At ClickinMoms we are so thrilled when we see our members learn, grow and excel at their craft. It is so amazing and inspiring to watch and we’re thankful to be along for the ride!
We started our “My Photography Journey” series a few months ago and our members have loved seeing how their peers have grown in their work. Today we have one of our amazing CMpros, Elle Walker. Thank you so much for sharing with us, Elle! We can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you!
my photography journey | elle walker
Photography has always been a way of life for me. I remember even as a little girl wanting to capture every detail of every occasion, trying to make sure it was never forgotten. When my sister and I were in primary school, I would bribe her and her friends to model for me, using our old trampoline as a ‘black backdrop’, and talking them into ridiculous looking poses. My Pop was also a very keen photographer, and spent many hours with me as a teenager, teaching me how to use his beloved Canon AE-1, and providing plenty of inspiration during our family slide show nights.
I received my first SLR for my 18th birthday (a gift from my now husband), and I took it everywhere, but it wasn’t until sometime after the birth of my first child that I began to take it more seriously. I remember snapping away all the time, trying to savour all those little fragments of his childhood, but being disappointed with my results, as I couldn’t seem to capture anything as I was seeing it. In August of 2010, I signed up my Mum, my Aunty and myself for a one day ‘Love Your Camera’ workshop, in the city, and after our 8 hour round trip we returned home excited to tackle our camera’s in manual mode.
Two short months later, eager to learn more, I stumbled across what quickly became my online ‘home’ in the form of ClickinMoms (I think this might be the time to confess I have since developed a slight addiction to CM, especially it’s fabulous workshops). I eagerly signed up for the Shooting 101 workshop, with the amazing Lynne Rigby, who patiently helped me to fill in the gaps and enabled me to shoot confidently in manual. From there it was Shooting 201, which helped me to tackle outdoor lighting, and converted me to both Lightroom and RAW – two of my happiest discoveries. I quickly learned that processing was not something that came easily to me, so I calibrated my monitor and with the help of Lynne’s Lightroom 101 workshop, and Lisa Harrison’s Photoshop 101 workshop – I was on my way to having an organised system for my photos, and a processing workflow that suited my style.
Late 2011, I was fortunate enough to secure a place in Sarah Wilkerson’s Shooting 301: Composition and Creativity workshop. This class was a big turning point for me, compositionally, and so much more. It helped me to really slow down and shoot with purpose, and gave me the confidence I needed to shoot for me. Many of my all time favourite photographs were taking during those five weeks, and I still re-visit the course materials and apply much of what we learned every. single. day.
It was during Sarah’s class that I discovered my love for dramatic light, so when super sweet mentor (and natural light guru), Megan Cieloha, announced her brand new Natural Light 201 workshop – I was in! Megan’s class only reinforced my love for natural light, and with her help and guidance I was able to create some of my favourite images to date, and discover new and wonderful light within my home.
A little over a year after joining CM, I was ecstatic to be accepted into CMPro – amongst so many photographers I had come to admire. I signed up for the Daily Project and although initially I was a little unsure that I would be able to keep up, I am thankful now that I did – especially for the motivation, support and inspiration that come with the project. Shooting daily has had such a positive impact on my work, and even though some days are harder than others, I can’t wait to look back at the end of a year and have this collection to remind me of what was.
I am so grateful to have discovered CM when I did, and can only imagine how frustrated I would still be today if it wasn’t for all the fabulous information and advice received both on the boards, and within the workshops.
Photography has allowed me a creative outlet, and nothing makes me happier than being able to capture images of my children that are just so ‘them’. I am loving every step of this journey, and making so many wonderful friends along the way!
Thank you for sharing your story with us Elle! Watching you grow as a photographer has been an inspiration to all of us!
WINNR UPDATE – It’s a Contest!
Congratulations to Nolwenn who is the random winner of an eLearning product from the CMstore! To claim your prize please contact me at april@clickinmoms.com.
Are you a beginner, advanced, or somewhere in the middle of the road? Tell us where you’re at in your photography journey in the comments below. One lucky winner will win an eLearning product of their choice from the CMstore ($25 value). You have until next Wednesday, June 6th at 12pm EST to let us know below and then we will update this post with the chosen random winner!
Elle Walker, Australia
CMpro
website | facebook | pinterest | ask a pro
An Aussie Mum of two, Elle enjoys the simple things in life. When she’s not chasing her children around with her Nikon D90, she enjoys camping, cricket, good coffee, wakeboarding, and spending time with her family. Elle loves natural light photography, and has a special interest in capturing those ‘everyday’ moments in her children’s lives. Also a self confessed day-dreamer, Elle’s ideal shoot would preferably combine her loves for early mornings, horses, and her children.
Elle!! You are so inspiring!! I hope that one day I take pictures in such a way that it truely captures the moment like all yours do! <3
Elle, I adore your work and loved reading about your journey!!
Thanks so much for sharing your journey. Your photographs are amazing.
Wow, that's amazing that you accomplished all of that in a year! Your photos are really inspiring. Although I've been practicing for a couple years and have been on CM for a while, I'd still consider myself somewhat of a beginner… maybe almost middle of the road.
Hi I love hearing about how you all got to where you are. I just received my dslr for christmas this past year and began shooting for others almost immediatly. I am very comfortablein manual mode and I have a pretty good eye for obvious light. I would love to be better at post processing I use lightroom alone right now. Controlling the light in my images and finding light
When their is not much to be found would be great
I love seeing how photographers grow and find their style. I'm still trying to define exactly what my niche and style is. Thanks for a great article!
I love your work, Elle. You have such a beautiful way of capturing your children in their every day life. Thank you for sharing a little bit more about you. :)
I love these posts! So inspiring. I guess I'm past the beginner stage, somewhere in the intermediate caregory, really wanting to get to the pro level. Maybe a CM workshop will
Help?
I'm in the intermediate category with the purchase of my first slr camera last fall. I've always loved photography, although my whole life I thought it was just me taking pictures of everybody plus any random things I could find. Last year I realized that I could do more than 'just take pictures' and why couldn't I take photographs… like a photographer. I really love telling a story about someone else's interests and family life through a set of still images. I've been studying all things photography and light lately. I've been using the internet books through the library as my resource (oh and of course Pinterest). I love natural light photography but have been practicing with indoor as well, since it seems to be the most challenging. I have lightroom and for the first several shoots I did for other people, I believe it saved my most of my photos. However, recently (last weekend) I did a photo shoot (first one I will be paid for) and I was so surprised at the pictures. I barely needed lightroom in order for the pictures to look pretty darn good. I was proud of myself and inspired to learn even more!
Love this journey. Reading these is always so inspiring because I'm a total newbie. But an obsessed one, if that counts for anything….
I'm definitely a "seasoned beginner". I've taken a few local photography classes, and I'm part of a photography group (we meet and take pictures at parks, zoo's, etc), but I'm always searching to make my work better. I'm trying to "master" manual mode .. if that's possible .. and I'm working on white balance as well. I'm new to Photoshope Elements, and so far YouTube has been awesome at tutorials! I would love any help I can get! Thanks CM!
I guess I would best be classified as beginner/intermediate. I joined CM last fall after (finally) getting my first DSLR. I have made amazing progress in that time thanks to the incredible tutorials on this site. I recently participated in my first Breakout Session and learned an incredible amount in a short period of time. I can't wait to do another!
ahh! Elle is always such an inspiration to me! I love this look into her journey.
I think I am somewhat in the middle of the road with my skills. I think I have grown a bit past beginner, but light years away from advanced.
Thankfully, I can say that CM is a huge part of my learning and will continue to be!
Somewhere in the middle but man o man I'm enjoying the process!
Elle, you are so talented, you are one of my favorite photographers. Your use of light and your compositions are so inspiring to me!
I am in the " intermediate" part of my journey, at the moment. I look forward to taking some CM workshops and really build my skills and one day make it to pro. I love Clickin Moms!
Absolute noob. I have my DSLR from two months ago. I'm learning a lot thanx to CM!
Loved reading this Elle! Your work is inspiring!!! :)
I think I am in the middle of this beautiful journey. I joined CM in February and have taken 3 classes and about 4 breakout sessions already… You could say I have become obsessed :) Maybe should say focused and determined :) In the last 4 months I have learned so much from CM and it has opened a big wonderful world to me. I have been around photography my whole life. Growing up, I would see my dad spend his Saturday and Sunday mornings on soccer fields photographing all the games for the local and regional newspapers. He built a dark room in our basement so he could process the films on time to be delivered to the papers for the Monday edition. I spent a lot of Sunday afternoons in the darkroom learning how to process film and print b&w pictures. Some of my best childhood memories were looking at all films drying then looking at them magically appear on paper. True magic! My dad also photographs weddings and portraits but mostly for friends and family. He never really made a business out of it. It was his dream but he was not sure he could become successful enough to provide for the family so he did it on the side. Sometimes I wonder if secretly I am not trying to make his dream come true… as I feel he should have had more recognition for his work… But I am getting off topic… Got my first polaroid camera when I was about 10, then a few point and shoot cameras until my 25th birthday when the whole family gave my first "real" camera, a Canon EOS50 film. I have always loved taking photos but never had time to really focus on the technique between university, immigrating from France to Canada, working, having children, then moving to Bermuda. Now that my two little boys are busy with school I have more time for myself and finally have the opportunity to truly learn the art of photography and follow my heart. My husband gave me my first digital camera 3 years ago when we moved to the island as well as a couple of very nice lenses. I feel my passion for photography has always been there but put on the side for so many years as other things were priorities then. Now that I have more time for me, I want to capture every emotion. I love taking photos of people especially children (for they just show and share their soul), families (for how much love they have for each other), people that have a story to tell as well as the beauty of our surroundings. Ok that was a long posting… Sorry got carried away… Have a lovely day :)
I would say that I am a long-time enthusiast, but my skills are definitely not where I want them to be. I still feel like a beginner. Ihad point and shoot cameras from the time I was 11 or 12, took tons of pictures. Spent hours poring over my family albums. Got a film SLR in grad school and took my first photography class, B&W with darkroom, and LOVED it. But darkroom access is expensive and tough to secure these days. Got a dSLR for my birthday about 3.5 years ago, when my twins were one. I shoot a lot, but I've been so discouraged. I shoot in AV most of the time, never got comfortable with manual. Struggle with white balance and exposure. I feel like I know just enough to be frustrated with myself. I just recently found CM, and I can't wait to start taking classes. Stories like yours give me hope that I can get where I want to be. Thanks so much!
Elle, thank you for sharing your journey with us, I find these posts so inspirational! I find that I am probably somewhere in the middle of my photography journey, I know the basics and can handle my camera well, but am still trying to figure out my style. I have a couple of the same classes on my short list that you have mentioned here, and I can't wait to see where the added lessons can take me!
Thanks Elle for sharing! I enjoyed reading this little tidbit about you and your photographic journey.
I would say I am still a beginner. It's a never ending learning curve. There's always things to learn!
I have been shooting for a long time, but just switched to manual towards the end of 2011. I am still very much a beginner, but working on learning and growing every day.
What a great journey! It makes me very excited to be able to take more classes.
fabulous feature, Elle…your journey is so inspirational. such a treat to get to know you even more!!
I'm in the middle – I know how to shoot in manual, I have the gear and I have a mentor who shows me all the ropes. I just need to keep practicing like everyone else!
Such beautiful work! I'm middle of the road, I know a whole lot more than the average picture taker, and I have a whole lot more to learn!
Elle! It was so lovely to read this! I feel so lucky to have met you early on in your journey and to have been friends with you throughout your journey. You are such a warm, kind and wonderful person…and that warmth is present in every single one of your photos!! You make so many interesting and fantastic choices for perspective and context in your work – I love learning from you! Thank you my friend. <3
As for me…I'm beginner-ish. I've taken a few workshops that have given me lots of tools – I just need to put in the time to practice! :) So excited for what this year will bring!
Elle that was great. Thanks for sharing your story. I still feel I am in the middle somewhere. I still want to push myself to be more creative with my shots. I adore photography. Always have.
What great progress! I love the composition and tones in the 2nd to last shot.
Per the question, I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle aspiring toward advanced.
Gorgeous work! I'd say I'm probably advanced but always always have room to grow!
Love your photos! And it is always so inspiring to hear about the CMPros' journeys, because it gives me hope that my journey will take me there sometime too! I stumbled upon CM this January and although I had already been thoroughly bitten by the photography bug, it is thanks to CM that I am now a very happy manual shooter and Lightroom/Photoshop enthusiast. I am not sure where I am on my journey as I know I still have so much to learn, experiment and play with, but I can also look back and clearly see I have come a long way. Thanks CM!
Although I, much like Elle, have been taking photos all my life, I consider myself a beginner. I've taken RYC101 and have so much to learn! I want to thank Elle for giving me hope on the processing side of photography. I love to shoot, but have a really hard time with the processing, and honestly don't have much time to "tinker" in the "darkroom" having two little ones! I really enjoyed reading this photographic journey and look forward to reading more and learning something new every single day from CM. Thanks CM!
I loved reading this, Elle! I would say I am somewhere between beginner and an intermediate photographer. I have had a DSLR for almost 9 years, but it wasn't until I took Lynne's Shooting 101 and 201 recently that I feel comfortable shooting in manual mode. I am loving so many of the photos that I am taking now! :)
Those images are stunning! I loved reading this article! I am somewhere in between beginner and intermediate. I can shoot in manual but don't always get the results I want. I have been shooting with a DSLR for about 2 1/2 years now and still feel I have so much to learn. I'm hoping to be able to afford the Shooting 101 and other classes to learn how to use my camera the way it should be.
great read! loved every word. xx
I love, LOVE reading about photographic journeys to find your creative soul. It just gives me the hope and the push I need to not give up.
I'm in the beginning of my path and I feel like there's so much to learn; and, sometimes I feel like I'm never going to get it, but seeing this inspires me to go with the flow.
Thank you for sharing with us!!
I love it each time I read one of these journey's and how each time CM was such a huge turning point for the photographer. It reassures me that I have found a place that will really help push me to where I want to be.
I am still a beginner. I got my DSLR a little over a year ago, signed up for CM Sept 2011 but really got going on it around late November/early December 2011. I love the learning and try to find time in a busy schedule to fit practice time in. Loved reading your story Elle.
What an encouraging story – especially to me! I'm not a mom, but I recognize the desire to create photos that look like what I see! I received a DSLR last Christmas from my father and haven't put it down since! I've attended a class, read a few books, and have just begun shooting anything and everything I can! Recently, from comments on my blog, I have gotten more attention and have started doing a few shoots for payment (eek!) but I know I have so much more to learn. I'm so happy to have stumbled across CM and I am sure I wont stray far from this site knowing that there is much I can learn here! Thanks for sharing your story Elle!