If someone would have told me a year ago that I was going to be a staff photographer for a university, I'd have laughed in their face. I never thought I would ever have a job like this, let alone be paid to do it. But today, that's what my business card says I do and I still can't believe it.
Over the past few months I have taken thousands of pictures. Everything from portraits to events to dinner receptions to campus scenery and still life. I have been tested and pulled in so many ways but I can tell that I've learned so much and grown in my craft. (Not to mention I've switched from Canon to Nikon.) But I still have a long way to go. And that's the beautiful part of what I do, I can never fully master it. I will always be seeking the next part, the next bit of knowledge. Though I may never master photography, it still has an allure, like a treasure hunt for the next great shot. It is constantly teaching me and showing me more about myself and this world I live in. I work at an institution of higher education, I guess I need to learn something, too.
In the same way that I will never master photography, I can also never master my life. Trial and error is my biggest tool when taking pictures, it's funny how I live my life the same way. I'll take a photo at a certain angle or with a certain amount of light and if I don't like it, I don't just give up! I try again. And again. And again. If I don't like a certain part of my life, I don't give up on it all together. I simply make an adjustment and try again. Besides, to live is to learn and what's life for if we don't learn something in the process?
Here is a selection of photos from my first few months at the University of Central Arkansas. Enjoy.
