Time Flies When You're Having Fun: Ten Years and Still Living the Dream {New Braunfels Photography}

This fall is a milestone for Lisa on Location. It's been 10 years since I ventured out on this wild ride as a self employed photographer.

I've spent the past few hours trying to dig up some files from that time period to show you. It hasn't been easy. My filing system wasn't what it is now.

But I can remember those early sessions like they were last week. Jayme had been saving up for a digital Canon Rebel and was enjoying our first digital SLR. I had been a film snob for years and refused to let go of my Canon film rebel. When I shot for newspapers back in my journalism days it was all film. I enjoyed developing in the dark room. It was almost like Christmas when I watched my images form in front of my face. Half excited to see what magnificent art I created, half nervous that I screwed it up yet again.

That digital rebel brought me answers as soon as the shutter was pressed. Like magic.

Making the switch from film to digital was easy. But making the switch from photojournalism to portrait photography was not. I soon learned that I knew very little about posing, lighting and interacting with a subject. So began my decade-long journey to today.

I'm about to show you some images from that very first session as Lisa on Location. It ain't pretty. At the time, of course, I thought it was amazing. Working with Jessica, the gorgeous subject, was so much fun and I was bursting with ideas, even if I lacked the knowledge or experience to pull it off.

She was the first of many models and clients to indulge me in my experiments with poses and lights.

Since then I dove in head first into educating myself and putting myself out there for judgement and critique. There were tears. There was frustration. There was working for pennies and sometimes for free just to get the experience. I cringe when I look back at some of my early work when I know I can do so much better now.

I'm not saying I'm finished learning. Far from it. I have so much further to go when I look at artists I admire.

I think I have at least another 10 years in my career. The first decade flew by. The second will likely go even faster. My hope is that 10 years from now I'll be able to make the same comparison in my improvement between now and then.

But for now, here it is. Lisa on Location circa 2008. Don't say I didn't warn you!



Lisa On Location Photography