One last occupation: photography

May 2, 2016
by Heather

Beginnings and Endings School/Life Balance

As a way to ring in the end of my graduate school experience, I wanted to talk a little bit about one of my favorite occupations: taking photos.

I found my passion for photography over twenty years ago, when my father gave me his old point-and-shoot camera. I initially discovered my love for taking photographs of flowers and different elements of our natural world. It was beautiful and seemed safe at the time.

When I was in high school, I joined the school newspaper as the staff photographer. This gave me an introduction into taking photographs of people. All different types of people.

When I moved on to bigger and better things in college, I decided to minor in photography. Our school had a well-renowned art department, so I thought it would be a good idea to make the most of the resources it had to offer. I recall the discomfort of my first photography class critique — we reviewed each other’s work and gave constructive criticism (out loud). It was extremely difficult. I learned eventually to not shy away from criticism, as I saw my craft improving with time and peer feedback.

After college, I moved to San Francisco and tried to start my own photography business. My passion had evolved from taking photographs of the natural world to taking photographs of food. Yep, food porn basically. I was offered opportunities to assist on bigger photo projects for brands showcasing ice creams, soups, yogurts, and for projects for Bon Appetit magazine. I was loving the challenges and the different types of art I was being exposed to.

To this day, I still love photography. I look forward to its next big challenge for me.

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