1,090 photos and almost 32gb later...

I'm making it one of my goals this summer to blog more often and so...

Beginning on June 5th and ending on June 10th, I had five photoshoots for graduation. A total of 1,090 photos captured over the span of a week, which basically maxed out my 32gb memory card. I would sit at my desk and stare at my laptop screen for hours and hours, choosing which photos would move to the "okay" pile and which to immediately discard. Once the first pile of photos was chosen, I would go through another round and make my final selections. It was exhausting.

The majority of people around me would say things like... "send me the pictures unedited!" "you don't need to edit them!" "send me all the pictures, even if it's bad!!". I have always held myself to a higher standard and would rather tire myself out and edit the photos rather than send people unfinished and sloppy work.

Pictures captured on DSLR's in RAW format are supposed to look like pure sh*t if you view them unedited. Capturing a photo on a camera is the first step, the second is to edit it. I remember reading an article online and they gave an analogy saying something like, "You go to the store to buy groceries to make a meal, but once you go home you don't eat the ingredients off the bat. You need to prepare the food and cook it before it is actually ready to be consumed". It is the same thing with photography. Editing is part of the process, and if you are intending to become an amateur or professional photographer you need to just do it!

Though I may have spent more time than I should have post processing all the photos, I have to say that it has been a great learning experience. A quote that has always stuck with me is, "What we learn to do, we learn by doing". I have always been scared and unconfident in my abilities to take pictures, which has led to months of me just not even touching my camera. What this week has taught me is that the more I get out there and shoot, the more I am able to learn and improve. I mean we all need to start somewhere right? 

"What we learn to do, we learn by doing"
 - Thomas Jefferson

And so! I will continue on with my journey to become a better "photographer" and hopefully, one day I will be able to call myself one.