Why I Taught Myself Photography

Weddings are memorable. Memories are captured within photographs.

This weekend I had the pleasure to attend my cousin's wedding. It was wonderful. The ceremony was just right. The dress and bouquet were exquisite. The loving smiles between bride and groom were priceless.

The main reason I taught myself photography was to capture the precious moments between loved ones.

Nearly five years ago was when special moments were lost for me, it was my wedding day. My very special day was mostly captured with under-exposed, out of focused, blurry images. Originally one of my best friends was going to cover the day. I trusted her to do a wonderful job, especially since she was a photography student. But a couple months before the big day, she moved. So, a family friend said that she would take photos for me. She had a DSLR and her husband borrowed my dad's DSLR to capture everything. This was the mistake. Just because someone has a DSLR doesn't mean that they understand what aperture is and how to maximize the camera's abilities with settings for the shutter speed and ISO - the exposure triangle.

This began my passion for photography. It's been two years since I've had my Canon Rebel and I shoot all manual, working the exposure triangle to its fullest. My mission is for everyone to have an affordable option to capture moments, be it family photos portraying their children growing up or one of those special days that you want to remember for a lifetime.

Now, I wasn't the photographer for this wedding, but I did have some fun with my 85mm lens, capturing the little moments I love. Someday, I would love to be involved with weddings; capturing the sweet moments between loved ones when they start their new chapter together. But for now, these photos are part of my gift to the start of the new chapter for this couple who are so in love.