The story of my photography journey would not quite be complete without talking about photography school.  My college journey was nothing less than messy, as it is for many of us out there.  I had such a deep passion for taking photos, but had planned for a career in graphic design.  I bounced around multiple schools, as well as majors. 

At my second school, I decided to put my hobby to work in a photography class.  This specific class fell more into the art side of photography, and all of our projects were centered around telling a story through photographs.  I was so nervous to submit my first assignment, as we were to have a critique in front of the entire class.  The photo I went with was of my dirty old converse sneakers placed in front of a rickety wooden door, and I had no idea what my professor would think.  There’s something about sharing your creativity that is so vulnerable, and I was feeling exactly that when it was my turn for critique.  What I didn’t expect was how much my previous design education presented itself through my photograph.  I was using the rule of thirds and complimentary colors without even knowing it, and my professor praised me for it.  I continued to push myself, and fell more in love with the challenges presented through each project.  As much as I was learning through this class, there was a whole world of information yet to come. 

Life happened, like it always does, and I changed course again.  I found a professional photography program at a tech school nearby and started a whole new journey.  This program is where I took the creativity and artistic skill I already had, and grew the technical skills to take my photos to the next level.  The hands on experience with all kinds of techniques opened my eyes to a whole new world of visual communication.  It was this program that gave me all of the confidence in my abilities I never knew I could have.  It is safe to say, I would not be where I am today without these experiences.