Fake it, till you make it! That what I was always told…
And that is really how I became a photographer. In the beginning, many years ago, I did not even own a camera! I was borrowing a digital canon camera from my dad’s work. But, it turns out that if you wear a shabby chic outfit and carry a camera around, people will assume you are a photographer. This is the story of the first time I was called a photographer…
We were up in Park City, Utah for a ski trip. I had brought the camera along, just because. The little cabin we were staying at was gorgeous. It was ski on, ski off. Everything about the cabin was cozy, sweet, dreamy, quiet, and so, so peaceful.
I ended up hurting my leg on the first day of skiing, pretty badly, and had to stay at the cabin the rest of the vacation. (Not complaining, that cabin was heavenly!) But, that’s a story for another day.
I was still able to limp and wobble around well enough and with everyone out skiing, I decided to pull out the camera I had brought and try to figure it out. My mom and I went for a walk around the lodge and neighborhood, taking pictures. We had so much fun… but also no clue of how to use it. We shot on manual mode the entire time and struggled to keep the images in focus.
I remember coming back to the cabin, so excited to upload the photos in the computer and edit them. However, I remember thinking… “How in the world does this work? How do I see the photos I just took?” I tried to upload them to iPhoto and then after a while of watching YouTube videos just on getting them into the computer, I finally got it! I messed with the sliders to edit the photo, no idea what each one is doing and called it good. And then put the card back in the camera. Charged the batteries. And was ready to go take more pictures!
One late afternoon right before sunset, my family decided to go walk around downtown Park City. So, I grab the camera. Popped on my new cute, sage green, winter coat, and my knee-high boots and headed out. I thought to myself, this place is a photographer’s dream. Everything was so beautiful, perfect colors, with just the right amount of snowfall on top of everything! We walked (well, I limped) past the store fronts, inside the quaint shops, bought a mug, and a coffee. And I capture everything through the camera, I felt like a pro. Even though I really had no idea how to use this thing.
All of a sudden, a sweet lady, probably in her late 20’s, with long brown hair, and a beautiful winter coat, came up and taped my shoulder. I turned and she said with a soft voice; “Hi, you’re a photographer, would you mind taking my family’s picture?”
My heart skipped a beat, the smile on my face grew twice the size. I turned to look back at my family, with nervous laughter and excitement, as I grabbed her iPhone. (Thank goodness, it wasn’t a camera, because I can work an iPhone well!) I quickly took the picture and we went our separate ways. I remember walking away, thinking I look like a photographer… She thought I was a photographer! I should be a photographer! And here we are many, many years later….
I wish I could have known, in that moment, where I would be in the next few years… That I would learn the camera so well. The excitement and passion I felt for photography has only become more and more! How crazy the journey has been and I can’t believe I am sitting here, writing a blog for my photography business. It is true what they say… Fake it, till you make it. It works. And it is a lot more fun than you would expect.
