Fake It Until You Make It?

As I sit down to reflect on my first year as a photographer, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement for what the future holds.

It feels like just yesterday that I told Jackie I was going to take my photography seriously, and followed that up with bringing my camera to one of our daughter's cheerleading competitions. I captured some great images and shared them with the owners, parents, and athletes; that was followed up with the owners of the All-Star Cheer Gym asking me if I would cover the girls to provide the parents and athletes with more "behind-the-scenes" access and professionally captured memories of the moments...

Without any experience, gear, idea on pricing, or clue as to how I would do what I'd committed to, I said, "Absolutely, I'd love to" and from there, the rest is history...

I learned how to shoot sports photography in one of the most intense environments for a photographer; I learned through trial by fire, throwing myself into the role of an All-Star cheer gym's social media content manager, photographer, and storyteller.

Imagine being a new photographer and you have 2:00-2:30 minutes to capture everything, with every part of the machine moving at once and different lights, speeds, deafening music, and very limited positions where you can set the camera up.

That was me, and I was 100% up to the task; I was willing to break rules, sneak to spots, and do what needed to be done to get my athletes the shots they deserved.

As I write this, I don't think I've ever told anyone at the gym how my photography career started with them because I carried myself as one who knows exactly what they're doing - another testament to my point that it pays to be a confident individual.

That gamble on myself, with a healthy dose of irrational self-confidence, paid off as I did figure it out, I did learn to capture those moments, and I did tell the story of that season very well, all while only using the 1.8/50mm lens that came with my camera...

I had no Zooming lenses, no lights, no flash, no understanding of editing, and no experience;

I had a vision, a natural talent, and a passion for youth sports, which, fortunately for me and the gym, was all I needed because once I got a few reps under my belt, our Cheer Program had the best content I was seeing online; better than even the colleges and programs from much larger cities.

I proved what I assumed that I could be a photographer; it's no longer just a belief but supported by a portfolio of many competitions, games, private sessions, and family photo shoots with satisfied customers...