Memoirs of Steph

2016-2018

Added 2023-02-04 15:39:11 +0000 UTC

I’ve been taking photos of Steph since I knew her in 2011. If you look in my phone or on my server you can see I really started taking photos of Steph seriously around 2016. I started photographing her because I thought she was absolutely beautiful. I’d snap a photo of her in my phone and she would smile and pose. That photo would get lost and I never really shared or put any effort into creating the photo. Eventually that interest would inspire me to enhance my means of taking a photo. I bought a camera, learned lighting and simple poses. I got editing software to color grade. Starting in 2017 I started doing photoshoots or galleries instead of snapping a quick set of photos. Then I’d archive those photos into named and curated galleries on a designated hard drive.

When I talked with her about it back in 2016 I said, in a dreaming sort of way, wouldn’t it be cool to do a photo project where we photoshoot once a week and do that for ten years and see what kind of story we tell. She laughed and said sure. Well six years later we are still at it. (We are photographing later this afternoon.)

So 4 more years left on my goal with her in terms of that project… but who knows, maybe we will go for 15 years or until she’s 85 haha.

When we started there was a heap of uncertainty (I was also starting a business) in terms of my ability as a photographer, her ability as a model, what kind of concepts do we do, how much money do we throw at investing in that idea of our side project and my small business… oh, what about nude photos, what will people think?? What will family say? (My family was against the idea of me quitting my job to pursue photography and videography) Finally, I said who cares let’s just create and have fun and see where it goes. It’s not easy learning a new skill (for me) or staying motivated to follow a goal plan. Or when you get criticized, or when you have a bad month with clients or when steph and I get in an argument. But we stay with it!

The point of this post is to listen to that little voice. Take action today and do your dream as small or big as it is. Small steps equal progress. And don’t quit… if you’re passionate about something use that passion as endurance during difficult times.