Photo Editing

     Over the weekend I was at a birthday party taking pictures.  The birthday girl turned 1! Her family and my family have known each other for as long as I can remember.  My nephew was invited to her party and when he showed up he saw the balloons which he immediately called 'balls' in his cute adorable voice.  For my nephew anything that is round is a ball (balloon, pumpkins, etc.) and that means he can throw/toss it.  I saw this opportunity to photograph the birthday girl coming towards me and her new toy (which of course I thought I had gotten), but when I looked through the pictures while uploading them there was a pink balloon in the way which my nephew had put in front of her face (by accident).  Of course, to me that is both hilarious and sad at the same time.  Today, we know that all to well as photobombs.  I for one can not blame any one year old for ruining a photograph, because they are so young.  Their eyes are so sensitive and they do not like the sun shining on them (but then again who does).

     As a photographer, I am learning yes I do take a tons of pictures when I am at an event which is a good and bad thing.  It is a good thing, because when your nephew shows up you think 'Oh my goodness look how cute he is playing with the balloons,' and you have to remember I am here on a job taking pictures of someone else not who I want to photograph.  It is a bad thing, because when you begin editing them there are a ton to narrow down.  But at least I will have enough to choose from and hopefully make the clients happy and want to use me again.
     Here are a few more pictures from the birthday party that capture the birthday girl.  I am so glad that I was there to capture the event for the family.

  

Thank you for reading my blog and do not forget to keep checking out my Facebook page, Twitter page, Instagram, and my website for more news on what I am doing.  

Bravery

     When those birthdays where you turn life changing ages such as 13, 18, 21, 25 and so on come along I feel like you begin realizing everything that you have ever done with your life.  That is at least what I have been doing.  It started when I was on Facebook and friends would post things from Buzzfeed or ThoughtCatalog.  After reading the posts for a few months, I began to realize how this was not helping me in any way.  Instead, I emailed and asked people who I respected what they wish they had done or known by 25.  I have received a lot of good feedback and I have started doing some of the advice.

     The thing is I am realizing that I need to be able to take and accept advice for my business; realize when I might need help; and everyday is a learning process.  I am glad that I started this business Allie Ray Photography because I have this rare opportunity to show people the way I like to print my photography on different mediums.  People have asked me what is it like to run your own business and that is a tough question to answer.  The thing is I am different from what you might think an artist might be like.  I am very organized.  I have a certain way to do things and when something is out of place I can tell.  This is good when you run your own business.
     Another thing I have begun realizing is that you have to be brave.  Brave has several different meanings, but when I think about brave I think about putting my artwork out there for people to see.  People will begin to criticize your work in good and bad ways, which you have to remember to put one foot in front of the other to keep doing what you love.  I might want to go travel to find the right photograph for what I think people will like.  In order for me to keep my dream going I have been digging deep inside myself for courage, bravery, and everything in between.  So, to all you potential dreamers out there never give up on your dream.

"Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." ~Elliott Erwitt

Follow on Facebook and Instagram for more pictures and posts!