Let me first explain what I mean by “pseudo.” Or rather, I will explain what it is not. To me, pseudo is not someone at any level (beginner, hobbyist, amateur, or intermediate) who truly has a love for taking photographs and couldn’t imagine life not doing so in one way or another. They may want to do this professionally one day, or keep it as a fun activity, but the passion is there all the same. I associate pseudo with the following: An individual who doesn’t take the time to learn how to improve An individual with a lot of extra money to spend on gear An individual who doesn’t understand the hard work it takes yet craves notoriety An individual who doesn’t take advice/criticism from other photographers 1 – “I’ll just rock it on auto mode and hope for the best!” This is a trait I see in many beginners. They have a fear of failure, so they let the camera decide what’s best. The problem with this is that they aren’t allowing themselves any creative freedom. They aren’t using light to their advantage, heck, they don’t even know how the camera is using light because […]
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Niche has a few different definitions, but in regards to work as an artist, it is closely related to genre. This is sometimes difficult to pinpoint, especially for newcomers. Years ago, I remember saying I couldn’t possibly limit myself because I loved to shoot everything! Well that love may be true for many of us, but typically there are a couple types of photography we find ourselves gravitate towards. For me, it’s people. I love anything involving people; portraits, fashion, street, etc. There’s something so fascinating about the human face, body, and overall interaction with the world. Because of this love, the majority of what I shoot involves people. My niche is specific in that I focus primarily on portraits & headshots. Advantages for having a specific niche: You have a focus. By honing in on a very specific aspect in your field, you will always have an idea of what your next project will be. Your passion really shines through. Because you aren’t trying to shoot every single thing in the world (which could amount to so-so results) you are able to put in 100% each time you do a shoot. […]
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In the same way I took a topsy-turvy path to find my love for photography, I also stumbled upon my overall “style”. I tell you it was difficult. At first I was just snapping away enjoying the life with no real rhyme or reason. I even did minimal editing because I wanted to keep that candid look. Pff, that sort of candid looked like anyone with a camera and an idea shot it. And there were still remnants of yellow… blech. I continued to shoot my editorials, but there wasn’t a particular editing style bringing them together. Once I made the decision that photography was more than an additional skill I possessed, I decided to look outwards for advice. I read countless articles on how to find your style and many of them had more or less vague suggestions to “just keep shooting and it will come to you.” These were not the words I was looking for. But I went with it, since that’s all I really could do. I still had my beloved Pinterest board to inspire me as well, so it wasn’t the end of the world. I knew what types […]
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It all began with a youtube video. I know, sounds strange, but the path that ultimately led me to becoming a photographer was not straightforward at all. Back when I was in highschool, a junior or so, I loved watching youtube videos.] Like…everyday for multiple hours a day. Because in 2009 that was still relevant. I remember thinking that the people I watched seemed to be having so much fun making these videos. I knew viewers like me enjoyed watching them, so I decided that I wanted to start making my own videos as well. I began on a “trusty” point-n-shoot canon powershoot that was hand-me-downed from my dad. The quality was questionable of course, but I was having fun and that’s what really inspired me in the beginning. I wanted to answer questions and help people, but in a humorous way. Eventually I started to include more fashion and natural hair videos to help & inspire people too. (In case anyone is interested, my youtube username is ShekinahShazaam and there’s still a bit of content on there.) I haven’t made a video in quite some time partly due to my aging macbook’s weakness with […]
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Hello Dear Reader, thanks you for joining me today! This post marks the start of my blogging adventure for 2017. I plan to post every Sunday. No matter what. I know what you’re thinking… Gosh Shekinah, sounds like you’re making some cliché New Year resolution that will ultimately fail and make a bigger explosion than the Death Star! Thanks. Thanks a lot for that load of confidence. Dramatics aside, you’ll be pleased to know I think I’ve found a way around that sort of painful end. Over the past handful of months, I have made a list of topics I’d like to discuss. All of them relate to photography in one way or another. I have drafts, I have ideas, and best of all I have a plan! Sometimes it’s hard to stay consistent. On my design site I gave blogging a try. What had happened was I blogged about many different things…then stopped. There was no focus or schedule I upheld. No subject matter was off limits, I did reviews, travel recollections, fashion posts, and lifestyle stories. I know that my favorite blogs focus on only a small amount of […]
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