Photography Hobby or Career

Since I was just a kid, I've always loved to take pictures. Now as an adult it has become one of my many hobbies. But it can also be a rewarding career as well.

Photography Hobby or Career

    I may be dating myself here, but I remember when cameras took 110 film and had those gorgeous flash cubes on top. (Do you remember those?) I was quite young, so my parents didn't let me use their camera. When I was about 11, we went to neighbors moving sale, and they had a Kodak 110 camera for sale. I begged my parents for that camera. They obliged under the condition that I used my allowance for film and processing. (Yeah, I'm old enough that we had to wait for our film to be processed.) I was stoked!

    I took pictures of everything! I quickly learned that 110 film and developing those pictures was expensive. Jump forward to digital cameras. Now I could see every image I took. Which meant I could snap fifty or more pictures, and keep the best. I was gobsmacked at how amazing this was! (Yeah yeah. I'm old enough to remember the invention of digital cameras.) Now with the burst function, I am sure to capture the very best shots of my son and my furry daughters.

    That option came in handy with my son. He's autistic and getting him to look at me wasn't always easy! I've been homeschooling him since he was five. So that means no yearly class pictures. We live on a very tight budget, so getting them done wasn't always an option. Instead, I use my love of photography to stage his yearly school photos. Then I send them to Walmart to get printed for family and friends.

    My favorite way to capture these is by choosing a gorgeous setting outside. The lighting is more natural, and it's easier to get clear shots if it's a nice day. However, setting up a shoot inside isn't too hard either. Baby pictures were easy. I took his Boppy pillow and draped it with a nice baby blanket, and was able to pose him and get perfect pictures. When Liam was four, I hung an American flag on the wall, and pulled my antique trunk over. I posed him on it and got the most adorable snapshots. They're actually my husband's favorite ones. However, now that he's older, getting him to take time out of his "busy day" to pose for me is like pulling teeth. So when we're out exploring, I set my camera to burst mode and capture as many images as I can, then delete the bad ones. I did get him to pose for me this year. However, he only gave me fifteen minutes of his precious time.

Career?

    I have pondered taking my love of photography and editing to the next level and turning it into a career. Friends and family have paid me to do their family photos, and it was so enjoyable. However, being socially awkward, taking pictures of close friends and family, is much easier than capturing those memories for total strangers. So for me, turning this hobby into a career wasn't an option. However, for many it is. Take Blake Rubin for example.

Blake Rubin

    Blake is a photographer from Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Much like myself, she too loved the art form since she was a child. However, Blake took her passion one step further, and worked her tail off to go to school, and hone her craft. She uses her camera to pull viewers into her world. Blake really has an eye for beauty.

    Ms. Rubin loves to photograph her hometown of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. There are so many gorgeous things to see in Philly, it's no surprise she enjoys capturing it all. Blake also loves to travel an capture every moment. Recently she went to Italy. From taking pictures of the big cities, to small villages, Blake can pull the viewer in, so they feel that they are actually there.

I love this image of my boys (They were 14 and 4)

     Knowing how hard it was to pay for her dream, Blake has even started the Blake Rubin Foundation Scholarship. She uses this to give back, pay it forward to other college students, and help future photographers dreams to come true. How wonderful is that? We need more people like Blake in this world!