Always Learning

Once you start photography you begin learning about other photographers.  It has now been a year since I have graduated college and while in college I learned about the history of photography.  I learned about the well known photographers, but now as I have started my own business I have begun learning about the competition or the other photographers in the area.  Everyone of them has strengths and weaknesses.  Like every new business owner you always want to hold your head high and just learn everything you can.  Practice as much as you can, so that is why I bring my camera with me everywhere I go.  I might just be going to the beach to get some sun or on a hike with the family, but you never know what might just be something that you can sell.  All I can say for now is never stop learning.

Starting a New Business

One thing I never thought I would do right when I graduated college was start my own business.  I do enjoy every part of it, but it has taught me a lot about myself as a person.  I have learned I need to step out of the shell I am hiding underneath and say, 'Hey guess what world I started a business!'  Meaning I need to be willing to talk about myself and what I am doing.  Growing up as this shy girl means I have to be willing to step up and talk to these people who are friends of mine and tell them what I do.  Now, what exactly do I do?  Great question.  I do multi-media art work using my photography.  I make digital skins and when I showed my mom what they looked like she said, 'they look like saran wrap.'  I put gold leaf or silver leaf on wood blocks and when I put the digital skin on top of the wood block I sometimes feel it gives the photograph an antique look.  Since starting my business I have some of my pieces that I do multiple images of at Seibels a local store where I live and I also have doing custom work.  I even have been taking photographs of houses for real estate agencies to give as gifts.  Not only am I enjoying what I am doing, but I am also able to print regular prints out on paper.  I feel like this is only the beginning.  I know that I have just started, but I am happy where I am doing what I love.

These are few of the pieces I have been working on for the past couple of months.  I have enjoyed being able to travel to take some of these pictures.  I think the best part of starting this business is that when I get a time where I am not as busy I am to still go out and take pictures for my work.  Good luck to everyone who is starting their careers in the business world.

Photographing Children

As a photographer, I have noticed different things when other photographers try to get a child to sit still or just what some of my classmates do to get a child to sit still. At school, you had a certain amount of time to get a project finished. I remember one of classmates saying 'she had bribed her niece with candy.' (The project was photographing people.) When I was an intern for a professional photographer two summers ago I noticed she did lot with trying to get the kids to use their imagination. I think about this a lot especially since when photographing a child you have to realize they can not sit still for a long period of time without either wanting to talk or run around and play. Now, as I am writing this, because I have taken some pictures of children lately and my favorite pictures of them so far have been when they are being themselves. They are just so natural at that point. You see them with a true smile on their face and not looking at their parents or the photographer wanting a treat or hoping they will be done soon. For instance, these two girls were able to dress up and run around in the yard while I took their pictures. How fun is that?

Isn't that the kind of thing you want to be doing with your sister when a photographer comes?

Experience

While being in school, having the internships, and seeing people work all gave me experience; I still need more. It is hard starting out in the real world when you are starting a new career and a new company. You are trying to get your name out there and hoping your friends and family will spread the word. The thing is you have your hopes on doing something, but then you never hear back. Everything begins slowly, but it will eventually pick up. All I can ask for now is the experience and hope that what I learned in school will help out in the long run. Just got to keep photographing!

Nature

Since, I have started my business Allie Ray Photography I have been able to enjoy taking pictures of family members, my new dog, and in Highlands, North Carolina. I enjoy being in nature and listening to the birds chirping and the wind blowing. The best part of the hike is when you make it to your destination and you see the most fantastic view. I for one do not want to leave places where I do not hear traffic constantly. I enjoy my times that I have with nature. The first photo is: Little Rock Mountain Statue I noticed on the hike up Scaly Mountain. The second photo is: the view from Scaly Mountain near Highlands, NC.

   

 

Similar Styles: Different Countries

I love when I find out that I have photos that look so Similar but they are so Unique.

The first photo when I took it was I was a little bit obsessed with Twilight and I was so excited to go to Volterra, Italy where they might be shooting the second part of the movie. The film crew ended up not photographing there so my friend and I were able to find all kind of fascinating things around the store and roam around the city for the weekend.

Recently I have been in France and while here I have been taking lots of travel photos for the foreign and the familiar. I have been trying to attempt different views and angles. The type of things that will make me be different from everyone else. While editing a photo recently I realized how similar it was to one I took in Italy almost three years ago. I really feel like the one from France is a whole lot better. Maybe, it is because of the different objects that are in the photo, but maybe it is also because of the colors. Anyways, enjoy!

Experimental Printing

This quarter I have been doing a lot of experimental printing. In the class, I am learning how to print on metal flashing, making skins (using liquitex and inkaid), and other materials. The materials or substrates have to be the thickness of penny or less. Learning about all these things interests me greatly and seeing my work on different material besides printing paper is even better. I can not wait to go on my next adventure to take photographs with my family.