Most artists that are passionate about photography can easily indicate the pivotal moment in which their passion for capturing life sparked. My journey to this point has always been an ember. I could not, even at gun point remember a time in my life where I wasn't trying to capture life's fleeting moments with the help of any camera I could get my sticky, yet passionate hands on. The earliest vivid memory I have of a camera was on a family vacation in 1999. Aboard the Horizon, a Celebrity Cruise Ship, my grandfather Harley and I met a lovely gentleman who happened to be a stereotype personified. A lifelong New Jersey resident with deep Italian roots accented with thick gold chains and of chest hair poking out of a button down shirt that desperately needed two if not three more buttons utilized. In a concerted effort to flaunt his wealth, he had purchased in a South American vending machine a digital camera. Bear in mind this was 1999, a New Year's cruise into the new millennium, and despite the fact that digital cameras were invented in 1975, mass production did not occur until 1986 when Nikon released their first digital single lens reflex (DLSR) camera. It wasn't until the mid-to-late 1990's that digital cameras were widely available, yet massively expensive.
But I digress, Mr. Jersey Gold-Chain, introduced us to our very first digital camera. Once he realized that we had never had any experience in the world of digital cameras, he immediately began showing off all the features and explaining that there was no film, but rather a tiny computer that not only took the pictures but stored them on an impossibly small (not by today’s standards) microchip. He then proceeded to show us how you could INSTANTLY view the pictures you had taken on the itty-bitty screen. As a child that had primarily grown up in Wyoming, a state that has always suffered a technological delay, this was mind blowing, captivating, life-altering & I knew I had to have one. Not in the way you want an ice cream cone or your sister to leave you alone but rather the desperate need that starts with a little yearning in the bottom of your soul and blossoms into a desperate desire that consumes you.
My grandfather on the other hand was horrified. Not because he wasn't equally as captivated by the instant viewing ability, or the idea that a magical computer that could take pictures, but rather the notion that with two presses of the trash can button pictures could disappear forever. You see, Harley believed that there was true beauty in all captured memories. Even the blurry, less than perfect, awkward, sloppy moments were cherished by him. He lovingly wrote on the back of every single picture he developed and saved them for a rainy day when a smile of memories past was needed. So for Mr. Jersey Gold-Chain to nonchalantly delete an unflattering photo of his wife and lose that moment of happiness, regardless of how unflattering it may have been devastated my grandfather. He commented that it would be the downfall of photography. I did not fully grasp the gravity of that moment and why he was so upset until years later.
It took me two years of begging, pleading, and cohersion to convince my grandparents that I seriously needed a digital camera with every fiber of my being. Fuji FinePix 2600z, with a 256 MB memory card (which held 250- 2 megapixel images), impossibly good zoom (3X Optical Zoom with 2.5X Digital Zoom), an auto lens cover, Auto plus 6 manual selectable White Balance modes, Optical Range Finder with a 1.8 inch LCD Monitor, and an outstanding 4 modes Flash System (Auto, Red-Reduction, Forced, Off). I remember silently crying tears of elation in the Target parking lot moments after my grandparents had purchased my first digital camera. Unfortunately, it was a Christmas present, and it was a black Friday purchase so the elusive Fujifilm was wrapped and hidden in an unknown closet and placed under the Christmas Tree roughly a month later. But, oh boy, Christmas morning 2001 was the very best day I had lived thus far.
Looking back on the portfolio of my earliest work fills me with a sense of humility. I. Was. Terrible. But, my family was ever supportive of my efforts. My grandfather printed photo after photo. We joked that the Cody WalMart was able to upgrade to their new location because of the sheer amount of prints Grandpa Harley ordered for me. He showed me how to write on them, organize them, justify keeping the awful ones, and most importantly be proud of the mark I was leaving with my work. Pretty big lessons to teach a 11 year-old.
In High School I joined the Newspaper and the Yearbook my Junior year and by my Senior year I was Photo Editor and honored with the Wyoming State Photographers Award. And in preparing for college I received a couple photography scholarships. However, I did not go to college for photography because I let my fear of the world stealing my passion intimidate me. I instead, pursued my passion for people with an Associates degree from Northwest College, in Psychology. I went on to attempt online schooling with Eastern Oregon University to finish out my Bachelors Degree, but Between life and the immaturity of EOU's online program I quit after 4 terms. Unsatisfied with my ability to excel in an online program I spent a few years managing various food establishments, and even had a brief stint at a call center. When I found myself employed as a Shift Supervisor with Starbucks I enrolled in their tuition reimbursement program and finished out my bachelors degree in Psychology.
2.5 months later I gave birth to my daughter. Now, I had a new best day ever and I named my daughter Harley Jo. Harley after the greatest man I had ever known. And Jo after Me, My Mother, My Grandmother and My Great-Grandmother Josephine. That day innumerably changed me, as does that day any woman becomes a mother. I found myself drawn again to photography. I took a disgusting amount of pictures of the worlds most perfect baby, on drives meant to put her to sleep, I saved my sanity with frequent landscape photo stops, with Maine as my canvas I recaptured my first love while putting my second great love to sleep.
And now, while facing a new chapter in my life, I am extremely excited to begin offering my unique ability to capture the most intimate, gritty, beautiful, captivating moments life has to offer through Bright Acres Photography. Let me know how I can preserve today for your tomorrow.
But I digress, Mr. Jersey Gold-Chain, introduced us to our very first digital camera. Once he realized that we had never had any experience in the world of digital cameras, he immediately began showing off all the features and explaining that there was no film, but rather a tiny computer that not only took the pictures but stored them on an impossibly small (not by today’s standards) microchip. He then proceeded to show us how you could INSTANTLY view the pictures you had taken on the itty-bitty screen. As a child that had primarily grown up in Wyoming, a state that has always suffered a technological delay, this was mind blowing, captivating, life-altering & I knew I had to have one. Not in the way you want an ice cream cone or your sister to leave you alone but rather the desperate need that starts with a little yearning in the bottom of your soul and blossoms into a desperate desire that consumes you.
My grandfather on the other hand was horrified. Not because he wasn't equally as captivated by the instant viewing ability, or the idea that a magical computer that could take pictures, but rather the notion that with two presses of the trash can button pictures could disappear forever. You see, Harley believed that there was true beauty in all captured memories. Even the blurry, less than perfect, awkward, sloppy moments were cherished by him. He lovingly wrote on the back of every single picture he developed and saved them for a rainy day when a smile of memories past was needed. So for Mr. Jersey Gold-Chain to nonchalantly delete an unflattering photo of his wife and lose that moment of happiness, regardless of how unflattering it may have been devastated my grandfather. He commented that it would be the downfall of photography. I did not fully grasp the gravity of that moment and why he was so upset until years later.
It took me two years of begging, pleading, and cohersion to convince my grandparents that I seriously needed a digital camera with every fiber of my being. Fuji FinePix 2600z, with a 256 MB memory card (which held 250- 2 megapixel images), impossibly good zoom (3X Optical Zoom with 2.5X Digital Zoom), an auto lens cover, Auto plus 6 manual selectable White Balance modes, Optical Range Finder with a 1.8 inch LCD Monitor, and an outstanding 4 modes Flash System (Auto, Red-Reduction, Forced, Off). I remember silently crying tears of elation in the Target parking lot moments after my grandparents had purchased my first digital camera. Unfortunately, it was a Christmas present, and it was a black Friday purchase so the elusive Fujifilm was wrapped and hidden in an unknown closet and placed under the Christmas Tree roughly a month later. But, oh boy, Christmas morning 2001 was the very best day I had lived thus far.
Looking back on the portfolio of my earliest work fills me with a sense of humility. I. Was. Terrible. But, my family was ever supportive of my efforts. My grandfather printed photo after photo. We joked that the Cody WalMart was able to upgrade to their new location because of the sheer amount of prints Grandpa Harley ordered for me. He showed me how to write on them, organize them, justify keeping the awful ones, and most importantly be proud of the mark I was leaving with my work. Pretty big lessons to teach a 11 year-old.
In High School I joined the Newspaper and the Yearbook my Junior year and by my Senior year I was Photo Editor and honored with the Wyoming State Photographers Award. And in preparing for college I received a couple photography scholarships. However, I did not go to college for photography because I let my fear of the world stealing my passion intimidate me. I instead, pursued my passion for people with an Associates degree from Northwest College, in Psychology. I went on to attempt online schooling with Eastern Oregon University to finish out my Bachelors Degree, but Between life and the immaturity of EOU's online program I quit after 4 terms. Unsatisfied with my ability to excel in an online program I spent a few years managing various food establishments, and even had a brief stint at a call center. When I found myself employed as a Shift Supervisor with Starbucks I enrolled in their tuition reimbursement program and finished out my bachelors degree in Psychology.
2.5 months later I gave birth to my daughter. Now, I had a new best day ever and I named my daughter Harley Jo. Harley after the greatest man I had ever known. And Jo after Me, My Mother, My Grandmother and My Great-Grandmother Josephine. That day innumerably changed me, as does that day any woman becomes a mother. I found myself drawn again to photography. I took a disgusting amount of pictures of the worlds most perfect baby, on drives meant to put her to sleep, I saved my sanity with frequent landscape photo stops, with Maine as my canvas I recaptured my first love while putting my second great love to sleep.
And now, while facing a new chapter in my life, I am extremely excited to begin offering my unique ability to capture the most intimate, gritty, beautiful, captivating moments life has to offer through Bright Acres Photography. Let me know how I can preserve today for your tomorrow.