I asked one of my friends to be my model. I had a Nikon D40 with an 18-200mm lens. I didn't really know much about photography..just that I loved it and I wanted to be something big one day. I always shot with automatic (which in a professionals eye is a NO-NO) but again, I didn't know any better. And honestly, as my first photo shoot ever, I think I did a pretty good job :)
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I lived in West New York, NJ at the time so Central Park was a river away. Oh Central Park, the BEST and most BEAUTIFUL natural backdrops any one could ask for. It was fall time and the leaves were falling off the trees in all colors. I was a bit nervous, because it was my first time doing something like this. But my friend did such a good job "posing." I remember we shot for about 4 hours! That is pretty long for a portrait session! How many poses can you possibly get without getting repetitive in 4 hours?! Not that many. Since my camera was on Automatic mode, I could just snap, snap, snap. Not worrying about changing the ISO, or aperture, ect. Definitely easier, but in the long run, Manuel mode just takes the most amazing pics. Especially since you get to control everything your eye captures. It truly is amazing.
I have to honestly say that portrait shoots, like this, are my favorite. I used to watch America's Next Top Model, and wanted SO badly to be like Nigel Barker. He had and till now, has my dream job.
One of these days I will get to where to I want to be. I can do it and I will make it happen. All in the meanwhile remembering my first shoot, defining who I was and who I want to ultimately become. The girl version of Nigel. Kidding. Just remember, it isn't what kind of camera you have, or the lens...it's the person behind the lens. Everyone can call themselves photographers because they have a camera or take a few good pics. But to me, a photographer is someone who sees things in a shot, that no one can see, and then ultimately being able to capture that shot within the vision that they had created in their mind. Making it happen, no matter how bizarre the posing is or bending of the body is from the photographer. Finally capturing the picture and then having viewers speechless and mesmerized by the image. Those to me, are the true photographers. Those to me, are who I want to be.
