One of the most frequent questions that I get asked is how I got started in photography:

It all started on my 6th birthday when I was given my first digital camera. I took it everywhere with me, and I took photos of everything : my family, flowers, animals, and toys. Because of this, I got a ton of practice experimenting with natural light and composition. On my 12th birthday I was given my first DSLR, and from then on I was the designated family photographer. I took photos at all the family events and through trial and error I learned what makes a good portrait.

When I was thirteen years old I was going through a phase of making prints of my favorite photos, mounting them, and decorating my room with them. One day I was heading to my hairdresser's house to get a haircut and I had a great idea - I'd take one of my mounted prints and gift it to her since I knew that her birthday had just passed. I also knew that her favorite color was orange, and I thought that my photo of a monarch butterfly would match her room and personality so perfectly. I had no clue that this small action would change my life forever. When I gave her the photo she said she loved it and hung it right by her work area. A few months later, I got a call from her - she was looking for a photographer to shoot some looks that she was creating for a fashion show... and she asked ME to be the photographer! Of course I was nervous and had my doubts, but I ended up agreeing to shoot. This was way out of my comfort zone but I loved photography and I knew that this was a great opportunity. 

I remember how nervous I was the morning of the photoshoot. I had done a lot of research and read a lot of articles on photography but I felt like I was forgetting everything. I was freaking out but I was trying my best to hide it. Fake it 'til you make it, right? I walked into the salon and it was a little overwhelming at first. People were running around and they all looked so busy - there were hair stylists, makeup artists, models, and then I saw another photographer! I was so sure that he was a "real professional" and I was so intimidated that I felt like leaving. Looking back, I'm so glad I didn't. I walked up to my hairdresser and she stopped what she was doing and introduced me to everyone. I felt a little out of place being so young, and I really felt like nobody took me seriously. Finally, a model was ready so I looked around the salon, found a spot, and started taking pictures. The other photographer was doing his own thing, which looked weird to be honest, so I decided to do MY own thing and ignored what he was doing. I took some photos of the first model and showed her the back of my camera - she looked so surprised and she told me that the photos looked great. This gave me some more confidence and I proceeded to shoot with some of the other girls. Word spread pretty fast that I wasn't actually "just some kid with a camera" and the models started lining up to get their photos taken. I've got to tell you, that was a great feeling. 

After I got home, I was really tired but even more excited to edit the photos and send them to my client. I spent the next few days experimenting with editing and doing my best to perfect the photos. Once I finished and brought them to my client, she instantly went to look at them. She told me she loved them and then showed me photos from the other photographer... they were pretty bad. I guess it was one of those "don't judge a book by its cover" moments. She also told me how much the models loved working with me and how comfortable they felt with me taking their picture. This really inspired me to work more with people and officially start my photography business. 

 I still find it so incredible that such a small thing like giving a gift lead to something this big. I consider myself so lucky that I was given such a great opportunity to find my passion at such an early age! Here are some of my favorite photos from the shoot - enjoy!!