Alethia shares for us on Thursday and heads up our Pinterest page. When she is not helping us out here at Snap Maven, she is a contributing blogger at Photographer's Connection and creating her own Lightroom and Photoshop Actions and Tutorials.
1. Tell us about yourself...
Honestly, I've always had a hard time talking about myself. I know who I am to an outsider. A mom, a wife, a jokester and a photographer. The "me" that nobody sees is deeply in search for a better tomorrow. So to talk about myself I'd say that I have this mindset that is still stuck in the clouds. I crave the crisp air and singing of wind chimes. I am eternally in search of "normal" because I have no idea what that is. My life has never followed the typical path so I am constantly in search of something that I've only ever known from books. I do love to read and I lose myself in the stories I read. Some of my favorite authors are Jane Austin, Phillipa Gregory, Michael Critchton and of course J.K. Rowling. Maybe one day I'll wake up. :)
2. What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels it now?
My passion started back when I was probably 11 or 12. I had this Polaroid camera and we were on a family vacation. We were visiting the Grand Canyon and I wanted to be a National Geographic photographer.
What ignites my photography now is a desire to capture that spark of beauty around me. I want to get out and shoot more and I want to show the world what I see in my mind and through my eyes. It doesn't always workout, but I will continue to try. My imagination drives me to push harder and to move forward.
3. What's in your camera bag right now, what do use the most? the least?
What's in my camera bag? A camera. Three lenses. A posing guide. Maybe some lint? My favorite kind of lens is a prime lens. I use those the most. The least, are the zoom lenses. I tend to get right up on my subjects so I rarely use my zoom lens. I'm not trying to hide anything, but I feel that it really doesn't matter what I shoot with, as long as it makes me happy and it works for me. My greatest advice for anyone looking at equipment is determine what you NEED, not what you WANT. If your a landscape person, you need a wide angle, if you love closeups, consider an 85 or 50 mm. You want to shoot flowers and bugs? Invest in a macro.
4. What's your dream project or shoot?
My dream project would be to travel and photograph the world as no one has ever seen it before. I want to capture what nobody sees and what everyone overlooks. I think we have become desensitized to so much and we need a good visual slap to show us the way.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?
The biggest challenge I face is making what I see in my head work out on camera. I have so many grand ideas that never make it to "film" (computer screen) because I just can't seem to get them to work out. I will one day though. I will never stop trying. I write a lot of my ideas down and I hope when I am more capable, I can revisit them and bring them to fruition.
6. You are good at so many things, Alethia! You have an extensive education, you create actions, presets and tutorials, you write articles, and you're an amazing photographer! Is there anything creative that you are not good at that you wish you were?
First I'd like to say what a shock it is to read that, lol. I always wished I could paint, dance (such as ballet) or just be super chic and create the epic interior designs like I see in magazines. I'm a Libra, I like my world to be pretty and I try really hard but I have no idea how to dress, how to fix my hair or how to decorate my house. People always say my house is eclectic. Its not on purpose, I just don't know how to put things together. I don't like things to be too matchy and I end up working with colors rather than themes. I think its because its just too much stuff. I get overwhelmed with the coordinating items I just go blank.
Scrapbooking....that's my nemesis. I tried once and failed miserably.
7. You already mentor other photographers, new and seasoned alike, is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at the very beginning of your photography journey?
Yes, stop looking at everyone else's work and develop on your own strengths. Do what makes YOU feel good and what makes YOU happy. In the end it won't be everyone else who made your life, it will be you.
You can catch up with Alethia here...
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