"Daily Inspiration"
When I first decided that I would become a photographer, I started searching for photography sites and photographers to follow for inspiration and learning. One of the sites I found was Beyond the Wanderlust. I was is awe of the beauty of this site. I would visit Beyond the Wanderlust almost daily to see the pictures and the favorites picked. I soon started sharing my photos and even submitted a set of photographs to be featured and was turned down. I continued to visit this site, looking at the different poses, lighting, editing techniques, etc. I was and still am on a mission to learn everything I can to become a great photographer. There have been many times that I have taken a "break" from looking at this site because it was painful to have your photographs turned down and possibly never looked at but I just could not give up.
Recently, I submitted these two photographs to Beyond the Wanderlust and to my absolute surprise they were picked as "Fan Favorites" and "Daily Inspiration!" I could not believe it. I started jumping up and down and cried off and on throughout the day. The same site that I go to almost every morning for learning and inspiration featured MY photographs as a source of inspiration for photographers. I have been on cloud 9 ever since. I have only been a "working" photographer for about 6 months now, to have two of my photographs picked truly touches my heart and further fuels my desires for photography. Everyone measures success in a different way, and I feel I have been successful thus far. I have studied and taught myself photography in my home while being a mother/wife/personal trainer/yoga instructor/group fitness instructor, I have been paid several times to take photographs of families, I have been told by several people that I am a true artist, my photographs have been given away as Christmas presents, and now two of my photographs have been picked as a source of inspiration to others. This is success to me. Having an outlet for my creative side and making my clients very happy is all I ever wanted.
I am still and will always be on a mission to improve my skills and my creativity as a photographer. There is so much that I do not know, for example... photoshop! I am a Lightroom girl but I have plans to learn photoshop. I would imagine that will take a while. We are all on a path to learning more, improving our skills and chasing our dreams. With hardwork and dedication, our dreams will come true.
One little success at a time.
Blessings,
Emily Mariani
