PHOTOGRAPHY TALK, FEAR, UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT | NC, PHOTOGRAPHER

This time last year I was full of fear and really on the fence about how to share my photography and if I was ready. I knew I had so much to learn but I also thought I was at a point where I couldn’t continue to develop if I didn’t take a leap of faith and some risks. A term I learned during my corporate career called FUD was real and prominent in my psyche. It’s a sales term taught as a tactic on how to sway potential customers away from your competitors and it stands for: FEAR, UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT. That’s what you create in their minds about the competition’s product and I had created those feelings in my own mind. Therefore, becoming my worst critic and hindering myself from moving forward. Once I looked at it that way I knew that there was no choice but to keep putting one foot in front of the other towards developing at something I LOVE!

You see, I’ve never been one to step down from a challenge. In fact, I put my head down, pump my fists and feet and trudge into a challenge with not only a strong will but also the endurance to see it through for the long haul. Did I tell you about the time I ran a full marathon (26.2 miles) with only 2, 5K races under my belt before I started training for it? That’s what you call Capricorn craziness. Funny how photography is much like a marathon though, you don’t get there quickly. Photography is much like training for a marathon for months and months so that on that day you’ll cross the finish line. Except with photography the months turn into years and there really never is a finish line. Thank God. Every small accomplishment is a new stepping stone. You get closer to your goals by studying hard and practicing hard. By putting a large chunk of your soul into it!

I’m so thankful that the course of  a few events at this point in my life one year ago pushed me over the edge to step up my photography journey. I had been hobbying it with my 1st DSLR for over 2 years and shooting in manual most of the time but wanted MORE! One turning point was my Sister, who has been very encouraging over this past year, telling me something along the lines of: Don’t doubt that God gave you this idea and ability to make it happen for a reason. Have faith. Another was a quote that I read over and over, almost like a mantra to give me the courage I needed. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ” Mark Twain

After a year of much hard work and fear management, I feel proud. I’m certainly not the same Michelle who wouldn’t even mention my dream (not even to my own Mom) or steps I was taking toward my goal to anyone for fear of criticism and failure. I don’t even know how long my old blog was out there and my facebook page hidden before I told more than a handful of people that I was attempting this. Yeah, that was the kind of fear I was overcome with. It’s the fear of a perfectionist. Encourage others. You may never know how much they need it. I’m not where I want to be and probably  never will be but I’m much farther than where I was a year ago. I’m grateful for the challenges and accomplishments that 2011 has delivered. It makes me happy to view all the faces I’ve been able to capture, freezing moments in time. Thank you to my past and future clients! I feel humbled by the opportunities I’ve been given to photograph you. YOU are what make it all possible and my vision a reality. Here’s to 2012!!!