There is a lot of competition here in Mesa, Arizona, for family photographers, and that can be a hard hurdle to jump for a new and still-learning photographer. One of my biggest reasons for starting to blog again was to chronicle my journey to learning how to be a photographer. I think part of that is being transparent in my work and showing my friends, family, and clients what I've learned and how I'm growing.
One of the hardest things for me starting out was finding my editing style. I researched and watched so many youtube videos. I looked at 50 billion different photographers' Instagram accounts. I asked my friends what they thought. I compared and contrasted. I thought I wanted one thing, and started trying to do that. Then I changed my mind. And changed it again.
So, since I'm being transparent, I'm going to admit to you that I spent way too much time last night re-editing a session that I did months ago. Actually, it's the maternity session that I posted in my previous post. As you'll see in the before and after, I was toying around with the dark and moody editing style that is popular right now, but hadn't quite figured it out.
In the second one, however, you'll see that I've started leaning toward light, bright photography (the total opposite of what I thought I liked!).
Even though I still like the first one, I love the second one. When I look at the second one, I think, "that light!" I have always been a lover of natural, backlit light in photography. In a way, I feel like the shadows in the background of the first picture take away from the beauty of the couple, and the couple should be the focus of family photography!
I have also finally embraced the fact that I am an Arizona photographer, so flat, open spaces with lots of light are my territory. And that's just how I like it.