This summer, I decided to move back home to St. Joe after my internship in Metro Detroit fell through. At first, I was devastated to leave Ann Arbor and felt as though I wouldn't be doing anything worthwhile over the summer without a real internship. To my surprise, this was my favorite summer thus far, and I was able to practice my craft and gain a vast amount of experience in just a few months.
One of my favorite projects this summer was photographing Vacation Bible School for my church. People often say that children are the easiest to photograph, which is true, but capturing them in unique frames for a week-long period is always a challenge.
In addition to VBS, my other favorite project was working with local photographer Mari Maloney and Capture Studios as an assistant and a second shooter. We mostly worked with high school seniors, but also captured a few weddings in our free time. I gained so much valuable wisdom and friendship from working with Mari, and even produced a few interesting frames for my own portfolio.
In addition to these projects, I also expanded my own business with my own senior clients. Sticking to mostly journalistic coverage throughout my photography career, I've never had much portrait experience. I photographed a few fabulous seniors that are some of the coolest people I've ever met. With more and more practice (and encouragement from Mari), I was able to go outside of my typical comfort zone.
