Sunday, November 9, 2008

Behind the Scenes: How I Became a Wedding Photographer

I'm finally updating my biography portion of my website. It's still a rough draft and may undergo a lot of changes later, but it's going to go up! lol I've been good with updating my blog, but so bad with my portfolio, I figure I needed to start somewhere.

www.estherjulee.com

I wanted to post a few pictures of myself along with the bio, but I realize I don't have my portable hard drive with all my past pictures on it, so here is just a new one of me. :) I'm not a huge fan of Mickey D's, but if you're deprived of American food for a while, you really start craving the craziest things. I was really excited to get my American food in Prague!!



I fell in LOVE with photography in high school. It was then that I got some money together and bought myself a film SLR, and I began taking pictures of anything and everything. I was completely fascinated with it. At that time, I never imagined I would become a wedding photographer. Like any kid who wanted to make her parents proud, I went off to college and pressed on thinking I was one day going to be a doctor. Boy, was I wrong.

After getting my bachelors in Chemistry and working in a research lab, I realized I could never have a profession I didn't enjoy. If I'm going to spend a good chunk of my life working, I needed to enjoy it!

I did freelance for a while for whenever someone asked me to do a portrait session or a wedding. When it came down to actually starting my own business, that was another story and was something I had no idea about. It was intimidating stepping into the unknown and completely overwhelming knowing that I had to take on a lot of other business responsibilities I had never expected. In hindsight, even though there were both highs and lows, I do not regret it one bit.

I love photography. Although, I love doing portraiture in general, there is something about relationships that I can't describe and that I absolutely love capturing. I love being a photographer and feel very blessed to live out my dream. God has been so good to me and has been showing me each new day how He wants me to use my gifts in His plans. It has been an crazy but amazing journey, to say the least, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for reading.

Love,
Esther

4 comments:

heej said...

esther!!! you should be the next mickey d's model :) so pretty~ i'm glad to read a little bit of your professional background.

Ethan T said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ethan T said...

Fascinating - I'm glad you get to do exactly what you enjoy most. I've been shooting photos for years, but I have a ton of respect for wedding photogs in particular.

I'm a bit absent-minded, so I have an enormous fear of such a high-responsibility position; screwing up a wedding shoot has huge consequences, and I've never wanted to take that kind of risk. As such I tend to remain amateur, taking only a few paying gigs that were low-pressure.

Your practice shows in your portraits and wedding stuff, and it's delightful to see originality in a field that's so heavily populated with the same old stuff. Here's to happiness through retirement!

Esther Julee said...

lol danke danke! :) I have to admit that I was super nervous the entire time during my first wedding I shot. There was just a lot of added pressure that came from myself, but I assure you it's not so bad once you get the hang of it. Especially if you enjoy being around people and celebrating.