my photography journey | winnie bruce

My Photography Journey by Winnie Bruce

I didn’t start my photography journey with the goal for it to be what it is. I guess that is the beauty of life though. We are brought to different avenues, and then we make choices of what eventually would be best for us.

In the summer of 2008, my best friend Bruce, who’s a chef, brought over a Canon Rebel XSi to our house. We chatted about how he was going to take the camera to trips he was planning on doing that year, but also maybe how it would be good to have for taking photos of food. I originally planned to go to culinary school, but I ended up going to school for business management instead. The love for food never died though, and I wanted to at least do a blog on cooking.

I started following Pioneer Woman that year. I was in love with her tips on food, but it was an added bonus for me that she had photography tutorials. I tried so hard to emulate what she was posting on her blog photo wise, but shooting with a Canon Powershot, these were the best that I could muster up out of my little point and shoot.

One year later, my husband suggested it might be best for me to maybe buy a better camera to get the results I have been yearning for. I knew nothing about photography. The best of my knowledge extended to directing and producing a documentary on my friends’ band when I was in high school. By chance though, while perusing Overstock for a new rug, I stumbled upon a Canon Rebel XS that was refurbished, and for sale for just $325. I jumped on it.

I posted this photo on my facebook page to show my friends how proud I was of my new toy. After that, I got the best advice I could ever get, and I pass on the same advice to aspiring photographers asking me where to start. A couple friends told me these things:

• take it off AUTO and shoot manually (confused? Put it on Aperture Priority, study your readings, then go back to manual)
• don’t use the pop up flash
• buy yourself a nifty fifty lens
• shoot RAW

These were the best things I have heard, and followed through. Within a few months of getting my new lens, and learning how to shoot manually, I worked on shooting.

I’ve been photographing my food and trying to learn how to edit cleanly. We had an upcoming trip to the Philippines just a few months after acquiring the camera, and I figured that I should practice on my nieces to see if I wanted to also photograph people, not just food.

I fell in love with portraiture during this trip, despite the bad composition, terrible editing, and less that passable for professionals shots. I wanted this to be my new art. I couldn’t figure out how I wanted to edit though. I was using a free program, and it was probably time to get photoshop. When I did get photoshop, I got free actions off the internet. During that first year, I never taught myself how important white balance was, or how to not overcompensate for not getting a shot in camera with post processing. I had no idea what I was doing in post-processing. Needless to say, at the time, it was my Achilles heel. I had friends urging me to make this something I can use as a business. This was early 2010. I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t. I didn’t have it in me. I wanted to keep practicing. Nothing else drives me crazier than putting myself out there, and then not being able to deliver. I couldn’t deliver yet.

I did photos for a friend in the spring of 2010 just to see if I can hack it in photographing other people besides my family. I had fun, but it was challenging for me. I didn’t know anything about light, when to shoot, what to look for in location. It was for sure amateur. I didn’t even know anything about cropping, let alone how to properly turn over files to my friend. After that experience, I decided to cool off on the whole idea of even doing business. I needed to learn the basics.

After a year though, I did start a business in 2011. Looking back, I still think that I did this a year too early. Here’s the thing though; I thought I was pretty darn good already. Ha! I thought everything that could be learned, has been learned in the past year. All is not done in vain though, as I would be doing something in late 2011 that will forever change the fate of my photography.

Late in 2011, I decided I would apply for CMpro. I thought maybe I had a shot. I thought that in 2 years, I have done a great deal of improvement, and that should be enough for me to get this. I had been reading my heart out, anything and everything posted on the blogs, and I thought for sure I had this one in the bag.

I didn’t. I did not even get close. I cried. All those improvements I thought I did already, like framing, editing, processing, cohesiveness, all the stuff I thought I already fixed, I didn’t. I was way over my head, and these things I lack are pretty much haunting me. I then picked my pathetic self off the floor, and read the reviews and critiques of my images. I fixed everything that was pointed out. At the end of my application, there was a caveat: they would like for me to apply again later on, and are interested to see my growth. I took that as my driving force.

In late 2012, I did it again. I polished my photos to the best of my abilities, and my editing as well. I was more mindful of my camera. I also finally upgraded by this point to what I’m using now, my 5d mark III. It became the year where my camera and I went from dating for 3 years, to marriage. I applied for CMpro, and this time, I got in. I jumped for joy, and I could not believe how much all the hard work has paid off.

The past couple of years have still been a journey of discovery. I have also moved away from California, the only place I have known as an adult. It is amazing discovering new places, new faces. New scenery is good for the soul. New challenges await. What the past 5 years has taught me is that despite plans changing; I could not be in a better place. There were lots of struggles, but it’s been by far the best job I’ve ever had. I have met the best people, the most creative bunch even. I continue to learn, continue to grow. I enjoy watching people love, people hug, and children play.

It has been a goal of mine, once I started refining my vision and technical skills better, that I want my work to have a feeling of belonging. I want people to look at it, and feel exactly how I felt. I’m an observer, and I love people watching. Conveying emotions is first and foremost the most important part of my photography, and I’ve found that finding my voice was the most difficult thing. Sometimes, I do still struggle with it, and question myself every now and then. I think that’s what keeps me from settling at one place with photography, there’s always that need to evolve. So I continue on this path and this avenue; it isn’t so bad. I’ll always love food, but photography will also always be loved.