Hey all!
As I may have mentioned, I've been taking an online business class called Indie Biz 2.0. Through this class I've met so many awesome, lovely and talented ladies! I feel like it would be selfish of me to keep them all to myself, hence my new feature: Meet My Peeps Monday! Each Monday, I'm going to feature a new, bright and shiny person for you all to check out. This week's feature is on Katie Joy Photography. Now it's back to my sewing machine to get ready for the update tomorrow! :)
xo,
Meaghan @ Urban Farm DesignsWhen I was too young to have my own camera, I would sneak away with my parents' camera to snap some pictures in the middle of their roll of birthday celebrations, family gatherings, or school choir performances. I'm sure I asked for my own camera close to 1 X 10^6 times before my parents finally relented. Christmas stockings brought me cameras on more than one occasion. The first time, I was in elementary school (2nd grade is my best guess). As it is with little kids, I laid in bed (or, i would have if i was the obedient type) with eyes wide open, imagining all of the toys and gifts just
sitting under the Christmas tree,
waiting to be opened! Little did I know there was a Crayola Flash 110 camera waiting for me!
(Crayola Flash 110)
I mostly remember the flash being tricky, if i slapped the camera down on the palm of my hand, the flash would go off. This was often used to momentarily blind friends and family. After a while, I must have damaged some of the connections inside the camera, because the flash stopped working. One of the only photographs that I remember capturing with this camera (post flash damage) was a picture of my then-best-friend Hanna. Unfortunately, at that time, I didn't know that inside a classroom, with Hanna standing in front of a bright window would create an almost unrecognizable picture of my best bud. The next camera that I found in my stocking was the Jazz Jellies 207 camera (I had the blue, Rachel had the purple)!
(Jazz Jellies 207)
This little camera was amazing. It had a (working) flash, a front panel that would slide over the lens for protection, and a...wait for it...
panoramic mode! Oh my goodness! This camera went with me nearly everywhere. Going to Nana and Papa's house? Yep, it was in my backpack'o'entertainment. Going to the store? Why not? It was probably in my pocket, or if mom wasn't feeling up to it, we were told to leave the cameras in the car. Pretty much anywhere I went, I carried this little gem around with me. It was also with this camera that I captured the first
picture (girl jumping in front of the sunset) that I still believe is one of my favorite works. Once I got to high school, and began taking photography classes my sophomore year, I used several Pentax and Minolta cameras, though none of them
felt right in my hands. My neighbor Sindy had a Canon AE-1 Program, which I quickly became attached to after the first time I borrowed it for a photography assignment, so much so that it spent most of it's time at my house instead of Sindy's. She quickly recognized my attachment, and the camera and a few lenses were presents for my 18th birthday.
(Canon AE-1 Program)
The Canon has been my primary camera for the last 4+ years. I have even had the wonderful fortune of having another photo enthusiast,
Dan, as a neighbor. Dan built a darkroom in his basement and allowed me to use it for my final assignment for an Advanced Photography class. Photography continued to be an expressive outlet for me, even once I had passed all available photography classes offered by the high school. My senior year, I took an Art Studio class and and received enormous amounts of encouragement from my teacher Susan Cole to explore Graphic Design as an outlet for my photography and other
creative ideas. Since high school, I have spent more and more time taking pictures of my friends and family, my favorite places and anything that has been able to catch my attention.
Lately, I've been finding as much material as I can get my hands on about beginning a photography business. In the last few months, I've made portraits of friends, and I even had an opportunity to photograph a small wedding. I learned about this opportunity one week before the ceremony. No one would rent me a camera because I didn't have $1000+ in my account to use as collateral, and I couldn't find an online rental place that could get me a camera soon enough, so I ended up buying a Nikon D90 and two prime lenses (50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8, if you speak camera) from Amazon.
(NIKON D90 camera body)
(NIKON 85mm 1.8D AF NIKKOR lens)
(NIKON 50mm 1.4D AF NIKKOR lens)
(My new DSLR has been such a source of inspiration! I've been able to capture such amazing pictures that weren't possible with the limited settings of my point and shoot.)
(NIKON Coolpix S550 point and shoot)
I'm learning all of this business stuff slowly, but surely. I know mistakes and stumbles are inevitable, but I still don't feel like I'm ready to step over the edge and see where it takes me. Most recently, the Indie Business 2.0 class has given me loads of information to work with, and has provided me with a bunch of new, crafty friends! If you're interested in reading more about my photography and my inspiration, check out my blog and portfolio at katiejoyphoto.wordpress.com, or contact me through email at katiejoyphoto@gmail.com!
XO Kate
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