Allow me to introduce myself...

Here I am at work. Photographing a band performing outside.

Hi there! My name is Jessy and I'm a photographer. I've decided to start writing again so here is the first of my soon-to-be once a month blog posts. The vision I have is to share tips and tricks as well as stuff about me personally. The TMI of my life if you will.

I guess the best place to start is the beginning. Photography has always been in my life some way. Playing w disposable cameras and posing My Little Ponies to get the perfect shot. Or having a fashion photoshoot with Barbie. Something about duplicating my vision using this tool has always intrigued and inspired me. High school is where I discovered the dark room. There is something soooo magical when an image appears on the paper in the developer. My teacher gave out fun assignments to help us find and understand contrast or lighting or composition. I still remember those assignments fondly. Maybe that's why I enjoy giving out similar assignments to my students. If you can make it fun and easy, it takes some of the stress away when learning such a difficult medium. The camera can be overwhelming to say the least. When I graduated high school and started working, I found myself almost always at a photo lab. Developing and printing is just as exciting for me as shooting. The lab is where my nerd really gets to shine! Color corrections and machine maintenance. It was a ADHDer's paradise. Lists and labels and so much control. Good times. I miss one hour photo spots. Maybe not during peak holiday card season, but even then it could be special. And gratifying. I'm still astounded when I think back to how many orders I could package in a day.

It took me a long time to make the decision to go to college. I wasn't great in school, or happy a lot of the time, so the idea of going back seemed like torture. In my late twenties I realized you could just go to college for art and have fun while focusing on things you actually want to learn about. That concept was completely foreign to me. I found a place that felt like home in NYC and that was it. Four years later, BFA w honors.

Long story longer, once I had my degree I focused more on studio work. Portraits and products. Still is my focus really. Just add in events and that pretty much describes my business now.

I definitely left out some bits and pieces but that's a pretty good start in describing the beginning and how I fell in love with photography.

Now let me see... Hmmm.... I mentioned tips and tricks before, didn't I? Ok. Some helpful advice when taking pictures. Oh, I know! Don't edit or cull while shooting. Just focus on the moment/event/subject. Don't worry about deleting while in that moment. Besides the fact that it pulls you into a different head space, you should use a bigger screen to see images when you're working on them. Wait till you get home and upload them. Then you can go through and remove what didn't work or was out of focus. Thats my recommendation.

See you next month with more ramblings and advice. Maybe an assignment for fun too? Is there a way to put images in the comment section? Is there a comment section? This could be fun. Anyway, stay out of trouble!