t even have a clue on what was the best camera to have or anything – I just knew I wanted pictures and brides to come to me! Well the conversation lead into about editing my work & etc – which I’m a was a 1 person deal so I did it all. At the end of the bridal fair as I was loading up my beautiful setup, we won best looking booth! Go me! But still as I was packing and mind was wondering if I had really succeed at the bridal fair.. Yes, I had collected names to make contacting and in hopes to generate business & etc.. but the next weekend was another wedding event and I rocked on to setup, decorate, prep food and make the day happen.. It was at this wedding the BIG bright light had come on for me. I remember standing in a lush green grass and it was like god had showed me the light – I was standing there taking pictures of my bride at my wedding that I had designed and created and all of a sudden the big light was – I’m photographing my bride – I was a photographer, taking pictures of my bride at her wedding.. it then that I realized over 12 years of events, I had shot every bride (THINKING this is my portofolio work) but instead – this was my bride that I’m photographing.. OMG! the florida photographer saw something in me that I had never thought about and that was PHOTOGRAPHY!! I had been doing photography for 12 years not realizing what I was doing.. Weddings have always been so close to my heart and the passion for weddings, it was all I could think of 24/7. Immediately after that wedding, I saw down and discuss this further with my husband and decided immediately that I wanted to do photography – for 12 years, my mind was in such a gear mode that for wedding events – I wanted 12 more years of wedding photography now! I totally revamped my business from that day and dropped all the “Hard Work” as I called it.. no flowers, no catering, no designing layout, no rentals, wedding chairs and no wedding coordinator, no linens, - all the hard work had liternally come to a stop!!! I enrolled into my local community college and took all 3 levels of photography and haven’t looked back since. Once I learned what photography technical issues that was all that I needed – the weddings came so natural to me, after all I had been involved with weddings for 12 years already and I simply knew what needed to be done all I had to do was continue to learn and grown with photography and once I found creativeLIVE – it was ON. I thrive for weddings and have expanded my photography and now I can’t live without my camera and can’t live without growing with CreativeLive and the fabulous instructors that come and go with your company. For the past 5 yrs I have been shooting professionally now and I can’t help but wondering where I would be 12 yrs ago had I started shooting photography. A former client of mine had told me that if I started to shoot photography 12 yrs ago – I wouldn’t be so passionate for wedding events as I am today. I simply adore weddings – it’s a lifetime event in someone’s life and now that I’m a wedding photographer – I can’t imagine not being apart of these families lives today. With every new client that comes to me, I accept them as part of my extended family of weddings I have my own family, but I also have a family of wedding clients. I don’t just show up for a wedding day and you never hear from me afterwards – I continue to have relationships with my clients. Now I’m after those lifetime clients because I wanna be apart of their life thru photography. Photography tells such a incredible story and capturing incredible moments thru life is my passion now. I want to be able to freeze time for that very second in life now and I can only thank my 12 yrs before because I have always given God thanks, and thank you for giving me talent in life to succeed. I’ve always considered myself to be talented in life, and thankful for the people in my life, but there’s one thing that is true.. I’ve always said. God gives you talent in life you just have to find it in life and 5 years ago – I found my talent and that is my passion for photography for weddings, I continue to work after 17 years a full time job only for the insurance and retirement benefits but when I leave work everyday my thoughts are with my photography business and constantly thinking about my next wedding event coming up, marketing, schedule appointments & etc, meeting new clients – if I could leave my full time job?? I can’t stop thinking about my one and only passion which is weddings & photography.
Tina Mercer
Simply Elegant Photography
Thomasville, Georgia
www.simplyelegantphotos.net

Hello! My husband and I have been watching creativeLive workshops since we first saw Jasmine Star's reSTARt in January. Thank you to Marcus Bell for giving us the opportunity to open up, just as each instructor on cL does, and to share what makes up passionate about our dreams.

Looking back lately, I have always been the 'photographer' in my group of friends. From high school, to college and in the years preceding. I actually went to Penn State as a Criminal Justice major with intentions of Criminal Psychologist and only the slightest interest in Criminal Photography. Why people do the things they do fascinated me and how they got to be the people they were, but after a course in Art History, I meet Cupid & Psyche...and it was than I feel in love, with love. I was in love with the beauty and dedication that the feeling of love eluted, but I had nothing in my personal life that created this feeling with in me. Many of my relationships in every aspect of my life were not based on love. I feared I would never know what I was like to have someone that will stand with me, support me and accept me for years to come.

For the next few years, I learned college was just not working for me and left to work full time. I found my nitich doing what I do best... reception work in beauty salons. My natural business skills make me ideal for costumer service and my eye for design found me experimenting more with graphic design and PR. Love still hadn't come in to my life, but I started a collection of love inspired tattoos covering discrete areas of my body. I still felt that pressure that I was supposed to have a professional job, in an office... with benefits and set hours and an employee handbook (that almost always included no visible tattoos). It always felt like someone telling you, "don't be who you are, be who we need".

In 2009, an opportunity to move to Miami was presented to me. It was up till than, the hardest thing I could do. Here I was, 30 years old and moving to somewhere I had never been and didn't know anyone. That first year in Miami started a change in me. It allowed me to not only be my self, but grow into the person I wanted to be. I was still stuck back into reception work, but I could feel the change. After a year, I finally found love and I meet the love of my life. A man who loved and accepted me as the person I was as well as supported the person I wanted to be. During our fist year together, my (now) husband saw that my work was not were my heart was. He gave me the opportunity to step back, and follow what I love. For a while, I didn't exactly know how to do it. I looked at going back to school but another student loan? no thanks. An internship? with a photographer! I had scored, big! I was ready! ... and than I was planning a wedding. Interning with a photographer was exactly where I wanted to be, but I was marrying the love of my life and I needed a paying gig. I left the internship to work as a graphic designer for an invitation studio to help carry us though our wedding.

After the wedding, I continued to work but after some time I found again that I was stuck in a 9-5 position that had me feeling constricted. My home life was filled with so much love that I found I never wanted to leave. My husband had graduated with a degree in hospitality and felt the same. After a few months of brainstorming & investigating, I presented my husband with the idea of a husband and wife team wedding photographers. It was like an epiphany, what better than to do what you love, with the person you love... capturing moments of love. At the end of 2012, I made the decision to leave my work and concentrate on photography full time. Mid-January I came across Jasmine Star and creativeLive and have been hooked since. These workshops have given our dreams life. We now have a plan, a course of action and the guidance we needed. This spring, we will travel to Europe to shoot my husbands brother getting married. It is only the beginning of our journey and we are so thankful

I have always had the need to create. Art has always been in me and in the way I see everything. Even though inspiration is an important part of my creative process, when I have a creative rush I tend to get overwhelmed by the vision that I have of what I want to create. Trying to represent that vision through painting, writing, sculpting, etc. took to long for me to keep ideas flowing and I would get distracted by new ideas. When I discovered photography it became the perfect way to express and to create and be instantly rewarded. It was that moment when I realized that I didn't always needed to create my vision form scratch because I could use everything that surrounds me as the base to represent that vision. The name Black Canvas photography came form the analogy of creating with paint on a white canvas and painting with light in the dark canvas which is the film.
Photography is not yet my main source of income, but I'm glad to say that it saved my life. It gave me an escape when I was trapped in sadness, routine, pain or uncertainty. It saved my marriage by allowing me to express what I had no words to explain with words.

I've been setting here for fifteen minutes trying to be brave enough to share this with others out there. My family is aware but this, this is different. :) The thing is, Marcus you have truly helped me feel that I'm right where I should be. You've spoken today to my heart and given me the courage to write this.

I have always loved taking pictures, capturing moments, creating magic. First camera at age 8. I'd asked for one from Santa. He brought a 110 with 10 rolls of film, imagine that? 10 rolls :). That was 1972. Three children grown and gone from home, tens of thousands of photographs, many cameras including digital worn out here it was 2009.

I was the office manager for a small company of 200 employees in Missoula, Montana and believed myself to be in a happy marriage, a happy life. I was watching a photo doc on Henri Cartier-Bresson. My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to do photography in a big way. I asked my husband if it was maybe time for my photography to take a bigger leap and go from point and shoot to a real DSLR. One day I might be on a documentary I said jokingly. A week later he presented me with a Canon Rebel xTi with two kit lenses. I thought I would die and go to heaven. That thing was huge and the lenses looked so official. I thought I had arrived. He encouraged me to get out anytime I could when I wasn't tied up with work.

That spring I started taking hundreds, even thousands of photographs for friends, family, neighbors, work, flowers, landscapes. I immersed myself in every class I could find at the community school for adult education and any online course I could schedule. I was literally immersed in learning to do this right, this love of photography. I worked and and I photographed. I was learning to train my eye, to see the lines and light. Oh it was grand.

I was extremely happy for the most part however, the more I was photographing the more I realized that I was NOT happy behind a desk. I didn't want to manage people, I wanted to capture life with them. Tell their stories, learn and grow from them. It was the first time in years I thought of changing careers.
Then, like a light going out with a breeze the man I adored revealed that he had fallen in love with an old school friend that looked him up on FAcebook. Yup, no kidding. He left the same day he told me. Life as I knew it, ended.
Needless to say my desire to connect with people stopped and every time I looked at my Rebel I was reminded who gave it to me. I refused to shoot for the longest time.

Months went by, details are unnecessary but lets just say that it was a dark time. I withered, I just existed.
My oldest daughter who at the time had two wee lads came to me one day and said, "mom you must come out and take photos of the boys, they are growing so quickly" "We miss you and we love you" " Come see us"
I finally picked up that rebel.
I found that dancing around with those little guys, I was also dancing with light.
I remember the very moment that evening when the sun setting between the trees, the light hit my face and it felt so warm, like someone was there just for me. I was going to be o.k. and I was going to capture images again.

Jan, 2010 I decided to leave my job. A single woman for the first time since 1984 with very little money and a very used Rebel, I started traveling. I documented trough photography the ruins around America. I captured people that were different yet just like me. I learned to love rust, broken cars and backroads.
I loved the people and decided I wanted to do this for a living.

I needed help though and for years I had heard and yes longed to go to the local photography school in Missoula, my home. RMSP was expensive though so I had to wait. I did not have the income or funds to attend. But I would make this a goal!

Jump to May 2012. I have finally the funds to attend the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. I was going to live a dream, a real live dream. I was going to become a professional photographer. I purchase a new Canon 7D and couple of pro lenses. My Rebel looked like a small fish in that sea but I kept it because it was my little buddy. :)
School started and I was immersed sometimes 12 hours a day in studies and assignments. I loved it. I was making a business plan and saving money for a new studio but life wasn't going to be that simple, not yet.

July 7th, the day my life shifted. My son who was in Afghanistan under special orders was trying to secure safety for others to pass and while sweeping for IED's, his companion stepped on a 30 year old undetectable land mine. Far too many momma have gotten that call. You are never prepared, ever.
I immediately left school, and waited for my son to arrive in America. He was first taken from us and listed as possible casualty, then by the grace of God and another member of his unit that literally broke ribs to beat his heart to start my son came back.
By the time I saw him, 5 days later. He had been flown half way around the world. When first I saw him. He was burned, blinded, shredded, bruised and connected to more machines that I could ever imagine. Yet he knew me the moment I walked into his room. First thing out of his mouth, "Hi momma, I love you...please don't take my picture"
There I was in San Antonio Texas, with one change of clothes and that old Rebel Camera I had kept. I didn't take his picture until 3 weeks later. I recorded our story in a journal rather than digitally by request from this brave soldier/son. His recovery was remarkable yet, it would take more time and me being mom......
At first I was going to quite school and help take care of my son. Help him and his wife any way I could.
August 4, 2012 my son told me it was very important for me to back to school. To live my dream, to learn to do what I love to the best of my ability and that he would be fine. It was ok for me to go home.

All in all........he is fine, I'm fine. I graduated from school October 26, 2012 and since then I've managed to photograph 4 wonderful weddings. Several seniors and more children than I can count right now. I love it. I live it and I love it.

My children lifted me up and helped me to have the courage to really live this, even through the darkest times in my life. I love them, I love, love and I love being able to tell a story through the camera. It's clearly my calling.

Thank you allowing me this time to share my story and my tears.
Terri Rene'

My journey towards becoming a photographer began with tragedy. In 2008 I was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, during that time I was assigned a translator, his name is Naqib. We spent every single day together and we became very close, and interacted almost as old friends. We were sitting around the day before a multi-day mission, and his friends and he wanted to take some photos that they could send back to their families. After taking about 30 various group photos, he and I took a portrait; little did I know this would be the last memory I would have of him. Two days into our week long mission he was killed while we were on patrol. His death really took a toll on me, and I had completely forgotten about the images we had taken days before his death. When I redeployed back to the US I was going through my digital camera and found the image of the two of us. It was an amazing feeling seeing that image, and brought back so many memories, good and bad. I had an 11x14 framed print made, which hangs in my office to this day. Fast forward three years, I had just left the military and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was sitting in my office and saw that image on the wall and instantly I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to create memories, and what better way than through photography. Marcus really spoke to me when he was talking about creating a moment that the couple will cherish for a lifetime. That is what I try to do with every image I take.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BbwV4GDjdgw/S7JUyNa6gHI/AAAAAAAAAq4/i...

In 2007 while working as a Detective on our city police department my right shoulder was injured one year later I had to retire. As a retirement present my Mom gave me my first DSLR. (To photograph my kids) Well, as most of you know sometimes that is easier said than done. :) It was after seeing how hard that could be to photograph my children I ventured out into my backyard and found the beauty of flowers, birds, bugs etc. I then started sharing what beauty we can produce from our cameras.

I wasn't happy with "Just taking pictures". I wanted to learn how the camera really worked. I took one class through a local company (Indy Photo Coach) which got me "out of auto". I read books, magazines, studied pictures on Flickr and the camera settings. I didn't want to "just take pictures". I wanted to have an impact on people that looked at my images.

I then started taking people pictures and photographing weddings. Capturing moments for people and being able to create memories for them has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I still get butterflies every time I photograph a senior, a couple etc. I think about what I would like to have photographed when I have my camera in hand. I think about "How will I tell THEIR story". I think working as a police officer has helped me to look at the "little details".

6 years after picking up my first DSLR I have been published a couple times in Birds and Blooms, various blogs, won a few contests, I work part time as a photography instructor at "Indy Photo Coach" and most of all, I'm able to create memories for people which is the biggest blessing of all!

I worked for British Airways for 10 years as Long Haul Cabin Crew. As I started to travel the world I discovered new cultures, languages and places, each so rich and different from the other it was difficult to take it all in. I was hoked, it felt as if needed a way to take it all back home and relive it at my own pace, and so, I bought my first camera only to be very disappointed with the results when I developed the photographs back home (yes folks, I was still on film then-no so long ago) To get better, I enrolled in a photography class at my local college and the great love of my life begun. I continued to photograph every city and country I visited for 10 years. The surprising thing was, I began to notice that the photos were almost always of people; sure there were Sidney Opera House and the Empire State Building, but the big bulk of the work was people interacting with one another, joint in the train of life no matter where I was in the world. My biggest lesson from these years is that we have more things in common than we have differences: children skip ropes in China, ladies in the supermarket in Moscow also complain about the price of sugar, couples also kiss in the park in Kiev and men read the paper in the way to work in Tokyo.
I now shoot weddings and I love it: yes, there are a few amazing locations and the most exquisite dresses and flowers, not to mention cake. But the thing that still excites me is the people. Whether they are Christian, Jewish or Hindu, the bride is still nervous and excited, the mothers are always so touched by the day, fathers are proud and vulnerable and joy is at the centre of it all. I see weddings as a microcosm of the whole world- people from all backgrounds, races and cultures coming together. A reminder that no matter where you are there is a thread that joins mankind: love.

I grew up in the Saint Louis, Missouri area and had a rather simple and average life as a small child. Only then. When I was 11, my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness that made him dependent on a wheel chair and breathing machine. He had always been so strong and big to me as a child, so seeing him in my teenage years as unable to even scratch his own nose or speak, was heartbreaking. But Dad never lost his smile. He was stronger than anyone I've ever met. The time I had with Dad was spent watching movies. We watched movies at home, on the big T.V. and had 90-120 minutes when we could escape. I fell in love with cinema and loved finding something new and bringing it home to share with my father. I decided to learn how to be a movie director and after high school I went off to Hollywood to enroll in film school. Dad lived long enough for me to graduate film school, but he wasn't able to fly and come see it. He was of course very proud. He was the only person who never told me to be realistic. He believed in me. Three months later he died. I went back to Saint Louis for a while and tried to figure out what was going on. his death wrecked my life. I couldn't get motivation to even try to continue. I was moving on an emotional treadmill. Two months in, my Grandfather died. It was a car accident. A car accident has a way of jarring the lives of not just the victim, but the family. It happens in a second. You're going to the market one second, and the next..... I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to do something, and Saint Louis had become poison. I high tailed back to Los Angeles and was going to make it. Well, not so much. I did get many jobs editing video, film and television. Even some high clientele. But I didn't like it. 12 hours a day in a black windowless room. Why live? And the economy and competition was just awful. I pined for being on set again, behind the camera. I tried to get on camera jobs, but the competition was fierce and I was already an established editor. I was still on the treadmill of life. Then I met my muse. She would become my wife, but before that she was someone who I matched on every level. We got engaged and decided to blow out of town and start life over. We had an image of what life should be and it was holding us back. We went to her home country for the marriage, Japan. Wow. It was here, on the other side of the world, where I discovered purpose. The stuff was just so beautiful and different. I whipped out my iPhone and started shooting the world. It was cool for bit, but I fell in love with it and had to go higher. I got a DSLR and decided to undertake a huge journey. I traveled each of Tokyo's 150+ train lines to their terminus stations with just a camera and backpack to capture the unknown incredible sights that lie in wait at the end of the road, if you're just willing to keep going. I was sucked in. I could use a camera without needing to find a job with a crew and a script. Life was the script. My knowledge of film and cinema lent me a unique perspective to take still photos. I viewed it as watching a movie and pressing pause on the perfect frame. My cinematography teacher told me that you should be able to pause a film at any second and have a professional photo. It stuck with me. This is how I photograph. I spent a year honing my techniques and learning flashes and ISO and all the technical stuff. I finally ended up deciding that photography is my gift. Not just a gift of skill, but in many ways a gift to me. A second chance. I feel as if Dad gave it to me from a higher place. He always knew what I needed. And my wife is SO wonderful and creative in her own art and endlessly supportive of my quest. So here we are. 360 degrees and around the world, my life has a direction. We are moving to Saint Louis next month. The poisonous infection has been cured. I'm going back, with my new partner, to capture life, and escape the image of our prestructured world. And to make Dad proud.

Kyle Remmenga
www.escapetheimage.com

First I have to thank Marcus for teaching this creative live class and sharing his knowledge so generously. Everything he is saying is speaking to my heart.

My father introduced me to photography. He’s a hobbyist and has always had an excellent collection of cameras. He bought me my first camera when I was 6 years old, it was turquoise and purple vivitar camera that used 110 film. Even at a young age having a camera felt like freedom. I was a very shy and observant child and I’m quite certain my father related to this side of me and somehow knew that a camera would help bring me out of my shell. This newfound freedom was the greatest blessing. My father asked me to show him what I see and having someone tell me that made my heart light up. This taught me that what I saw mattered, that my opinion mattered, that regardless of my age my place in this world mattered.

On the weekends my father and I would go on photo adventures. We would drive to the coast and talk about light and composition. He gave me assignments and creative projects. He let me play. We continued this tradition a few times a month through high school. It was the greatest gift. Telling me that what I see in the world maters, there is no greater gift to a shy young child.

I went on to college to study art history. Photography was never something I imagined doing as a career but rather something that was essential to my life. Something like breathing, sleeping and eating. It was something that fed my heart and soul. My decision to study art history was my love for stories. I was exciting by each work of art, and what truly made my heart beat faster was the story behind each image, the history, the artists’ studios, that moment in time in the world, the materials used to create, and so on. Studying the clues in each work of art and letting the stories unfold… there’s no greater excitement for me. This desire to investigate and study people through art is something that I enjoyed in school and behind my camera. Outside of the classroom I took every opportunity to photograph the people around me. My friends ask me to take their portrait and being asked to do this was very exciting to me.

In college I met my husband and as we planned our wedding I hired Mike Larson, an incredibly talented photographer and extraordinary person. He went above and beyond what I imagined a photographer doing for a wedding. He spent time getting to know my fiancé and I and took great care in telling our story and documenting our day. Throughout the wedding I observed Mike and his assistant and wished I was behind the camera with them. It had never fully realized that this was a career, that you could be paid to tell people’s stories on such an important day. Inviting Mike into our lives was a great blessing. After the wedding as I struggled with my own career path, which was heading towards graduate school and academics, I continued to think about being a wedding photographer. I wanted to document people’s lives and record their history rather than study the history of great artists. I wanted to be a historian of the present.

My father gave me a DSLR for a wedding present and paired with my experience with our wedding photographer, I took a giant leap in a direction I hadn’t planned on. I put graduate school on the back burner and threw myself into photography as a career. I worked for a few local photographers to learn the specifics of wedding photography and I never forgot the experience Mike Larson gave me.

I’ve been photographing weddings for 5 years and not a day goes by that I take my career for granted. My responsibility as a storyteller is something I don’t take lightly, as I’m documenting people’s history first hand. My background in art history and weekend photography assignments with my father have come full circle. I show people what my heart sees and I am paid for that? I pinch myself constantly. I’ve never been happier and I know this is what I was meant to do. I genuinely love people and telling their stories. Thank you for asking me to share my story and for sharing yours.

When I was old enough to feel how my last grandparent (my mother's mother) past away I realized there were so many things I just took for granted about her and never cared enough. She help my mother raised me and my brother for many years but during those days I started hearing stories about her that I never heard before.
There were so many things that I never knew and I was never aware that there may be stories and things about my grandmother that I don't know. I felt quite ignorant. In a few days I started searching in people's phones for some last pictures of her. I still probably don't have them all but I do have some of the last and they are really bad, technically, and with little room of improvement, even with our present tools and technologies. But it does not matter. I can still see my grandmother's expression...

I have been interested in photography for a few years at that time and this experience pushed me further. I used to only shoot landscapes and wildlife. I liked landscapes because I wanted to preserve the moment; I love nature and I can't help being always amazed by things that most people just ignore. For this reason sharing with others where I've been and what I've seen seemed like a duty and also an honor. I liked taking photos of animals and birds because the camera revealed things that you can't usually see when you watch them. We take them for granted too everyday and we became almost completely insensitive to their looks, colors, songs, flight curves and shapes and skills and to their overall behavior and it is such loss.

Living in Canada, away from my origin family, photography started to be more and more important - a really important communication tool, much better then Skype and phone calls. My parents and the entire family can enjoy images with my son, who is only 1 year old, every day. I make images with him every day and I upload them every day – it has been life changing. My mother is speaking to me again after months of being upset by my decision to leave the country... Photography really changed my life and I am pretty sure it will keep doing it in the future too.

Last time I went back home, being so changed by my son's birth (I almost lost my wife during delivery), I started looking for old images that my father used to make. I have found a few black and white photos with me and other family members when I was a baby. In Romania, more than 30 years ago, one would not have access to photographic services or equipment very easy. My father has his own home lab and he created wonderful images only with basic tools.
I photographed those photos to store them digitally and maybe enhance or clean up some of them. I put them online only for my family to have them in one place and remember those times. It was a huge surprise for them. I realized how much those images are valued now, after so many years. None of them were award winning, none of them were critiqued and evaluated and, of course, none of them are great from a technical point of view.
Now, that I have a one year old son, I can't emphasize enough how much, the images I've created during this last year only, mean to me and my wife. I can't imagine loosing those memories... a piece of my soul will die and I am so afraid of that. I got paranoid about backup and such....

Because of all these recent events in my life, I switched to people photography and I can't understand how I could be so ignorant for so long.

In my current full-time office job I am constantly looking forward for the weekend just to be able to feel my camera in my hands again and capture all kind of things happening around me. My wife is a psychologist and her support is already invaluable for me to start moving towards doing what I love to do and not what I need to.
I am like many other people, stuck in a life of which 90% of the time I hate and I feel like I am dead. I have been trying to move to photography for almost 3 years but never had the courage to go forward. Now I work with computers - I can disappoint them and then fix it; in photography, because of the people, my only real fear is to disappoint them and I don't know how to deal with this.
The images I have from a so called professional photographer are the worst images ever. I can't believe that I was able to do such a mistake to hire that photographer. My wife will be disappointed for her entire life when she will be looking at those images. Friends and family using point and shoot cameras or even phone cameras managed to get so much better photos of my bride! I lived that disappointment and I need to use it to push me forward but it always brings in my mind the fear to disappoint...

All I want to do to be happy is to be allowed to create real memories and preserving real powerful feelings and moments in people's life; every day is a new event in everyone's life - I just want to have the chance to preserve it...

Thank you for reading this. It's rare for people to be interested in other people's story. I did not do it for the prize, please give it to someone else. If you want to do something for me, help me move out of this life to be able to make photography every day; I am willing to do anything for that.
(I apologize for my English - it is not my first language.)

Astronaut was my nickname as a child. There was a road behind our house with a grassy round about and nothing else, except a beautiful landscape. It wasn’t a busy road, and the darkness of the night made a good spot for my dad to take me to see and talk about constellations. I loved those adventurous nights with my dad, and an interest in becoming an astronaut grew inside me. But it wasn’t for that, that I was nicknamed “astronaut”. My sister who still insists saying that I am always “out of the world” gave me the nickname, and I hated it so much! I wasn’t smart enough to understand metaphors. “I am not out of the world; I have both feet here on Earth!” I thought. Of course, it was my mind that was always far away from here, busy creating drawings, paintings, and stories.
I grew up in a crazy, but love filled family. My mother is a seamstress, my dad a retired accountant, and my sister a personal trainer who loves dancing. In some way or another, everybody in my family liked art, but my dad is the one who inspired me the most. I remember watching him drawing; his hands tracing the lines were like magic - I wanted to be as good as him! He was also the one with whom I had my first experience as a photographer. Well, it was not a piece of art, but it was my most important photograph.
I was 8 years old my dad had a Kodak point and shoot film camera. It was black with some silver details and a tiny flash on one side of the camera. It was a pretty simple and inexpensive camera. My dad took me to the same place where we used to spend nights and nights watching the stars, but this time was during the day. From one perspective, we could see our home and the city; behind, we had that beautiful landscape. My dad took some pictures there and finally asked me if I wanted to take a picture of him. He gave me some instructions and emphasized that I should hold the camera steady. I posed my dad in the middle of the round about, with the city on the background, looked through the viewfinder, composed the image, made sure that the camera was firmly held, and took the picture. I was filled with pride!
Buying and developing films those days was very expensive, especially for a not wealthy Brazilian family. It took – for what I can remember, and maybe not that much – a long time until I could see the picture I had taken. What a disappointment! I had held the camera so firmly in my hands to take the photograph, but it came out completely blurred. It was not the best picture in the world, and my frustration took place over my pride, but I kept the picture with me and I still have it.
Besides my first experience with photography, I was a kid who liked doing all sorts of stuff. I had guitar lessons that I enjoyed very much, but drawing and painting were my passions. At school I was always in charge of drawing the posters and group assignments. I was sure that I had the artistic blood from my dad in my veins. I was a good kid for my parents, and thought it wouldn’t be any different as a teenager, but things just happen and change our perspectives, or the way we see the world.
When I was 13 years old I met my first boyfriend. He was a good and handsome boy. We were typical teenagers discovering the world together. I was very happy. But we didn’t stay together for a long time; he died in a car accident and my life turned upside down completely. The “astronaut” was back in me, but this time I wasn’t the happy little girl anymore. I locked myself in my own world and became a very rebellious kid. I wouldn’t show up at school – except for the art classes - and I would often get into arguments with people at school who were trying to convince me that my boyfriend was dead. In my beliefs he was still alive, and instead of going to school, I would rather go to the cemetery and stay there with him. I enjoyed spending the mornings there, drawing, painting, and writing letters to him. Sometimes I would bring food for him and take naps over his tombstone. My parents felt sorry for me, but I understand today what I put them through. I was rebellious and I almost lost the school year. I guess I lost much time of my life trying to convince myself that he wasn’t dead, and there was nothing that I could do to change what had happened in our lives. But a bad experience also teaches us valuable things in our lives.
After a couple years I moved on with my life. On my 15th birthday, my dad gifted me with a camera. I can’t recall the brand of it, but it was another point and shoot film camera with a tiny flash very similar to the Kodak camera that my dad had. I was so happy and I got obsessed with photography. I wasn’t trying to make art with it, but I wanted to record the moments of my life. Darn! I didn’t have any picture with that boyfriend who died. I learned that photography makes our history.
I kept photographing everything I could, and I also kept playing the guitar. I had violin, drum classes, and I enrolled in an acting school – which I dropped out of just two months before graduating. I was trying very hard to find what I was good at. I knew I wanted to be an artist, but I felt I wasn’t good at anything! My passion for photography remained the same, but due to the costs of photography equipment I never could take my hobby any further, especially living in Brazil.
In 2002 I met my husband, an awesome Australian guy who was traveling in Brazil. We couldn’t speak each other’s language, but it was meant to be. At the time I was working as a secretary in an English school and had just started taking English classes and he came to teach there. My English was very limited; I could barely build sentences in the present tense and he couldn’t speak any Portuguese at all, and we had to use a dictionary to communicate with each other. He soon learned to speak Portuguese and my English skills didn’t improve at all until my move to the US. In 2004 our first kid was born, a beautiful boy who loves drawing as well. In 2006, we decided to get married and move to the United States. After the move, I got depression and anxiety. I was always – and still am - afraid of losing my family - maybe a trauma from the tragic experience I had as a kid. In 2010, we were gifted with our daughter, but after giving birth my depression got even worse, and I thought it was time to look for help. During one of my visits to the therapist we started talking about motivation and how helpful it would be for my condition if I could find pleasure in something that I liked to do. Photography was my answer! After this conversation I decided to enroll at Academy of Art University to pursue my degree in photography and my life has changed a lot since then. Today I can say that I am a better daughter, a better wife, a better sister, a better mother, and most important of all, I am better and happier person. And I want to give that to my clients; I want to borrow my eyes to them and keep their moments alive forever.

Gisele Cassarotti Prescott

I grew in British Columbia surrounded by the mountains and waking up every morning to looking at the Columbia River, that ran through our back yard. I remember from the first camera that my parents bought me was a Pentax. I took my camera everywhere, I loved capturing those moments with my friends, to taking pictures of the wildlife, It was very common for me to spend hours taking pictures. It was back in 1998 that my dad bought a professional Minolta Camera, I found myself adventuring off, and learning new ways to take pictures that would create those unforgettable moments. In 2000 I moved to Texas to get married and start my life as a wife. I have had several digital camera's that I used over the years, but I seemed to like Nikon the best, so back in 2010, my husband I started the adoption process after loosing two of our babies at 5 months. I told my husband that I wanted a Nikon D5000 so that when we got our kids I could take lots of pictures, so when Christmas came, I got my wish, I was so excited to have my first professional Camera. Then in Jan 2011, we found out that we had been selected for two beautiful Children in whom we have adopted and love dearly. At the time I was working in the medical field as a Medical Assistant, and my kids where constantly sick because of being malnourished and I was given two options one to give my 2 weeks notice or to be on probation for 90 days and if I missed any work they where going to fire me. So I told them I quit, that my first priority was to my family and that God would provide. So I have been taking family pictures for friends and will be doing my first Quince. I have been looking into photography classes and schools and today was my first one I have seen, and I am enjoying and learning so much. Thank you Marcus

At age 14, I was hooked to photography and had a 35mm perpetually in hand. Although my parents are first generation immigrants from Korea, and all members of that demographic are typically incredibly conservative and push their children to either be one of two things: a lawyer (which my dad is) or a doctor, my parents were always incredibly and surprisingly encouraging of my photography passion. I kept it as a hobby 'on the side' and intentionally avoided photography as a career because I associated careers in general with obligations and restraining responsibilities. However, after dabbling with studying for law school, entering a fast-paced political world that led me to the White House, traveling all over the country and world on behalf of the President of the United States, I suddenly experienced a drastic change in pace (not any easier, but definitely different): I had a baby. I stopped working temporarily to care for my child and was soon faced with the dilemma of what to do next, career-wise. And, surrounded by diapers, overflowing dirty laundry, and wearing a milk-stained shirt, I had an epitome. For the first time, I felt like I could do anything I wanted. I wasn't on a 'track' towards a certain career path. The world was my oyster. I asked the simple question asked by numerous career advisors, friends, and family that I'd heard hundreds of times before, "What are you passionate about?" I am a person of many passions and interests and curiosities and studied everything from concert piano to rhetorical communication to fine art, but this time, I had just one answer, "Photography." Suddenly faced with a little bundle so dependent on me that drew out such incredible love from me that I never knew possible made my priorities and loves of my life snap into a new perspective. Photography emerged as the passion that I knew I always wanted to do but finally had the perspective and new strength that propelled me to actually take the first steps into making it a career. 3 years and a second baby later, I'm still loving it and looking forward to growing it into a more robust business.

I knew from the time of a little child, a photograph has power. Power to bring people together, the power to laugh, or the power to cry. At my grandmother's home, finding a box of photos of her childhood was pure gold. Aged, faded, black and white with folds, bends, and cracks treasures of the past that brought us together.

Even as a student of photography in high school, I knew these images would be around much later in my life to remind me and others of a certain period of time. I understood the power of photos.

This is what I think of when I photograph a wedding, that my images will be around "forever" to remind people of their past. I take this job seriously and it is my task to capture the moments. I want to fill "the shoebox" of this bride and groom with images that evoke emotions for them 5, 10, 25, or 50 years from now.

It is easy to understand why your clients feel such peace with you, Marcus. The way you speak & let yourself be seen, brings down walls... you take away self built barriers. And that, is not easy to do. The thought of sharing my story already has me emotional... But, I do feel a sense of calm in sharing this with you.
My story begins when I had my first daughter, at the young age of twenty. Young & unprepared, her father and I were literally living on love, and not much else. For years we struggled... I eventually found an office job with great benefits & good pay. Like you said earlier, I too felt this job literally sucking the life out of me... I had a great family life, but my soul was not at peace. My office was very political... raises & promotions based not on your hard work, but on who you knew... I often felt so 'stuck'. Somewhere in the midst of this, my sister discovered the world of 'on location' photography - she taught me to shoot manual & a few other techniques she had learned via online research. She started her own business & tried, for years, to have me join her. She said that I had an eye for it & would love to start a photography business with her sister. I do not know why I declined, but I did. In reflection, I believe it was because I had my own path, waiting, though I did not know it. It was a beautiful October afternoon, I helped her shoot a wedding. She needed a second shooter & trusted me with what she had taught me.
That day, something inside of me changed. Through the entire ceremony & reception I kept a knot in my throat. I was filled with beautiful emotion... love was all around me... to capture that... I just couldn't believe how incredible it felt. The ceremony went well & then the reception... THIS is where it happened. Friends and loved ones celebrated, laughed, cried and danced... I couldn't stop taking photographs! I still remember my favorites... a toddler fell asleep on her father's shoulder... a young couple, so inlove they couldn't take their eyes off of each other. I captured their kiss... a shy little boy working his way (slowly) to the dance floor, only to be grabbed up by a beautiful teenager who spinned him onto the dance floor... his smile... the way the bride & grooms eyes sparkled when they looked at each other... The defining moment,however, was the bride's dance with her grandfather... His crisp tuxedo & beautiful white hair... her lace dress, red nail polish on delicate fingers, held in his aged hands... his eyes filled with tears as he whispered something into her ear... she looked at him lovingly, wiped his tear and then tossed her head back and joined him in beautiful laughter. And I captured it. My world stood still in that very moment. I knew. I knew that this is what I had to do.
I went home that night with a sense of peace, a knowing calm, hope & a bit of fear. I told my family what my plans were & my journey with photography began. I practiced and read & watched online tutorials. My sister took me on shoots with her... it was beautiful. Photography opened a place in my heart that was empty for a very long time. I finally had goals of my own... goals other then to be a good wife & mother... I woke up with passion & drive, every morning. In a lot of stories, that would sum it up... but not mine... that was just the beginning. See, I worked at my office, full time, not for 'extra money', but because I had to. My family would not survive without my income & the benefits. I couldn't be a mother that could use a credit card to invest in a camera & lenses, practice & blog while home all day... and I wanted to SO badly. It wasn't easy to accept that. But, that wasn't my path. So, I worked 40+ hours a week, did homework, dinner, bathtime & in the late hours of the night... worked on photography. I would shoot sessions on the weekends & edit the images while my family slept. I would literally be writing client emails as I was walking from my office to the car. I couldn't wait to work on the photography. Eventually, there came a point in which I had to choose... the stress and lack of sleep was getting to me. I became very sick.... and I knew why. I knew that everything in my heart, body and soul was pointing me to leave the office & jump in... to give my all to a dream... Lots of discouragement.... "you have great benefits", "you need a stable income" "what about your girls" "what if it doesn't work out" etc etc etc. But the heart is a fragile & funny thing... I knew without a doubt that if I did not make the choice... to really give my all at a dream... one dream... then that was it.... life wouldn't really change... Yes, I would have income and a low copay at my doctor's office... but happiness? passion? goals...real goals? I asked myself what I would tell my daughter (who is now thirteen)if she were in my situation. In that moment, I knew. I laughed at how obvious my answer, to her, would be. I would say " Jump, my girl, jump! Live your life!" and so, that is what I did. I left my office and now work from home. I am afloat... but this is just the beginning. I am happy... my heart is fulfilled and I love my life. No, it did not suddenly become easy. But the hard work I do now is SO worth it. I do not have an ounce of regret. And so, I thank you... I thank you for your soft, kind nature and for sharing your beautiful talent. I thank you for taking the time to read this. I thank you for reminding me, today, of why I am here, watching & learning from you. Individuals such as yourself are a reminder that it is possible. You give hope. You give joy. And with a smile, I again say, thank you.

I didn't want to be a photographer! It never occurred to me I should be. I have seen my creative father struggling to put food on the table.
When I was little I wanted to be a wife and a mom. Job was just something uncomfortable and inevitable necessity I will have to do - I though. Then at 20 I packed up and moved across the ocean. After lots of hard work, tears and uncertainty I become a citizen of a new country. I graduated with honours in an IT field and got a great job.
When I had my first child I felt love like never before. I started to see thing with my heart. I never felt I had any artistic skills even though I had always found outlets to use these skills. I loved photoshop. I loved taking pictures of my kids. An uncle once pointed out that it is impossible for me to grow up with a Dad so talented and not inherit something.
While my kids were still little I had been invited to a wedding. I took my my dslr camera, that I bought using airmiles points, and took some pictures. The bride and groom were blown away and had chosen my photographs over their paid professional. From then on they were after me telling me I should do this for a living. Here I was with 3 little kids and back at school studying photography. I never believe I am good enough, or that I know enough but the smiles and tears of my brides and groom keep me going. When I am at a wedding with camera in hand I feel free. All my emotions channeled into my work. I often think of what my husband once told me. "When you love what you do, you will not have to work a day in your life"

Lia
www.liasphoto.ca

I am humbled by your passion, epic talent, and humility, Marcus, thank you for asking for our stories. In a small, simple, intimate celebration with our two young daughters, my husband and I renewed our marriage vows last month during our 11th wedding anniversary. Our first ten years of walking through life together -- we've been through so much, the birth of our kids, the ups and the downs of finances, the near-death of a parent, a fatal injury, so much we stood strong together with. We didn't want to wait until our 20th or 50th to celebrate this life we share, with our girls -- so we had the little ceremony, even if we were both down with the flu (middle of deep-freeze winter here!). It meant so much to us to have our daughters share and witness their parents' love, life, and commitment to each other. Rio handing her dad my ring on a rose, stars in her eyes; Milan handing me her dad's ring on another rose, not exactly sure what was going on but so proud to be up there with us. These are the snapshots in our lives that we will remember, like the many moments we share everyday concentrated into gems. I will never forget the ray of light on Rio sitting on the pew, spellbound. Milan's innocence, secure in knowing her place in the world. My husband looking at me, saying those words again, "I do," the same way he did 11 years ago, the same way we hope we will when we're 99... We had a kind friend snap pictures. What I would do to capture the sparkles in my daughters' eyes myself. The raw, real connectivity, the love passing between people. That is why I photograph. To capture love in someone's eyes, between two human beings, between families, between people -- I believe that as photographers, we make the world a better place by capturing little gems of love, it's saying, "The world is a more beautiful place. See this love." Thank you Marcus, your passion has been a torch that has lit up the heart of my photography. Thank you for giving a part of yourself to make our world a more lovely place. Most sincerely, JF

Photography came early in my life. I has an italian uncle that was a passionnated portrait amator photographer. At the time, I could not talk italian and our communication was based on sharing approvals when he used to show me his pictures through a manual slides wall projected slideshow. Big laugh souvenirs... When I got 17, I got my first camera, a Pentax N90 during an auction and began to shoot glamour shots of my girl friend and jazz musicians. I discover that a camera was a real weapon and that it was a serious matter to engage myself with sincerity in what I was doing in respect of my subjects. The jazz musicians used to invite me backstage and could get feedback from lots of different people. I did not understand that it was just a gift from God to have such passion and such opportunities to make people happy about themselves ! Photography was the unique activity I used to follow during university and I tried hard to make some little money to be able to pay the rent of my small studio and other stuff and understood that I would need the help of a real pro, which came in my life. From this day, I began to cover sport events, a point and shoot photography. I can know mesure how it helps me to capture short and delicate moments during private events. Now I just began to develop a small portrait studio in Burgundy and discover another dimension of photography, which encompass the value of empathy. Taking out the best of people requires ENERGY & INTUITION. This energy involved in the success of a photo shoot is always important as well the intuition required to face different persons from different backgrounds. I am a self taught photographer, having spend so many hours on studying through books, seminars, internet, and practice. Beyond this overwhelming passion, I have to recognise that the economic environment is pretty difficult by now in France and I am not sure to be able to continue to make a leaving from this one and only passion. I still have no doubts about the inner value of a photography and the patrimonial forces that comes out from a single image that can remember you special moments and helps anyone to get a real history. I use to follow lots of CL seminars as you deliver high quality content and drive my passion to another level. My dream is to shoot wedding and portraits everywhere in the world, in the 5 continents and in all religions. This dream is big but without it, I would not be me. Best Regards to CL staff and Marcus Bell.

www.andrerizzotti.com
contact@andrerizzotti.com

When my wife and I started our wedding photography business, I was an attorney. I had absolutely zero interest in the photography part of the business, I just loved the business side of it. So, my wife took the photos and I wrote the contracts and helped her with marketing and making other business decisions. I loved the business aspect of it so much that quit my job at the law firm where I was working and started my own firm. I loved the business, but I absolutely LOATHED practicing law. I went into my legal career naively thinking that I would be helping people and that they would appreciate me. That could not be further from the truth. As an attorney, I dealt with people who were going through the absolute worst experiences of their lives. They deeply resented the fact that they needed my help and weren't shy about communicating that to me. It was awful and every day that I went to work made me feel like my soul was slowly withering away. One day I stayed home sick from work. The wedding photography business had been booming and my wife was looking at an upcoming wedding season where she was going to be shooting 50+ weddings. As I laid on the couch cuddled up with a box of tissues and a bottle of cold medicine, my wife walked up to me and handed me a camera. She explained that since she had so many weddings booked, she needed more help in the office and she needed a consistent second shooter. She asked if I would be willing to learn. I wasn't super stoked about the idea, but I "let her teach me" so that I could be of additional assistance in the business. Truth be told, even while she was teaching me and I was learning how to shoot, I wasn't that stoked about photography. Then, when I had practiced enough and was generally competent with a camera in my hands, she took me on an engagement shoot. That engagement shoot completely changed my life. The couple had so much love, so much joy, and so much excitement. Just being around them filled ME with love, joy and excitement too! It could not have been a more stark contrast to my soul-sucking legal career. Within 24 hours my wife and I had decided that I was going to start taking steps to close down the law office and go full-time with her. Once I finished the last of my clients' cases, I walked away from the law and I have never looked back. Now, every time I capture a photo of a happy couple, their proud families, and excited friends on the absolute best day of that couples' life, it absolutely fills my heart. I feel so blessed that people allow us to share in those moments.

http://www.mariannewilsonphotography.com
Joe@mariannewilsonphotography.com

Good Day,
My story with photography begins with mentioning my grandfather who we called "Papa". I spent several months in the northwoods of Wisconsin with my grandparents and always had a love of the outdoors, animals, and nature in general. My papa always carried around a camera. I wouldn't say he was the best photographer, but he sure was a passionate about repeatedly documenting snow fall and fall colors of his house. ;-)
When I got to be about 14 years old, I asked him if I could borrow his Minolta Film SLR. The best part was, he AGREED! That was pretty much it for me. I haven't been far from a camera since. It started out with me just wanting to document the things i saw when I wandered the woods. That changed from snapping candid photos of my friends and family. People just knew me as the "one with the camera".
I didn't study photography in college, I studied wildlife. But, all my extra money went to develop film. Things got better when digital came around(I sure saved money!!)
While in college I had a friend get married. I just asked if I could take some photos. I found it to be really fun and enjoyed watching the day unfold. I did not have a fancy slr at the time, but I gave them all the photos I took anyway. When I visited them later, I saw in their living room, not the photographer they hired's photo on the mantle, it was mine! I was SHOCKED! They simply said, you were the only one who captured us, everything else was so forced.
Perhaps a fluke I thought..
But it happened again years later!
Another friend got married, I just took my camera along, snapped a few photos and sent her the images I took. I just liked shooting, honestly. Wedding have such raw emotion and not even the best live theater can compare to real life, real emotions. I love capturing that.
So, I visit the second friend a couple years later, and walk into their living room. I see an image I took of them in the living room, and no other wedding photos! Another total shocker.
Years later... I for some reason think, I live for the weekends to take photos, why can't I just take photos all the time!
With the help of my boyfriend who has a more self employed mentality, helped me make the first moves to doing this full time. I've had so much support throughout my life on this endeavor and it's been a slow process to think what I'm doing is half way decent.
I don't have or make alot of money, and I've had to save up for years to finally have a good system, lenses, and a backup camera. I've started to do weddings and shot 5 this past summer/fall.
Lately I've had some doubts about my skills and myself in general which is a hard position to be in (I guess in general I don't have the best self esteem). I've had images win contests, I've been in Destination I Do Magazine, and recently had an image on National Geographic. So, it's always a struggle to feel like your work is where you want it to be, even when it make look different from the outside.

I understand Marcus so much, especially when he talks about his own experiences in this area. I am so excited for the next 3 days. Another shoutout to CreativeLive, I discovered this because of Jasmin Star and have since taken every class possible that has anything to do with photoshop, lightroom, and photography. My confidence increases with each and every min I watch of Creativelive.
I am now 30 years old, have been in love with photography for nearly 16 years and just in the past couple years really going forward with that passion. I just want to make people happy when they see my images and share the world I see with everyone.
That's my story, and I'm sticking too it. ;-)
Thanks for reading..
Cheers,
Traci
www.traciwalterphotography.com
www.traciwalter.com
www.facebook.com/traciwalterphotography
www.twitter.com/teeeldubya

Hello my name is Genesis Reyes and this is my story:

I have always have some thing for art, painting, drawing some times I used a very cheap film camera how ever i never thought of photography being my thing, I started working as a graphics designer in a real estate office at the same time that I was working as a barman at nights, one day the owner of the real state office bought a Nikon digital camera with 2 lenses and out of the blue like 4 days later came to me and hand me the camera in the camera bag and told me that I could use it and if he needed it he would let me know. So I when around with the camera pretty much every where, by then I am not having photography in mind as MY THING ! ( BTW. I was shooting in auto mode ) then I went for a graphic design appointment job and a while I was waiting for my client I found this guy I say hi some times who happened to be a pro photographer and saw me with the camera and he asks " do you know how to use it ?" I said " well i take photos " and the first thing he did was to put it in manual mode and started to show me how the aperture works shooter speed and all... and I was like WOOOWW I need to start taking notes lol, then I started practicing all over ! doing crazy researches every where and got SO SO sucked into it that I started saving and got my own camera package and said " I will starve in the beginning but I will go all the way and quit all my jobs " till now I haven't use my camera in another mode than manual.

Thank you for reading
-Genesis Reyes-
www.genesisreyes.com

Marcus Bell couldn’t have come into my life at a better time! I am a wife and mother of two, and have worked as a legal secretary at a large law firm for the last 11 years. I’ve always been a creative person and always felt like I was meant for a creative career, but never really found where I fit in. I took my current job as a way to make money and work steady hours. It wasn’t until I had my kids and decided to buy a “real camera” to capture those special moments, that I had my “ah-ha moment.” I’ve always loved taking pictures and have always had a camera, but it wasn’t until I started taking pictures of my kids that I realized that’s where my heart was. That’s what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to type documents and make copies for a living, I wanted to take photographs. Photos of kids, of families, of love, of life, or color, of fun…this is what made my heart sing!

So I started to dream and research, which led me CreativeLIVE and that did two things for me: It gave me the opportunity to learn invaluable lessons from amazing photographers for free, an education that as a mom with limited finances and limited time, I couldn’t have gotten otherwise. It also opened my eyes to how many photographers were actually out there, which has scared me. I have discovered that there are a LOT of people out there like me, who bought a camera, fell in love with it, and have offered their services as a photographer. That scared me, because how am I going to stand out? How am I going to be different? What also scares me is that I’m 37 years old, I have a family, a mortgage, bills and debt, and I’ve been at my employer for almost 12 years. I’m miserable doing what I’m doing (no because of my employer, but because my heart wants to do something creative). I have recently started thinking about how bad it makes me feel. How I truly feel like I’m working for the weekend, how I dread going to sleep at night because I know that makes the morning come sooner and I’ll have to go back to the place where I feel suffocated. But I’m so far in, how could I ever take that leap and try to make it as a photographer? How could I do that to my family? How could I give up the security to follow a dream? But then again…how could I not? I wrestle with that every single day to the point it often breaks my heart. And just when I think I can’t do it, that I need to suck it up, stay where I am, and just pursue photography as a hobby, I hear somebody like Marcus Bell speak and realize that it’s not just my hobby, it’s my passion. It’s who I am. It’s what makes my heart sing. It’s what I want to do with my life. I don’t know how I’m going to make it happen, but I have to make it happen! I will make it happen! Thank you, Marcus, for inspiring me with your work, and more importantly, your words.

I visited my parents in Aspen Colorado with my newborn son and my dad treated me to
a weeklong photography workshop. I fell in love with the process of photography from
composition to developing the film. I saw the images I could create in my dreams, as I
went about my life but I could not afford a camera or film let alone to develop film. My
husband gave me a camera on an anniversary at great sacrifice. I had to carefully plan
my photography as we could barely afford film and developing. I tried to get technical
help but photography was a man’s world and a young mother with a minolta was not
welcome to the club. I kept taking pictures and trying to learn on my own with friends
always asking for copies of my event and travel photography. When we became homeless,
all my work, most of my negatives and pictures were destroyed when a storm damaged the
storage shed with the boxes that held them. My beloved camera was stolen a few years
later although I still had my minolta 50mm lens. I finally bought another minolta when
digital cameras came on the horizon. My youngest daughter used it for community college
classes and showed such promise...she had so much talent that we decided to help her fulfill
her photography dreams that I could never have. We bought a Sony DSLR for the old Minolta
lens, shopping ebay for additional equipment. I offered to help her manage her growing
business and she sat me down and told me that I couldn’t manage her business...she told
me I was too good a photographer not to let my own dreams go. She asked me to shoot
alongside her and to photograph the babies and children like I photographed my children
when they were little. OH!!! WHAT!!! My dream of being a photographer is coming true!
I am finally learning the things I’ve wanted to know through creativeLIVE and one of their
instructors who runs project52.org and has become a mentor. I am almost 60 and I have so
much joy and appreciation for having the chance to finally be a photographer, to give something
beautiful to my clients when I share a bit of their lives, to work alongside my daughters (another
is learning videography) even though it’s still a struggle to get this business going strong. I LOVE
WHAT I DO! I am overwhelmed to this day that I get to do this! I am excited for everything new
that I learn. Thank you for letting me share my story, I hope it inspires the moms who have
better opportunities and advantages than I did that they CAN DO THIS!

www.vintagemodernphotography.com
www.insidioustomatoes.com

I ventured into photography 2years ago after being in love with it for years and not being able to go into it for the fear of all the technical terms which I now know better and the price tags the gears came with. When I got married in 2009, I had a small wedding and because I lived in another country away from my fiancé now husband I left an aunty to handle the photography. Needless to say, the pictures where not anything to show off to friends or even purchasing an album of it. I call them my wedding "horrorgraphy". At that moment I knew I wanted to be a wedding photographer and would try my best to make sure my clients have the memories from their day in pictures and give them my best. I got a Canon 50D fairly used and I never looked back. I couldn't afford to leave my very time consuming job so photography kinda took a back sit. But 8months ago I took the plunge and went part time at my job and even though I am still in my learning process, I know without a shadow of doubt that here is where I want to be. With the help of resources from sites like creative live, I know I will get as much help as I need and make the best use of it. For me, wedding photography is "visualising the dreams" the dreams of a client on their wedding day is the memories and we have only one chance as wedding photographers or potential photographers to get it right......and right now I am on my way to making that happen.

My story is not very interesting – but it makes me laugh so I figured I would write it up really quick anyway. I have always had the tendency to pick up a camera. I had a magnifying glass that would pop out of its case at a press of a button – which served as my first camera to my 4 year old self (I still keep it with me on complicated shoots that I stress about) I always kept cut outs of beautiful photographs from TIME or NatGeo around and I even was the photography editor of my yearbook in HS. However, I just never allowed myself the privilege of believing I could pay my bills with photography. So after HS I started working a string of miserable jobs that paid ok and allowed me to just be. Until one day: My fiancée and I started a very easy hike on Mt. Rainer. I had a cheap point and shoot and was shooting absolutely anything interesting. Finally, we reached the star of the hike a beautiful waterfall that was even more beautiful once you walked past the “do not pass” line and got closer. I walked over in complete photog mode and got WAY too close. So close, that when I bent over to get a shot of the falls? I fell in. Luckily, Justin was able to catch me before I went over the edge of the falls. There is no way I could of survived if I had. And my first words after he pulled me up? “I hope my camera isn’t ruined.”
My fiancée asked me to leave my day job as we hiked back. His point was that if that is what comes to me first then it’s what I should pursue. It still took me a while to get the guts to do it but ever since I found enough respect for myself to pursue something I love. I have never been happier. So there ya go, photography almost killed me and I came back for more. Fun fact: We have tried that hike 3 more times since and I have gotten injured EVERY single time. Not one time have I ever gotten a photograph of those falls. I give up! haha

I got my start in wedding photography when I reconnected with a friend from my college days. She had become a photographer and her husband had moved to my area of Arizona for medical school. She asked me if I wanted to go to a photography lecture in downtown Scosttsdale, and on a whim I decided that I needed to do this with her. The lecture inspired me and I got to interact with all of these amazing wedding photographers in my area, and hear their stories and struggles. I had been working at a brokerage company, but was inspired to change my career and pursue my passion for photography, weddings, and building relationships with people in the industry of photography. I got a new job at a photography studio in Scottsdale, Arizona and I got some great training in portrait photography, lighting, and running a business. I continued to work with my friend from college and have now started my own business. Last weekend, my friend and I shot our first destination wedding in San Diego, California. It was a beautiful moment I will always remember to be photographing a gorgeous ceremony overlooking the ocean. My whole life changed when I became inspired by other amazing wedding photographers, picked up my camera, and decided to create a business doing what I love. Every day brings a new challenge and new success.

i don't consider myself a professional photographer and i've never shot a wedding in my life. i've got a background in the fine arts and cooking. i was given a pentax p3n back in 1991 so i could shoot slides for my portfolio.
i didn't really get serious about photography until i moved to england in 2002. there was no way i could paint and draw all the interesting new things i was seeing and experiencing so i picked up my camera and started snapping.
i've been hooked ever since. now i'm a stay at home mom. every day i'm inspired by my 5yr old and all the different adventures we have together. even if i never make any money with my cameras, i'll still keep shooting. taking pictures has become a part of me.

uff photography has been quite a ride for me. I am from Mexico but living in Miami when I decided to quit my full time job and dedicate my life to my passion. After a lot of sacrifices as my family counted on my income, business started to go really well, I had more clients, I was getting better and hardly making any money but hey who cares right? little by little I was brave enough to raise my prices, stop working for free and giving a value to all the hard work I was doing, when things were getting better my family was relocated to Orlando so I had to leave everything back and just follow my husband. In Orlando I was determined to make my photographic dream come true so I started again from the bottom, but this time I had some experience already on how to start, this time things were harder as I didnt know anyone in Orlando but I was determined so I talked to every soul in my way and let them know I was a photographer, I donated sessions to school auctions, offered to photograph every event at our school, etc. Things were tight for our family with just one income but i refused to leave my dream aside and get a job, I had to make it, and I did, things went better soon, i had clients and shoots, not as many as i wanted but some at least, people in the community knew me and I was making the phone ring! I worked very hard in those years, I kept learning, attending seminars, workshops, conventions, I bought better equipment and when I was starting to get comfortable my family was relocated again, this time to another Country, to Panama in Central America... This was it, I just couldnt start all over again, in a different country, different culture, way of thinking, no one would pay my prices, my trusty lab was in the States.... so that was it. I moved to Panama and had a MAJOR depression, the whole move was very hard on me and my kids, dad worked 24/7 so we hardly ever saw him, my kids had problems adjusting to school. People in my husbands job circle were not nice with me. I was alone. So I started by putting my kids lives in order, once they were settled and having their normal life back, I saw that I had only two options, either I jumped from the balcony in my apartment or I started to see the beauty of my new life. So I took my camera with me and started to see the beauty of my new life through it. I got a driver that drove me around while I just looked and took pictures, my photography saved me from jumping from the balcony and let me tell you I was seriously considering it. Thanks to my camera I learned to see how beautiful my new life was, and I decided to give it a chance. Soon all those people that hardly talk to me knew I had a talent and that I was doing something that no one did here. I started to get people to ask me to do their photos, family babies, etc. I found the way to import my products and still produce everything in my trusty lab. by the way that is WHCC. and a few months later I was very well known for my photography. After 3 years I opened a physical studio, I teach photography and I run a very healthy business that supports my family pretty good. My husband quit his 24/7 job that was finishing with us. He works in my studio now and also My photography gave enough for him to start his own business. Our lives changed in a way that we could have never imagined.
I never ever thought that my business will be what it is today, never ever dreamed that my family could live form my photography alone or that I could help my husband finance his own business. The road has been hard, I know I still have to improve many things but as of today I am really proud of where I am. It took 8 years of hard work, starting over and over again but it was worth it.
My camera saved my life, saved me from depression and showed me that life is not always what we plan and that sometimes we just need to flow with it and trust and follow our dreams.
I did a book with the pictures of those 6 terrible months. If you want to take a peek feel free to do it
www.marthabravo.com/book/Panama This book is printed and in the reception of my studio and it is a reminder for me that I can do whatever I am passionate about.

Martha Bravo
www.marthabravo.com

My name is Ashanti. I am 26 years old, from Houston, TX, and am the youngest child of six. As a child, I was obsessed with two thing: dancing and weddings.I read and collected wedding magazines, and I pestered my mother to take me to every wedding she was invited to. I planned to become a wedding coordinator and planned weddings for barbie and everyone I knew. Everyone who went to school with me from the 7th grade on told me that they wanted to have me plan their wedding. Also around 7th grade, my mother bought me a Polaroid camera. I went through the entire package of film in a couple of days and she made me wait a while before I could get more film. I was the family photographer from then on. I knew that I "had" to go to college, so I decided to study linguistics, so that I could serve clients from cultures all around the world, speaking their language and knowing their culture. I supplemented this goal by researching wedding traditions from around the world.
I ended up studying business instead and focused my entrepreneurship major on building a business in the wedding industry, from wedding magazines for planning to wedding emergency kits the day of, and of course wedding photography. I started taking photographs for the Entrepreneurship program at my school. I got paid $15 an hour and we very proud of myself. It lasted about 2 months. I graduated and started studying for law school (during my undergraduate work, my mother convinced me that I should be the lawyer for the family) and working. Then a friend of mine decided to get married, rather than return to her home country. She asked for my help with her wedding, and I agreed. I did it for free. I also offered, after attended a few meetings with photographers that she couldn't afford, to photograph her wedding. I did not offer to do that for free, but at a greatly reduced rate compared to the 'pros.' I planned to restart my business then. I warned her, as a friend not to pay for her friends to sit at her wedding because she was getting married out of town and wanted to pay for her bridesmaid's dresses and transportation. I wrote up a contract that said I would do all of her photography and give her the images (yes shoot and burn) for $300. I also made the mistake of adding that she had to help find me a play to stay while I was there. She blew up, saying that I told her not to do that and refused to speak to me ever again. Needless to say, I didn't do her wedding, and I lost what I thought was a good friend. I was so burned by that, I gave up on photography entirely. I accepted admission to a law school in a different state and only took pictures for family and friends from then on. Even in just my personal life, I've seen people's entire demeanor change when looking at an old photo, all the emotions returning to them. I love that.
I'm trying to photograph couples and weddings because I want to be a part of their special day. I've been interested in weddings for so long that I've talked to lots of brides to be and looked at lots of wedding planning and etiquette books. I feel like I have a good idea of what people getting married and believe that I can bring my vision to that in a way people will love. I also know that the wedding is for the guests. It's a time for family and friends to come together to celebrate the couple's day. I know that lots of people are working hard to make this happen, and I want to be able to assist that process. I love everything about weddings and I want to capture that and share it. I'm struggling to get started, with all of the loan costs on top of living costs, and I'm doing multiple jobs to make enough to live and have money to put into this business, but I know that if I work hard and can make it just a few months, I'll be able to build a business that will support me and make beautiful images.
I think back to when my grandmother passed away. I had a few photos of her in her as I knew her and none printed. Then I found an old photo, probably 40 years old, of my grandmother as a young woman. I looked at it and realized that I saw that woman when I looked at my grandmother, and I saw that woman when I looked at my mother, and I see a reflection of her when I look in the mirror. I don't look exactly like her, but the connection is so strong that every time I see that picture I feel like she is close to me. If I can create things for people that cause that reaction, I will be satisfied with my work. I'm still working to get there, and I just want the chance to continue. Thank you.

Steve Adams

Wedding photography offers me the opportunity to use my creative juice to connect to the heart and soul of real people on perhaps the most emotional day of their lives. Using my eyes, ears, nose and all my physical and emotional senses, I put my equipment and knowledge into use to capture the magic of their day. This is the most rewarding experience I can think of.