You love hearing how other photographers got to where they are today and this week we have another inspirational ‘my photography journey’ here for you from one of our incredible CMpros, the incredibly talented Christina McGuire!
my photography journey | christina mcguire
So many mom-tographers’ journeys began soon after the birth of their first baby. In some ways, I wish I could say the same; I’d give anything to have darling newborn portraits of my girls, or lifestyle images of our family when they were still itty bitty. But on the other hand, I’m grateful to have captured those early years with a point-and-shoot, blissfully unaware of the exposure triangle. I was living in the moment with my babies, and my lack of knowledge didn’t stop me from taking thousands of pictures…and having a little fun with Picasa.
Like many moms though, I wanted something more than snapshots and for that we relied on traditional milestone photos at indoor studios. But my kids and confined spaces and hot lights and squeaky chickens was not a good combo. Even worse than the tears (theirs) and the sweat (mine) were the fake smiles. After suffering through this charade for over 3 years, it was time to take matters into my own hands.
In early 2010, I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D3000. I was proud as punch of this photo I took, in Auto mode, the first day out of the box (edited later that year). Lack of compositional genius aside, it remains an early favorite.
Sadly, things would get much worse before they got better! Before long, my daughter started walking and I quickly realized that lucky shots such as the one above where motion was miraculously frozen at 1/30 second were few and far between.
The next month, I signed up for a photography class at a nearby community college, and apparently not a moment too soon, considering “Auto”, Exhibit B:
By the end of the 6-week course, I was shooting in manual and I was hooked. I upgraded to a D90 and 50mm prime lens, started dabbling in Adobe Lightroom, and was on the hunt for another photography class. When I couldn’t find anything locally, a friend of the family (kisses, Karin!) pointed me to the Clickin Moms photography forum.
I spent that summer mostly lurking on the forums, fascinated but also completely overwhelmed by the amount of information out there. It was very much a case of the more you know, the more you don’t know. And so began my 1 a.m. bedtime.
My first CM siggy picture, June 2010:
In September 2010 I signed up for my first CM photography workshop, Lighting 101: Intro to Natural Light, during which my love affair with silhouettes and sparkly trees was born.
In early 2011, I started a 52-week project:
And that spring, I signed up for Lynne Rigby‘s Shooting 201: Beyond the Basics photography workshop:
September 2011 was a big month for me as I made the leap into business and was honored (and just plain giddy) to be accepted into CMpro. Soon after, I signed up for Sarah Wilkerson‘s Shooting 301: Composition and Creativity workshop:
At the completion of C&C, I remember telling Sarah that I finally felt as though I could proudly say, “I am a photographer.” That may sound silly; after all, I had actually started up a photography business a couple months earlier but in the back of my mind I had an engineering degree, my full-time job was SAHM, and taking pictures was just something I did on the side. Over those 5 weeks, however, Sarah and my classmates gave me new-found confidence in my art – exactly what I needed before I could feel worthy of investing in a full-frame camera.
I continued saving my pennies, and bought my D700 early this year, just in time to start a new 12-month photography project with some fellow CMpros.
This past spring, I finally took my speedlight out of the box for Sarah Phillips‘ Lighting 101: Speedlight for Beginners workshop. I loved it and now that the days have gotten shorter again, I need to get back to practicing. And my most recent class was Lynne’s Shooting 301: Finding Your Style, which I took over the summer. I’d been anxiously awaiting this workshop’s debut, and oh my, it was well worth the wait:
FYS spurred an a-ha moment for me, and after it ended, I revamped my portfolio to include some personal projects and several more images of my girls. Those are the photographs that fill my heart (so many of them taken during CM workshops!), yet I’d always thought that a “professional” shouldn’t have a portfolio chock-full of her own kids. Then, during the last week of class, we touched on defining and shooting for our audience, and I took a step back to look at the big picture: commissioned work is just a small portion of what I do. I work decidedly part-time and, thanks to my wonderful clients, right now I’m as busy as I want to be. But my true audience, that’s me and my girls, 10/20/50 years from now, when I pray we can look back on these memories together. I shoot for myself and I shoot for them.
Thank you, Clickin Moms, for helping me find both the light and my way along this journey. Wherever I go from here, I am forever grateful for this community abound with knowledge, inspiration, encouragement, and friendship.
Thank you Christina for sharing your story with us! It has been an inspiration to watch you on the forum the past couple years and watch your natural talent flourish!
Christina McGuire, Michigan
CMpro
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ChristinaMcGuire is a natural light children’s photographer, born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit. Always an artist at heart, it wasn’t until Christina became a mother that she found the inspiration and freedom to return to her creative roots. She now paints with her shutter, most often documenting the shenanigans of one blue-eyed babe and another brown-eyed girl. When she’s not busy wrestling the red channel on her Nikon D700, Christina enjoys date nights with her hubby, playing Lego with her daughters, and swapping recipes with girlfriends.
I love reading about these kinds of stories. Your pictures are phenomenal!!! I love the documentation of your journey! You are truly an amazing photographer! Way to go!!
I adored you and your work before this Christina, but after reading this, I now adore you more. <3 Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
I honestly couldn’t have stumbled across this blog post at a better time. The progression of your images is great to see. Knowing that you continue to educate yourself is even better. Something I should be doing more of…so thank you for this post.
WOW! Your work is beautiful and your story, SO inspirational… THANK YOU for sharing this! I am at the very beginning of my journey… I have a degree in fashion design from one of the top schools in the country but quickly went into mommy mode before I was able to pursue it – supporting my son doing office work. 17 years later I have worked my way up the ladder but still doing office work in pharmaceuticals AND now just not a single mom of 1 but wife and mom of 17, 2 & 1 yr olds! My heart still longs to be in a creative career using my talents though… and to find a ‘me’ that I can be while still being Mama :). Knowing my LOVE of photography, my husband invested in my 1st 2hr photo class a couple months ago as a ‘just because’ surprise & I have been HOOKED ever since! I’ve taken 3 classes from 1 place, a ‘Moms + Cameras’ class from another who I am scheduled with again this Saturday. The Mom instructor also referred me to this site :) & I read through my 1st breakout last night (AMAZING!!). I am scared to step out of the ‘safe’ world I’ve built to support my family but really, REALLY want to find my way to my own business in this field I am SO passionate about. Reading your story really gave me hope & I am so very thankful!! I have a long ways to go but will continue learning & practicing :) (here are my 1st 2 truly practice sessions since my classes IF you’d like to see: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151234664360236.507166.567695235&type=1&l=2ebcae605f and http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151286310120236.515349.567695235&type=1&l=917fa77d3c )
Christina, your journey is inspiring! Thank you for taking the time to share — and I adore the composition of your miraculous 1/30 shot. :D Simple and beautiful.
I love this story, Christina! Thank you so much for sharing it. You are so sweet and warm and honest, we’re lucky to have you as a part of CM!!!
I loved reading this and I love your work!!!!
Great story. I am embarking on such a journey myself. I know photography is my calling, but I also know I have a long way to go and a lot to learn before I can call myself a “professional photographer.” I only picked up my D3100 in February, but have learned a lot since then. Reading this inspires me to keep on going and start a business of my own.
Telling you how instrumental you have been in my little journey probably goes without saying, but I will be forever grateful :) Loved reading about your journey…you are such an inspiration!
This was SO inspiring to read today :) Christina, your story and your growth are truly incredible! Thank you for being such a wonderful part of CM!!!
I loved reading your story, Christina – your work is beautiful!
These sort of posts always make me cry. Gorgeous progress….just gorgeous!!! Can’t wait to get there!!! Clickinmoms is the best!!!
Your story couldn’t have come at a better time for me, I was given a D5000 for Christmas from my husband, 2009, didn’t even ask for it…and I got the bug. I have been slowly learning where I can, formal classes when I can afford. But recently have been getting discouraged because I feel like I’m never going to be able to learn enough, and I’m not getting any younger, and I have been doing what I have been doing (for a living) for so long that I feel like I am never going to have the confidence or the courage to take the leap…your story has inspired me again, thank you
Christina, your story is absolutely incredible! I am just amazed at how fast your progress was; and your pictures are so beautiful and creative! Thank you for the inspiration. :)
Christina, this gave me the chills — love seeing this progression and hearing your words describing it all. I am so honored to have been a part of your journey – and to have come out the other side of that feeling like I’ve also made a new colleague and friend. <3
Thanks for sharing your story, Christina! You’re such an inspiration!
ahhh….this story made my heart sing!!!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Awwwww!!!!! You know I’m a HUGE fan, Christina! But this is just amazing to see your whole journey in a few pictures! Thanks for the sweet words <3<3 xo
Oh Christina, I love your story! You probably don’t know it, but you gave me my first real compliment when I was a new CMer, and I have a real soft spot for your work! It’s just beautiful! <3
Oh Christina!! You know how much I love your work, it was such a treat to follow you during the Finding Your Style workshop!!! Those outdoor water images are still my favorites from you <3
Thank you for sharing your very inspirational journey <3
Love, love ,love! I love reading progress threads!! Your work is art!!
Congratulations Christina, I loved reading the story of your journey. I feel so close to what you are describing (in the beginning of your story!) and I wish I can grow just like you did.
THIS IS AN AMAZING JOURNEY :) Thank you so much for the insight to your life…..and for the kisses :) It has been awesome watching you grow and blast upward at light speed!!!!
Lalalovovoove this Christina! You can really see how you have evolved and grown and I love your work… good for you girl!
Great post, Christina! I’ve followed you for at least a year now, and I can’t believe that was half of your “photography life” ago!! Your work is gorgeous!
Loved seeing (and reading) your progression Christina! I’m so lucky to have workshopped (new word I just made up) along side you – I’m such a fan! I am crazy for your latest from FYS! Magic!!
I cant tell you how many times I have said the same thing about my past midnight bedtimes starting when I started doing photography!
I just loved hearing more about your journey. Your work is so very beautiful (as are your girls). The sillhouette with your daughter in the tutu by the tree and your recent ballerina shadow image always make me sigh when I see them, as all your images do.
Christina,
I loved reading this. This sounds as if you were describing me. Every single aspect (except I haven’t taken C & C yet). Your images are amazing! Your last paragraph really hit home with me. Even though I am starting a photography business…. my pictures of my children are really what pull at my heart :hp
Thanks so much for sharing your story! I’m encouraged by your journey and your pictures are beautiful!
love, love, love reading about your journey, christina! your work is so full of the goodness of childhood, and it really speaks to me. thanks for the fantastic share! <3
Oh Christina, you know how much I adore you and your work. What a fabulous journey you’ve had so far. You are an inspiration to me ! <3
Loved reading this Christina, I have always been a big fan of yours and your work just gets better and better xxx
Christina, you have rocked from day one! You have such talent! I am so happy our lives have crossed paths so i now get to call you friend. <3
Yay, Christina!! <3 <3 <3
I love this post, and can so relate! I bought my first DSLR in the summer of 2011, and shot in Auto (quite frustrated) for the first 3 month. Then in October, I too, took a 6 week (one night a week) basic photography course that changed my life!
My blog has gained interest because of my photography skills, and I’ve been contacted to write and photograph posts for the CBC’s website, which I am 100 percent sure would never have happened with my earlier point & shoot photography skills.
Good for you, Christina. Your photos are absolutely gorgeous!
Reading this post is so timely for me!! Your journey sounds much like my own, as well as so many others, I’m sure. My hubby bought me my dslr for Christmas 2 years ago. I decided to read the manual to learn and one thing led to another. i fell in love with photography and as I had so many people asking me to take their photos, I started charging a fee. I am looking to better myself with some workshops, but wasn’t too sure where to start. I only shoot in manual mode but would love to review some basics such as white balance. At the same time, I’m not sure that a basic 101 course is where I should begin. Any suggestions?
Fabulous post! Thank you!
Hi Tish! If you’re already shooting in manual and feel as though you’re beyond “the basics” I would still recommend Intro to Natural Light 101 –I took it a few months after my community college course and it helped to fill in a lot of gaps :)
bilge adam. Great job for you. More than like a human.