Here we go, the first installment of Q&A/FFT
- How/Why did you decide to become a photographer?
For me the decision wasn’t an easy one. I graduated from MTSU with a degree in Criminal Justice & a minor in Psychology with the complete intention of going to law school & becoming a prosecuting attorney. I got an internship & later a job with the local District Attorney’s office, which was a very supportive environment for attending law school, then set about saving for tuition (we were determined not to go into debt). We saved for the first year’s tuition & had a jump on the second year when I applied & was accepted. During this time I purchased my first DSLR (digital single lens reflex) to ‘take better photos’ (this was the reason my Husband would later recount over & over). As I plugged into the photography community via MeetUp & other groups I found myself getting out of bed at the crack of dawn on weekends, constantly thinking of my next photo excursion & reading every photography book I could get my hands on. It was around this time that several friends/acquaintances asked me to take photos of their families & children. While exceptionally nervous I jumped in & I can remember after my first session (which I did for free), thinking “Wow, and people get paid to do this?!”
As clients started coming from further outside my circle & I delved deeper my Hubby said one evening, “Have you considered maybe seeing where this goes?” He meant putting law school off for a while, even just a year & seeing where the photography went. At first I was very resistant to the idea. I’m a planner, I like order & security & law school provided both. But I couldn’t argue with my mother-in-law’s statement about how I ‘lit up’ when I talked about photography.
It was all I could think about. Some would say I was in love, I would have to agree.
So after much prayer & discussion with trusted friends & family, Hubby & I made the decision to put off law school & see what happened. With much trepidation I called NSL & told them they could open up my place to someone waiting; that I wouldn’t be attending. MFP was born. I was scared to death.
Hubby & I decided to divide the law school tuition in half, I could invest half of it in my photography business & we’d save the other half in case this crazy idea didn’t fly. So I researched gear, bought what I thought was essential & started spending every spare moment shooting, learning lighting, talking to clients & other photographers. I had many doubts (read: millions) but I kid you not, every. single. time. I seriously thought maybe I’d messed up, that’d I’d chose the wrong path, a new client came along. Every. Single. Time. I believe in God & choose to believe that was Him providing me with the encouragement He knew I needed.
Here I am, two years later & while I still have my days of wondering “What are you doing investing in a non-essential business in this type of economy while so much security lies just on the other side of NSL?” I know this is where I am supposed to be. It isn’t always fun or easy; running a business is HARD, it takes oodles of time & dedication & the constant desire to learn & work.
In this process I’ve learned so much about myself, my Hubby, my marriage & my family. Who knew I loved spontaneity & that taking a risk would make me feel so alive? Who knew my Hubby had such a business sense & such a fierce supportiveness? Who knew my marriage would be strengthened 10-fold through developing the team-mentality? Who knew my friends & family would be so supportive that they’d trust me with their important moments while I built a wider & wider circle of clients? Its amazing really!
Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying in any way that I’ve ‘arrived.’ I have SO much to learn & look forward to each new horizon with anticipation. There are many photographers out there with more experience & better ‘credentials’. I am completely aware of that & hope to learn from each of them. However, I challenge you to find anyone with as much desire, motivation, determination, or excitement. It can’t be done!
Anyway, thanks for reading my first installment. If you have any questions you’d like to see answered, please give me a shout in the comments or email meagan@mfisherphotography.com
And because every post is better with a photo; this one was taken a year ago, almost to the day. . . I have the same (& perhaps even greater) “Bring It” attitude as I did then!
Toodles!
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