how did you get into photography

13 years 4 months ago #6453 by BayouBelle
I've enjoyed taking photographs since I was very young and I was a tom-boy and nature lover to the fullest. About five years ago I put the two together and became a wildlife and nature photographer. I opened my own business and web site, www.bayoubellephotography.com . I enjoy being out there in the natural habitat of wildlife and studying their habits. During that time I usually see and capture some awesome moments that is not normally seen by many. I also enjoy photographing sunrises and sunsets and utilizing natural light in my landscapes. I sell my work at exhibits, craft shows, and art galleries, but keep it as a hobby type business and do not rely on sales for income. That way I can enjoy taking the photographs as they come and am not pressured to produce something spectacular on demand... I feel the best photographs are taken when the image is not forced or propped with unnatural things in the photograph.

I also like abstract art and I dabble in oil painting, watercolor, acrylic and sculpting too. Sometimes just getting my hands in clay and forming something from the earth's substance does wonders for my soul. Stress is relieved when I paint cause I don't have to show it to anyone and it's relaxing to me. But ultimately, photography is my first love. It's awesome to know that one photograph is so beautiful that it can make someone cry. I didn't know how to react to that emotion from this person, but felt good that I brought joy to her at that particular moment. And I sold that photograph...

~Darlene~


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13 years 3 months ago #7819 by Gump
Like many of you, I have always "owned" a camera. So it might not have been a professional camera, but it was a camera. Then my interest just shifted to wanting to get more into photography. As I get older, I guess I was looking for a new hobby!


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13 years 3 months ago - 13 years 3 months ago #7820 by FMVPhotography
From my website -

I can remember quite clearly when my interest in photography went from a passing one to an avid one. My Mother had just passed away in April 2008 and I was trying to find some good pictures for a collage board that I was making for the wake. There were hundreds of albums of holidays and events spanning back for the previous 23 years - yet it was the various drawers of loose photographs that I found the most interesting. Photographs perhaps, that hadn't passed Mums strict screening process - yet to me they captured her personality better than any posed family portrait ever could.

In one particular picture Mum was on holiday, sitting on a beach, with a cigarette hanging from her mouth (a habit that she had given up many years before) yet I suddenly had a vivid memory of a time when she did smoke and was immediately transported back there. I'm sure that she would have been horrified at the inclusion of this picture, but I loved it!

It was here that it dawned on me how incredibly important photographs can be. From helping to remember a loved one who is no longer with us to capturing that single special moment in time that may never be recreated again. Granted, many before me have had this epiphany and I'm sure many more will after me, yet following this event I suddenly felt lost without my camera within reach at all times.


I guess I didn't know the difference then, between taking a photo and making a photo - that didn't come until much later!!


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13 years 3 months ago #9058 by ArtWagner

FMVPhotography wrote: From my website -

I can remember quite clearly when my interest in photography went from a passing one to an avid one. My Mother had just passed away in April 2008 and I was trying to find some good pictures for a collage board that I was making for the wake. There were hundreds of albums of holidays and events spanning back for the previous 23 years - yet it was the various drawers of loose photographs that I found the most interesting. Photographs perhaps, that hadn't passed Mums strict screening process - yet to me they captured her personality better than any posed family portrait ever could.

In one particular picture Mum was on holiday, sitting on a beach, with a cigarette hanging from her mouth (a habit that she had given up many years before) yet I suddenly had a vivid memory of a time when she did smoke and was immediately transported back there. I'm sure that she would have been horrified at the inclusion of this picture, but I loved it!

It was here that it dawned on me how incredibly important photographs can be. From helping to remember a loved one who is no longer with us to capturing that single special moment in time that may never be recreated again. Granted, many before me have had this epiphany and I'm sure many more will after me, yet following this event I suddenly felt lost without my camera within reach at all times.


I guess I didn't know the difference then, between taking a photo and making a photo - that didn't come until much later!!


Well your photos speak for themselves, good thing you kept with it!


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The following user(s) said Thank You: FMVPhotography
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13 years 3 months ago #9078 by FMVPhotography
Thank you ArtWagner - I guess I don't realise how personal it is to me until someone asks.... Just a shame she couldn't have seen how far I've come - I'm sure she would have been proud :)


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13 years 3 months ago #9234 by Meggy_Meg
My new husband loves to hike all over the country and we take off every chance we get. I thought taking a camera along to capture everything new and exciting we see was a must, so I've been teaching myself for about 2 years now.


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