Then & Now| A Look Back On My Early Work

Most photographers go through a great deal of trouble hiding their past work. The work they started with because like everyone else, we all had to start somewhere and those early moments are often ones we get to look back and cringe a little. I decided to put it all out there for everyone to see. Starting with my earliest work, all the way to finding my own style as a photographer.

If you'd like to see where I started, you'll really enjoy this one!
There's also a quick little Q&A below of the top questions I get regarding my work.

Here's my then and now:

WHEN DID YOU START WITH PHOTOGRAPHY?
I started photography in 2008 shortly after my daughter was born and then started my photography business officially in 2012.

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
In the sunshine state. Florida.

Maui Hawaii (currently) but heading back to the sunshine state eventually.

WHAT TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY DO YOU SPECIALIZE IN?
Babies & Motherhood. I think my absolute favorite is babies between 3 months and 10 months.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK?
Bright, airy & simple. I keep my sessions very basic and put the focus on my client. I love shooting in natural settings or on all white and using natural colors and textures to compliment each other.

HOW DID YOU COME ACROSS FINDING YOUR STYLE?
When I first got started I spend a lot of time looking around and observing what was trending and often tried to try out different styles in hopes to find my own style. In the end, I always came back to simple...so that's when I realized that shooting what I loved was really my 'style'. In a way it found me. I look at my work now and it's exactly what I envisioned for my work.

WAS IT A STRUGGLE TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN UNIQUE STYLE AS AN ARTIST?
I would say yes. There are so many different styles out there so when you're new and trying to find your unique style, the one that fits your vision and makes you really happy it can be difficult not to get distracted by what's around you. When I was a new photographer I constantly had photographers tell me that I was overexposing too much and that it was "wrong". Ironically, now most of my before photos are very much underexposed and I now have people tell me that I'm still "doing it wrong"

At the end, what matters most to me is that I love what my work looks like and that I enjoy the process of creating it. But those early days I remember how difficult finding the balance between learning photography, seeing what others were doing and trying to find myself as an artist.


WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU USED TO STRUGGLE WITH?
Posing. I was never great at posing people. I figured out that traditional poses wasn't really what I loved. I adore the casual, lifestyle poses. The one you can see the connection between two people. I love posing naturally for evoking emotion, thats what I love to capture with my camera.


WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS MOST IMPORTANT WHEN DEVELOPING YOUR OWN STYLE?
That in the end, it's something that you're truly happy with. We pour our heart into our work and I see a lot of photographers trying to please others by shooting a certain way that they don't really give themselves a chance to find out who they are, and what their unique style might be. Take the time to experiment, shoot something different, figure out what feels right to you and then build on that until YOU love your work. That's what matters.



TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR 'THEN' PHOTO
That photo makes me laugh. I remember is so clearly. I really wanted some good portraits of my daughter so I did what every new photographer did which is grab the prettiest table cloth, threw it over something and snaped a picture of my little one. I remember being really proud of it and instantly knew that this is what I wanted to do. I love looking back at past portrait because it reminds me of where I started. It also gets me excited about the future and what's to come.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE THAT IS CURRENTLY STILL FINDING THEMSELVES AS A PHOTOGRAPHER?
You can LOVE and appreciate many different styles of photography, but that doesn't necessarily mean that that style is supposed to be your style. Your style is what should come natural, it should be what feels right to you as an artist, and what naturally happens when you get lost in creating something for yourself.

See the beauty in other photographers work, but don't ever compare yourself to them. Learn to love many different styles of work, but never look at other peoples work and wish to yourself that you want your work to look like theirs a little more. Figure out what really draws you in about someone's work and maybe that has something to do with what your own personal style might be. Finding out what specifically you really love about someone else's work can give you some great hints on what your own personal "dream" work might look like.

Know that the work you see online is usually peoples best work and that everyone had to start somewhere & no one starts a photography career knowing 100% what their style is.

Most importantly remember that you're in this for yourself. When you shoot for yourself, you start shooting work that inspires you. That's what your true style is.