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| My 2nd Birthday Party with my Cousin. I'm the one in the Silver Wig... |
Ok…so it looks officially like Monday’s are for the main {Girl Behind The Lens} Blog Posts! I have decided. It works quite well too, because unless I have a Wedding on, Sunday’s are generally the best day for me to write them. James goes to work at 9pm and I’m home alone till now, when my parents arrive home. I was just about to start the post when they started being noisy and distracting, so brought myself upstairs to write this so that you guys can have it today!
First of all I would just like to say that I was totally overwhelmed to the first official {Girl Behind The Lens} post, so many people telling me that it was so nice to see an honest and open post. If I cannot be myself, with myself in my life, and especially within my musings, then really - when can I be myself? I have self doubts that my real self will never be good enough - but you know what…TOUGH!
A lot of people have been asking how I got in photography and really where my love of photography came from.
When I was little, I loved taking photographs, I loved looking at photographs, I loved hearing stories about what happened the times the photographs were taken. They were memories, snapshots, a moment trapped and treasured forever. They couldn’t be broken.
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| These three Guys, the reason I believe Pictures never change, even when the people do. We used to have "Guys Nights Out" and all through the fun, and laughs, there were some tears. All three are friends on Facebook, the one in the middle, is now one of my past clients, having done his wedding to Victoria in August last year. |
One of my favourite quotations is “pictures never change - even when the people in them do” because it is so true. No matter what goes off, or goes wrong, if you look at a photograph you are transported back to there, when it was taken, who you were with, and it sparks off a memory. This is the underlying passion for my photography, because I know how looking at older photographs makes me feel. It reminds me of the things I thought I had forgotten about, the good times. It reminds me of the sad times, the friends I no longer have. But it also reminds me of me…and how I’ve changed and where I’ve come from and to, and how I’ve grown, and developed over the time. (I promise there wont be too many puns!)
This post isn’t going to cover how I got into photography…its more going to get up to the point of getting into the photographer, its like the beginning chapter, a taster to make you want to read on.
I remember being about 3 or 4 when I had my first camera, or at least, loved taking photographs. Some of the photographs I’ve taken, probably show that I was probably younger than that when I developed the need to take photographs of Barbie and Ken against a door and posing. Maybe its just fate I should become a Wedding Photographer!
I remember being visited at home by the Headmaster of the Primary School I was going to, and hiding behind the door, with a camera. It had no film in it, but I kept jumping from behind the door - pretending to take photographs. I’m a little more stealth like now…I hope!
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| The scowl in the photograph should say it all. I still hate having my photograph taken now. |
If you’re reading this and there’s old photographs to accompany this entry, be happy…I’m riffling through them whilst I am also typing this entry…there could be some fun ones, some strange ones, and some obscure ones, but at the end its all about the journey, and how I am where I am today….
Ok…I totally got distracted by the photographs - I have a really big pile but going to narrow some down and get them scanned in tomorrow morning.
I never had dreams or aspirations to become a photographer, it wasn’t something that was “heard” of much. Most people became a miner, or worked in retail, or became a teacher, or a nurse. BIG aspirations. A photographer never focussed on the forefront - nor did being self employed. I wanted to be a nurse, or a teacher. I didn’t want to be a Doctor, that was too much hard work and responsibility…a nurse helped and looked after people. I remember when my Nan was in hospital, when the nurses used to wear paper hats clipped into their hair (seriously I AM only 26!) and they gave me one so I could pretend to be a nurse. We have no photographs of it, as Nan was in hospital. Now it would have been snapped with a camera phone, and therefore captured forever.
I went through school, doing relatively well in my Exam’s mostly Bs & Cs (one D in RE, the lesson I was mainly bullied in. Quite funny considering it was a Catholic School!)
I couldn’t decide what to do at College, I did think about becoming a Physics teacher. I studied, Geography, Physics, Maths and Psychology. Then I did first year maths again (it was bloody hard work!), second year physics and psychology, and first year English. I wasn’t confident. I didn’t particularly like college. I went through some bad times when I was there, met some fantastic people and lost some good friends. I planned on doing 3-years at College, to get a variety of A levels and AS Levels then go to Uni when I had decided what I wanted to do…In my 3rd Year I was studying, second year English and Georgraphy, First year Law and Media...I hated Media and it was pointless.
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| A scan of some of my fantastic College and Millennium Volunteer friends. We were on a night out and one Pub always took polaroids for I think £2 |
In my 3rd year of college I dropped out. I wanted to drop Media and the college said no. If I didn’t attend I would be kicked out. I told them what to do - and got a full time job within a week…
My working career started at 17 when I started college (oh to be a September baby!) and literally I’ve done lots of weird and wonderful things. I can sell you a bed, to a bathroom, to a PC or an Engagement Ring. I can change a watch battery and shorten a strap, as well as know the entire process of most Jewellery related items. I can tell you all about Pawn Broking and Pay-Day Advances, and sell you a speed loan - but that’s mainly just because I’m awesome.
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| Old Wembly. Barnsley VS Ipswich. Year 2000 |
What happened upon starting my Career as an Assistant Manager, and the circumstances which also surrounded it. I never knew that it would be the start of a rollercoaster ride of emotions, chances, dreams and aspirations….and the most important journey to start doing things for me. Jewellery trade looked to be the way I was going, eventually to be running my own shop (for a company) and then also doing training for the company along side that....I didnt think starting work there would be the start of the Journey to where I am now...
