I Finally Know!

Over the past 5 years I've changed my mind on what I wanted to major in 3 times. I started out as a Secondary Music Education Major. Then, switched to English with an emphasis in Writing, stuck with that for 2 years & then started taking classes in addition to my English major for a Surgical Tech program at Washburn Tech. I like all those areas. Music has always been important to me, but I don't want to teach it or perform for a profession. I'd love to be an editor for books, but that's not realistic for me as a mom and a wife- which are the most important roles to me. Surgical Tech would be doable one day, when the kids are grown, but not a right now thing.

I've always loved photography but was afraid to pursue it as a profession for some reason. When I was leaving high school & going into college, it seemed like thats what everyone did who didn't know what they wanted so I guess I just shied away. Plus, it seemed like everyone & their dog were buying big expensive cameras & deeming themselves as a professional photographer. I didn't really want to follow that trend. But, for Christmas, Nathan bought me my first DSLR, & I started to look into photography more seriously. I love it. LOVE IT. Nathan & I have been talking a lot about what we're going to do when we leave Germany since he's planning on getting out of the Army. Nathan has always known that he wants to be a helicopter pilot, so that's what he's going to do. I've always wanted to be a wife & a mother, which I am now, but education is important & getting a bachelors in something that I actually love has been a goal of mine. We decided that me finishing out my bachelor's in photography would be something beneficial to us as a family because I can contribute some financially, which is important to ME, not him. AND, it's something that I have a great interest & passion for.

I've really been thinking a lot & doing my research since December on how to go about opening up a business AFTER I finish my degree. (side rant) I fully believe that if you're going to charge people money, you'd better have some kind of training, not necessarily a degree, but classes at the VERY least. Anyone can buy a DSLR & edit it in iPhoto. That doesn't make you a professional photographer. In my opinion, it's a low to charge people money for photos that they could've achieved on their own. I understand that everyone starts somewhere, but if you're going to call yourself a professional, I think professional tools, editing programs, etc are mandatory. Anyway, no offense meant to anyone out there, those are just my personal thoughts on ethics for a business. (I've been searching for a birth photographer in the area for this upcoming delivery & the ladies who call themselves "professionals" are just a little pathetic, so it's irritating to say the least.)

I want to have a specialty as well. As much fun as it would be to be the photographer who captures it all, I'm obsessed with birth & newborn photography. I could look at it all day long. I think its such a magnificent experience, to witness a life coming into the world & to be able to capture all those precious moments for someone, THAT is what I want to do. So, when we get back to the states & finish out my bachelors in photography & can finally start venturing down the opening my own business avenue, I know that I will specialize in Birth & Newborn Photography & I am SO EXCITED to finally know what I want to do! It's something that is doable with having a family & I can still be a mother & wife FIRST.

It's great to be excited about the future =) In the mean time, I'm enjoying do my own research & learning in the time & with the resources that are available to me now. And, of course I'm having fun shooting photos of John & the beautiful country that we happen to be living in currently.