FLIPPING THE SWITCH

Many believe photographers to be extroverts, and seeing many of us in action, you’d believe that’s just how all of us are all day long. In the case of many, I am sure that is the case, but believe it or not I am the notebook description of what an introvert is. So how do I flip the switch?

Photography is my passion, it’s what I love to do, and aside from my kids, photography is simply what brings life to me. Seeing me out in public on my own, or with friends, you can completely spot the quiet one in the group, often the shy one that doesn’t talk much. But, put a camera on my hands, and suddenly you get a completely different person. I start seeing the world not for what it is, but what it could be. This is where the switch happens.

PHOTOGRAPHY MODE ON

So what is it like to be an introvert? Easiest way to describe it is by the picture above. I tend to be content on my own and find peace and comfort in quiet places where my thoughts don’t have to be too loud to overpower the chaos the world brings. True story, I once showed this collection of photos I did of myself over the weened to some friends of mine and they ended up feeling sorry for me for being by myself over the weekend, little did they know it was just the perfect weekend! A little fact about myself, I am a pretty good cook and can keep a good conversation going in my head all day long. So hey, I am pretty good company!

My brain goes full speed all day, so having an outlet to let my mind express itself is just how I am able to get out of my shell and become that photographer that we all picture in our minds. Once this switch happens, well, my focus switches from the million different topics that run through my head all day, to seeing exactly what I want to capture.

ON/OFF. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

As I mentioned before, it’s just how we as photographers see the world. We look at the possibilities, the different compositions, the possible editing styles, lighting, camera settings, lenses, angles, and simply just think of how we can make that current scene our very own. Mentally flipping the switch into photography mode is a challenge and I have to be careful about when I decide to make that switch. Do it too soon and my brain cannot stop thinking about the shoot, do it too late and I’ll be stressing endlessly and lose sleep over the shoot. So when does the switch happen?

For me, this usually happens between 5-7 days before any shoot. I start thinking of the location, weather, equipment, atmosphere, and many other things which literally won’t leave my head until the shoot is done. But then just as I think it is time to relax, the real challenge begins. Editing!

Photography mode is still on at this point, and going picture by picture, my brain starts collecting the emotions and remembering exactly what I wanted to capture right at that very moment. This is a lengthy and mentally exhausting process, since my OCD kicks in and makes me go through every picture individually to determine whether or not the picture is edit worthy. This is why my clients usually end up with many more pictures than what I initially agree to. To put it into numbers, I usually end up delivering about 20% of pictures taken. You can thank my OCD for that!

TURNING IT OFF…

Once I deliver the digital gallery, then it’s time to decompress. I’ve mentioned this before, but I DO NOT do bulk editing. I want each image to have its own personality, so to do this I have to go one by one. This is the main reason I do not book many appointments on the same week, and depending on the size job, at times I might only do 1 or 2 a month. This allows me to give every shoot my 100% and deliver the best possible gallery of photos to my clients.

Photography has Inspired me to be and do better, to be more creative, to look outside the box, and truly bring me out of my introvert shell to bring light into my life and others through my photography. So now what? This Fall and holiday season try my services out and see if I don’t delver just that! Cause you know what? That’s Inspired Photography.