My Photography Journey
This is a blog post I have tried to create at least three times over the last few years, but I always end up abandoning for one reason or another. Mostly, I think, I feel I cannot do justice to the journey itself. How do you accurately reflect on two decades of learning and experimenting? Still, I think it’s a valuable thing to do and I hope it maybe inspires some budding photographers or hits a chord with those of you who have traveled a similar road.
While my journey is by no means over, I think it is important to reflect and see how far I have come. I hope to bring you all along on the many different phases of experimentation and learning and hope you enjoy it!
**This is going to be a long post so apologies ahead of time! It has been a long road and I have lots to share!**Let’s Begin…
I will start by saying that I HONESTLY cannot remember a time that I wasn’t doing photography. Take the following picture for instance. I could only have been…somewhere between 3-5 years old. Truly, it only grew from there. I have documents from when I could barely write or spell and whenever it said “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, it always said: photographer. From then on you could pretty much always find me with camera in hand (or more than one, which still isn’t uncommon today).
Started on Film…
I had the beautiful benefit of starting out on film cameras. Most of what I photographed was nature, and classmates. I know many of the rolls I shot never got developed because why spend the money developing 36 shots of mushrooms? But I love looking back on what I do have from my early film days because I have such distinct memories of actively trying to get good shots and “artsy” shots. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Please do check out the Clifford Beanie Baby in front of the Manger shot and the beer bottle wall - I can remember very distinctly being quite proud of these images.
The Early Digital Years…
I moved to more intermediate digital cameras like the Kodak EasyShare CX7330, but I don’t have too many images from those days. Here are two I did manage to keep and that I 100% remember taking. Particularly the butterfly. That was one I was extremely proud of and thought was very impressive. The champagne I just thought was so ~artsy~ (also peep that date stamp - 2006! 15 whole years ago)
Middle School Years and the Early 2000’s…
I started really testing out my “people” shooting in middle school. I went to a very “artsy” school and so I felt open and free to really start exploring a lot more photography. Here are a few images I remember being very proud of from that time period. I’m not going to post anything with anyone that is easily identifiable just out of respect for those people and the fact that we were kids!
Do notice I still was just shooting and keeping the “raw” images. That is to say that I wasn’t yet into editing or hadn’t yet learned any editing skills.
Early Photoshop Days…
Eventually, I was lucky enough to have my parents put me in a Photoshop course one summer at school. It was more of a camp than a class, but that’s where I started learning how to use Photoshop. Photoshop didn’t have as many bells and whistles back then, but the basics remain the same. We didn’t do anything very advanced - it was very much an introductory course, but it allowed me to begin experimenting with editing and seeing what was possible with the technology.
I will say that most of what I was doing was just messing with the basic filters offered in Photoshop, but at the time I thought these were SUCH talent. I do have to say one of my least favorite things to see ever these days is the all black and white image except for one part. A lot of people like that, but it’s just not the vibe for me. Still, I did try it once upon a time.
In-camera Monochrome Mania…
Then, for a while, I became extremely obsessed with shooting in the monochromatic modes on the camera itself. Particularly black and white. I just thought it basically did the editing for me. Black and white can hide a lot, and while I love black and white photography I was using this as a crutch to hide lack of skill.
Candid Camera…
Throughout my photography journey I photographed everything I could, but I started to realize people were my preference. So, I got extremely good at photographing random strangers and capturing people at a distance, which is why I really tend to like that “candid” photo style. It’s much better when people don’t know you’re there. Then you can capture reality. If you want to photograph people, but are not confident enough yet or don’t have anyone to ask to be a model, this is a good route to take - JUST DON’T BE CREEPY.
Starting high school…
At 16, I became “director of photography” for a summer day camp. It was a big ask of a 16 year old, but it was incredibly good practice and allowed me to learn about client requests. I also was able to get published to the front page of a local paper! I’m going to skip sharing any photos from this just to protect children and counselors. This is also when I feel I really came a “professional” photographer! If you get paid - you’re a professional.
My first year in high school, I started trying to photograph more people and do much more “serious” photography. I would say this is when I really started developing a website and trying to figure out how to do “shoots”.
Sophomore year…
I moved schools sophomore year of high school and since I became the new kid among people who had gone to school together since they were babies, photography was how I related to people and made myself useful. I also was able to take my first photography class. I don’t know that photography classes are necessarily that helpful ultimately, but I liked having a teacher that pushed and encouraged me and I probably did more shooting 10th-12th grade than I ever had.
First Modeling Session…
I remember saying there was someone in school who I really wanted to take photos of but I had never ever asked someone to model for me before and I was truly terrified to do it. I didn’t know how someone would react. My photography teacher really pushed me to just DO IT and finally (it did take about 2 weeks) I got up the courage to ask her if she would be willing to model for me. She said yes! I was so proud because it was the first real photoshoot I felt I was doing.
365 Project…
It’s always good to push yourself, and I’m so glad I finally worked up the courage to ask her to model for me. The other project I worked on in high school was a 365 project. This is something I did right when I first decided I wanted to do photography more seriously. I wanted to challenge myself by doing a 365 project. If you don’t know what that is, a 365 Project is a photography project where you take 1 photo each day for a year on a subject of your choosing and share it with the world. This forced me EVERY DAY to pick up my camera and take a picture of SOMETHING. I always tried to make it interesting even on days I was feeling lazy and unmotivated or uninspired. I also pushed myself to try lots of different things ‑ various lenses, subject matter, editing style, anything I could to see what I could do with photography and what I really loved.
I absolutely would say this contributed to a significant period in my growth as a photographer and would be the #1 thing I recommend for anyone starting out. Plus, I can tell you everyone really enjoyed seeing what I was going to take a photo of and share with the world that day! People came to look forward to it every day and that was special.
If 365 days is too ambitious for you ‑ try a 52 week project instead. Instead of taking a photo every day of the year this will allow you to instead keep it to a photo a week!
Off to College…
Once I went to college I truly tried to brand myself as a “professional” “hire-able” photographer. I also studied Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design in undergrad, which I chose because I couldn’t decide what else I wanted to do and I knew I would be able to do lots of photography. I did take two photography courses in college, but they were…awful. The teacher was not good and I honestly learned almost nothing. I did spend my college years doing lots of shoots for others for their various fashion projects (I now love bringing other peoples’ visions to life!! I love creating with others), and working on some projects of my own. I enjoyed a greater range of freedom to explore. I also basically moved to photographing people exclusively, because by now I was well aware that was my passion.
This is when I started my Halloween shoots (which I try to do once a year) and where I really learned more about “client” interaction and gallery delivery, etc.
Even though I had been shooting for at least a decade by this point, you can see I still had a lot to learn!
Law School…?
After college I worked for about two years and then decided to go to law school. During this time I pretty much gave up on photography. I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t want to do it and that it was unrealistic to pursuit it in an adult world where bills have to be paid and it isn’t really my “job”.
However, about a year into law school I just decided HECK NO. If I give up now I’m never going to get back into it and the thing I love most in life will be gone. So I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and went full steam ahead. I ended up spending much more time deeply involved with photography and learning new technique, equipment, how to advertise, how to book clients, how to create a website, etc. than I did on law school (don’t worry I am a barred lawyer and I graduated cum laude).
Honestly, having the creative outlet was a blessing. I definitely got better, but since I was only shooting once or twice every few months in between school, I still felt…horrified and nervous every time I went to do a new shoot. I would liken it to maybe riding a bike or roller blading. If you haven’t done it for a while there is always that voice in the back of your mind whispering, '“what if I’ve forgotten how?!”
Despite copious amounts of self-doubt personally and professionally I persevered, and used the time when I wasn’t shooting to try and educate myself on all the other aspects of running a photography business.
Broken Elbow + Broken Hand…
In my second year of law school, I had the misfortune of falling and breaking my elbow and hand quite badly. Two and a half surgeries and a lot of crying later, I once again thought my photography career was over.
I could barely bend or extend my left arm, and unfortunately, cameras are heavy and next to impossible to balance using only one hand. How could I get crisp shots if I literally had only one arm with which to do it? I think I cried more over that than anything else. I didn’t want the choice to be taken away from me again. I had already made the decision once that I wasn’t going to let photography go no matter what, but this time it looked like it might be beyond me.
It was a long road of recovery and I’ll never have a perfectly normal arm again, but I’ve learned to get by. It has been an amazing experience to see what the human body is capable of doing!
I don’t tell this story because I want sympathy of any kind, but it has been a huge part of my journey over the past two years and has shown me that truly, where there is a will - there is a way. I’ll never give up on this, and as I once told another photographer friend of mine, “I’m pretty sure if I can’t do photography, I’ll simply shrivel up and die”.
As soon as I felt like I could, I went out and did a session again. My BFF was kind enough to be my model for the day and as soon as I saw I could do it again, it was off to the races. I did have to do a lot of coping for a year and still worried about if I should continue taking on clients, but ultimately I think it has made me a better person and a better photographer!
Today…
Which, I suppose, brings us to today!
In 2021 I knew I would be out of law school and thus I wanted to set myself a photography goal for the year to try and help myself grow again (see? the growing never stops!). The goal I set for myself was: aim to have a photoshoot a week. That way I could tackle the feelings of “what if I’ve forgotten how to do this?” plus, it would almost guarantee I could stay involved in photography the whole year. I also just really wanted to start connecting with more creatives. Other photographers, models, artists and anyone who wants to connect!
Of all the things I feel I have struggled with most over the years, it would most certainly be my editing style. I have always been envious of people who have a consistent editing style. It has always seemed like magic to me. I have consistently tended to edit my shoots based on the colors and how I felt at the time - making them all different!
I feel as if I have finally settled on a style that is my own, and I think I can attribute that to already just the first few months of fulfilling my goal for 2021 of a shoot a week.
Overall, I wouldn’t change this journey I’ve been on for anything and I truly can’t wait to see where the next 20 years take me.
Thank you so much for coming along on this (admittedly way too long) blog post with me!
Please feel free to ask any questions!! I’m an open book.
xoxo
Shannon Coen
