My other life
Monday, April 16, 2012 at 2:44PM
Dana in Photography

Awhile back, I added a new page to this blog called, "My Other Life," referencing my business, Bella Vita Creative. I've mentioned it a time or two on this blog and, being the shameless promoter that I am, I'm going to mention it again.

I started a freelance graphic design business back in 2002 called Type By Design, which gave me an opportunity to do some fun graphics projects and hone my design skills. However, when I accepted a public relations position with the local school district in 2007, I closed my graphic design business in order to devote more time to my new job.

Long story short: after losing my PR job in 2010 and my new teaching position in 2011 (both due to state budget cuts), and, after being unemployed for a couple of months, I re-considered freelancing.

This time, I wanted to do something different. Through a series of circumstances too long to elaborate in this post, I started Bella Vita Creative with a focus on photography and multimedia slideshows.

Originally, I thought I'd provide only slideshows, but as I began to view the work of other photographers, I realized that I really wanted to get better at photography myself. That way, I could offer photography as well as some awesome "fusion" videos for my clients. (Simply put, photo fusion is when a photographer uses both photographs and video to make a video.)

So, I've been cramming my head with all kinds of learnin' about photography--via online tutorials, books, forums, viewing the work of photographers I admire, joining photography groups, and lastly, taking lots of photos in order to improve my skills. The more I learn, the more I find out how much I have to learn (isn't that the way it is with everything worthwhile?).

When my daughter announced her impending marriage, the one thing I wanted for her was awesome wedding photographs. I've talked to people who don't put much premium on wedding (or any other kind of) photos. All I can say is: "To each his own."

For myself, I absolutely love and believe in preserving memories through photography and videos. I am a complete and utter sentimentalist! Therefore, I immediately began the search for a great wedding photographer. Mind you, we aren't the Rockefellers (more like the Clampetts), so we weren't about to break the bank for wedding photos, but we agreed that the photography budget would definitely take precedence over, say . . . flowers. After all, when the wedding day is but a distant memory, the photos are what you have left (as well as a thriving marriage, hopefully).

Anyhoo, I found a wonderful photographer and am very excited that she has time in her schedule to shoot my daughter's wedding! After we met for the first time, I told her that I was learning photography and she allowed me to pick her brain a little. I was so appreciative of her generosity toward me.

I've learned that there are two kinds of photographers out there: generous and not-so-generous.

The generous photographers will share their resources and tips because they aren't threatened by other people learning photography. They are secure and confident with their work and remember what it was like to be a beginner. They will sometimes even post their early photos so others can see how everyone starts at Step One.

Then there are the photographers who are not-so-generous: they are threatened by someone shooting at the same location and possibly taking business away from them. They don't want to give away their "secrets" for fear of an up-and-coming competitor surpassing them (I guess). They are elitist and critical.

Toni (our wedding photographer) is in the first group. She's relatively new to photography herself, but has clearly outshone many other photographers who have been in the field much longer. She's motivated and skilled--but here's the important part: she's willing to share her knowledge and resources.

Soon after we met, she invited me to join a group of professional women photographers on Facebook and to attend their first get-together at her house. I joined them last week for the first time and had a blast. I peppered them with questions and the ladies patiently answered all of them. What a gift!

One thing I learned from them (and really already knew): it's a great advantage for photographers to have a blog where they can share their work and become known in a more personal way to their prospective clients.

So I hopped into action and am pleased to announce the new photography blog for Bella Vita Creative.

I invite you to take a look at my photography blog and view the engagement session photos I shot for my daughter and her beau. I plan to add all different kinds of photos as well. Looks like I've just bitten off a new time commitment, but one that I am very eager to make.

There's a special offer detailed in my very first entry, so be sure and take a look. If you fit the bill, I'd love to hear from you!

Article originally appeared on Running The Race (http://www.runningtheraceblog.com/).
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