Change is hard. There are times when I feel so scared to experiment or try something new that it paralyzes me from getting out of my comfort zone. But as a creative, I neeeeeed to be stretched and challenged to embrace curiosity over fear. So after months of thinking/debating/asking a bajillion questions, I finally took the leap of faith toward film photography! And the excitement of this new medium has renewed my fascination with photography.
Over the past six months of officially going full time in my business, I experienced a bad case of burnout due to dozens of to-do lists, 42 sessions, and hundreds of hours editing. I quickly realized that success doesn’t mean busy. Something needed to change. I am an artist first and foremost, so I had to figure a way to fall back in love with photography and keep it a sacred art form. So that is exactly what I discovered with just the few short weeks of using film. Slowing down, chasing light, quality over quantity, embracing imperfections, intentionally shooting, and using a discriminating eye is all teaching me to become a better artist. With film photography I don’t get immediate results, like I do with digital, and that can be absolutely terrifying. But oh the blessings that come with delayed gratification- the results are well worth the wait.
Likewise, I discovered that film photography relates a lottttt to my current transitional season of life. I am learning to find the “beauty of the process.” The waiting, unknowns, patience, and growing pains are all vital if I ever want to evolve, flourish, and become who I was created to be. I guess there is no coincidence that I am experimenting with film while I also venture into the uncertainties of post-grad life. How sweet my Heavenly Father is to use these things to teach me more about his character, creation, rejuvenation, blind faith, and hope. It’s hard, but it’s for my good.
Furthermore, there’s been countless opportunities and people who have led me to this change. An influential individual is the oh-so-talented Rylee Hitchner. Over the past year, she generously opened up her home to several creatives in the Birmingham area to gather, feast, and learn about the spirituality of being a creative. Meeting once a week with these kindred souls gives me fuel to hold fast to the gift I have been entrusted. So when Rylee encouraged me to try film, I got her in front of the camera to practice:) Below you will find images from my first roll of film I ever shot. Ironically, this maternity session truly displays the beauty of the process, the growth and change of carrying a lil human. Rylee does it so gracefully, right?! Thank you Rylee for everything. Also deepest gratitude for all my friends, family, and clients who have believed in me and my work, who support me with these transitions, soul searching, awkwardness, and hard decisions. I am expectant and elated to what’s to come.
I hope that if there is something you’ve been putting off, please take that leap and try it. Fight fear. Stay curious. Be changed.
