In 18 days I pack up and move to a different conitent for an entire semester. The thought of this still terrifies me, and although I am extremely anxious about moving so far away from home, I am also extremely excited. I don't know if being excited makes me necessarily ready for this big change in my life, but then again, i'm not quite sure if I would ever be ready for. I've just decided to go for it.
I decided a little over a year ago to "go for it", actually. Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine. And for the past year or so this decision hasn't felt real. It wasn't until this holiday season when I recieved Christmas money in Euros that it hit me- I am really leaving. Not forever of course, but for an entire semester. For those of you who don't know, I am a student at the University of Oklahoma. I have been accepted to the OU in Arezzo program for the Spring 2017 semester where I will be finishing out my junior year of college in Arezzo, Italy. I am majoring in Public Relations and minoring in General Business. I grew up in Tulsa, OK with two amazing parents, a sister and two brothers. With Norman being just two hours away, I have always gone home often each semester. Not only am I close with my siblings and parents but I am also extremely close with my grandparents, who live just 20 minutes away from campus in Moore, OK. How close you ask? I've visited them every Sunday evening for dinner since my freshman year of college. Any ways, now that you have a little background information on me, you can see why leaving Oklahoma next semester and studying abroad is such a huge leap of faith for me. But instead of focusing on how scared I am to leave friends and family, I've decided to take a second and remind myself why I chose to study abroad in the first place, and all of the positives that can come from this experience. I decided to create a list of all the things I hope to gain from studying abroad 1. I hope to grow as a person and gain more independence. 2. I hope to grow as a photographer and push myself creatively. 3. I hope to travel as much as possible. 5. I hope to keep up with my blog. 5. I hope to learn about other cultures. 6. I hope to improve my Italian skills. 7. I hope to learn to adapt new situations better. 8. I hope to make new friends. 9. I hope to gain experience in the professional world with my internship. 10. I hope to find adventure.
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So as of now, i'm sure by looking through my portfolio most of you can conclude, I generally stick to "lifestyle photography". More specifically I focus on taking portraits for people. Although I have enjoyed this very much, and I will most likely continue to take portraits for awhile, I would like to branch off and try something new. For those of you who don't know- I plan to study abroad in Europe this upcoming spring semester. I will be going to school and living in Arezzo, Italy. Although I am super nervous about getting homesick and I have a serious fear of missing out, I am very excited for the opportunities studying abroad will bring me. More specifically, I am excited to have the chance to take pictures of places and things I have never seen before.
I plan to travel a lot during my semester abroad and i'll be taking my camera everywhere with me. I don't have much experience capturing pictures that don't have a person as the main subject, so I am excited to push myself creatively while I am gone! Not only am I stepping outside of my comfort zone by moving to a different country for an entire semester, but I also plan to step outside my comfort zone as a photographer as well. I am hoping to be able to submerge myself in the culture around me and take advantage of all of the beautiful art, architecture, and scenery each foreign country I visit has to offer. With that being said, stay tuned for my new sub-section under the photography tab labeled "travel" coming this spring! The ability to pose the people you work with is a skill that will increase the quality of your photos immensely. When I first started out, I had a really bad habit of snapping as many photos as I could in hopes of getting more options the client loved. I'd walk away from a shoot with 300+ photos which included multiples of nearly identical photos, slightly blurry photos, closed-eyes, half-smiles, and awkward body language.
While searching for ways to improve my photography skills, I stumbled across an article that talked about the importance of posing clients. I had never thought about how important that skill was before, and once I started consciously thinking about how to pose my subjects, I began to see improvement in my work. So I'm here today writing this post to share what I’ve learned in hopes of helping another aspiring photographer better their skills. Knowing how to pose your clients is extremely beneficial for multiple reasons. First of all, mastering the art of posing will save you time and energy by limiting the amount of photos you have to look through. If you take the time to pose the people you work with it will reduce the number of photos that are "no good" (i.e. closed eyes, fake smile, awkward body language). Not only will mastering this skill benefit you, but it will also benefit your client. Posing your client will also help make him or her feel more comfortable. Not everyone you come across will feel comfortable in front of a camera. In fact, most clients I have worked with have preferred me posing them and telling them what to do. Another tip I’d love to share is doing research before a shoot. If you are taking on your first family photo-shoot take the time to look up some family or group poses. Or if you are doing an engagement shoot look up various couple poses. There are cheat sheets and templates all over the internet. Its an easy skill to learn if you're willing to put the time and effort into it. The more prepared you come to a photo-shoot the more smoothly it will go. To summarize: LEARN HOW TO POSE PEOPLE! It's a little thing you can change that'll make a BIG difference! NOTE: this post is not to make it seem like I have it all figured out, because believe me I don't. This post is to simply help and encourage anyone who may be interested in photography or who is looking for tips to further themselves as a photographer.
1. Take your camera everywhere Opportunities for amazing pictures are all around you. Have you ever seen a jaw dropping sunset or an adorable old couple holding hands and wish you had your camera with you? Well start carrying it with you! When I find myself in a creative slump, taking my camera with me wherever I go helps me get out of it. Practice makes perfect right? You can’t better your skills as a photographer if you don’t start taking more photographs. 2. Learn to shoot in manual mode Learning to shoot in manual mode will help you increase the quality of your photos and ultimately help you better develop your skills as a photographer. There a millions of cheat sheets to help you learn and memorize different settings to get the perfect picture. (In fact, I think I am going to write a blog post soon and upload some of my favorite cheat sheets that have helped me learn!) 3. Find your niche What do you enjoy taking pictures of the most? People? Places? Things? If you’re unsure practice in all areas of photography until your true passion becomes clear. For me, I personal enjoying taking pictures of people. I enjoy the feeling I get when I show a client a photo of themselves and they love it. It makes my heart happy to know I’ve captured a photo that makes my client feel beautiful. 4. Push yourself creatively Whether you’ve found your niche or not, don’t forget to step outside of your comfort zone every once in awhile. Challenge yourself to practice different areas of photography and don’t be afraid to try something new. If you typically take nature photos, try doing a shoot with people. You may end up loving the photos you take in this new and unfamiliar area of photography and you’ll be able to expand your portfolio! 5. Don’t compare yourself or your work I saved the best for last. The most important tip I would like to share with you is: Do NOT compare yourself or your creative work to others. Now, its 100% okay to admire other’s work. In fact, I encourage you to follow photographers that you think are talented and let them inspire you. But do not let the act of comparison rob you from the joy you deserve. Remember this: Comparison is the thief of joy! To me photography is a creative outlet. Its exhilarating, challenging, therapeutic, and altogether enjoyable. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had a passion for attempting to capture pictures worth a thousand words. I enjoy taking photos of people, places, nature, anything really. I received my first digital camera in middle school, and although most pictures I took at that age were numerous selfies for my Myspace page, that is when I truly began to explore my creative side.
When I started high school I saved up enough money to buy my very first DSLR camera. I bought a Nikon D3000, which is no longer even manufactured by Nikon. I began dragging my friends to random places are Tulsa and doing photo-shoots using them as my models. I even used my brother and his girlfriend to work on my experience posing and photographing couples in hopes one day someone who trust me enough to take their engagement photos. I was always extremely busy in high school, I played two sports, managed good grades, a social life, and stayed involved with various clubs. But I didn’t put enough time in effort into the one thing that made me the happiest, photography. When I came to college I became even busier. I had less and less time to take my camera and go on an adventure, or spend the day photographing friend’s downtown. It wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year in college that I decided to stop wishing and start doing. Success is something you work for. So I finally decided to be proactive and start putting in the work. I came to the conclusion that if some day I really did want to make it in the photography world, I would have to start somewhere, right? And I would need to start eventually, so why not now? So I decided to invest in myself and bought a new camera and nicer equipment. And I began my journey as a freelance photographer. When I first started this journey I started by doing PR shoots for my sorority, portraits and group sessions for friends and family, and basically took any and every opportunity I could get my hands on to improve and expand my portfolio. After developing my portfolio, I worked on learning how to market myself and showcase my work. I created my own personal brand, Harper McKenzie Photography. I built professional social media accounts from the ground up and created a professional website. Another important thing I focused on was networking and finding new clients. I have learned most of what I know about photography through experience and self-teaching. I am no expert by any means, and I know that I have a lot more to learn. In fact, I am excited to continue to learn and develop my skills. What I lack in professional experience I make up in having a passion for what I am doing. I want every client I have to love the photos I take for them, that’s the goal- to make THEM happy. To make THEM fall in love with the pictures I capture. I will do whatever it takes to continue to grow as a creative professional because it makes my heart happy. The best decision I have made was to live by the quote “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” Photography is what sets my soul on fire. |