Throwback Thursday - Jammie Baker Styled Shoot Circa 2018

May 4

As a photographer you sometimes look back on old photos and cringe. Other times you see shots from an old session and are still super proud of them [that’s always the goal.] And sometimes you look back and are please with a lot of the shots that you got, but you can see just how much you have grown as a photographer [also the goal, always be growing in your work, no matter what that work is!] This session is just that. It was the first “event” I ever covered as a professional photographer, but it was also fairly early on in my career. I had only been in business for about six months and was still figuring out the new camera I had purchased. There was so much that I was trying to figure out and so much that I was learning. One of my biggest lessons in being a creative entrepreneur is that you never stop learning! Every positive experience and every negative experience is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Working with other creatives can be so much fun! Jammie Baker put this whole day together excellently. During this styled shoot I was able to watch an amazing, seasoned photographer do his thing! From having the models [aka regular everyday mama’s] lay on the floor, stand on chairs, and spin around, James Lee made the day so fun. With Jammie’s style expertise and a crew of great hair and makeup artists, and the lovely For Love of Love space the day flew by with laughs, jokes, and a good dose of pizza.

The photos that I got of the behind the scenes fun, and the headshots at the end of the day are by no means perfect, but some of them are so fun, and some of them are still shots that I include in my portfolio. But as I said, there are always things to be learned. A few of the things I’ve learned looking back at this gallery: 1. My focus on focus these last few years was a good thing! What I mean - these photos are not as tack sharp as my standard is now, and I did a lot of learning and work to make sure that every photo I deliver is sharp, even when “pixel peeping.” 2. You can’t control event photography. So much of portrait photography is lighting and setting. But in event photography you often can’t control those [or much of anything] so you have to adapt. You have to find the best light available, shoot at different angles to block clutter or undesirable backgrounds. It’s something that I now look for, but didn’t have as much of an eye for back then. 3. Better equipment doesn’t always mean better photos - but sometimes it does. I still shoot some with this camera body, but my arsenal of lenses has grown a bit, which has definitely helped me produce higher quality images. Sometimes better glass really does make all the difference. 4. Sometimes a great shot is just being at the right place at the right time. 5. The best photos come when people are relaxed and enjoying themselves! In a few of these I can see where the model is loose and having fun, and in others they are a bit stiffer. The more relaxed a shoot can be, the better the end result. So a main goal of my sessions is to always have fun! 6. Another thing I learned is that working with a group of other creatives on a project can be so much fun! And when you’re in a creative community everyone can benefit from each other’s knowledge and experience and learn from one another! 7. Sometimes a photo that you took when you were a beginner is just as awesome five years later when your not quite so much of a beginner!

So enjoy a little jog down memory lane, and remember to always keep growing in whatever you do!