It’s ok that I’m not your photographer.

It’s ok that I’m not your photographer. I still love you and cherish our friendship. The first few years of my career, I struggled a lot with the idea of friends having someone else take their picture. It was a silly sort of jealousy that was, without a doubt, childish. But that’s okay. I have no problem admitting this to you all. I was a newbie. I was immature, so to speak, being in the first stages of my career. Not to say I’ve got it all figured out now. The thought of that makes me chuckle. But there are a few things I’ve learned since then, and one of them is, I’m not for everyone. At first, the idea of everyone I love not understanding, or (gasp) even liking my style brought me to tears on a few occasions. My job is not a typical 9 to 5 job that just gets the bills paid. My job is my art. My photography is an expression of my soul. So, naturally, when someone doesn’t like it, when a friend chooses someone else, it’s personal. At least, I used to take it personally. Not to say that I’m never disappointed anymore when my friends choose other photogs. I am. But I get over it very quickly. You see, I’ve learned something that I already kind of knew, but it has so much more meaning to me now. I’m not for everyone. And thank Jesus I’m not! I mean, I really do... thank Jesus. Now, more than ever, I want to be my own photographer. I want my clients to seek me out, not the other way around. I don’t want to appeal to everyone. I don’t want my stuff to look like everyone else’s stuff. I don’t want to feel like I’m in competition with my fellow photog friends. They have their style and I have mine. My style is good. It’s good, because it’s mine. And it’s changing. Even now, as we speak, I’m going through another hypothetical growth spurt. I can see it in my composition and in my post editing. It’s changing. I’m getting closer and closer to the photographer that I want to be, which I believe will bring me the right clients for me. My competition (or I should say, my inspiration) can have their clients! They deserve every client they get. Their style, personality, price point, and a hundred other things clients look for, got them those clients. So you don’t like my style! Or price (again, that’s another blog post for another day), or that I shoot with Nikon, or that I am too young, or too old, or have blond hair... WHATEVER! I know, now, to just let you find your match and I will continue to wow my matches. I truly want you to LOVE your pictures. They are so important. I hope you are reading this. You know who you are. The one that went with someone else. I still love you. I don’t take it personally. I cherish our friendship. So you can stop being weird about it. :)