Some Background...December 2016 was a rough month for me. I completed my first semester in Management and International Business at the University of Toronto with less than stellar grades, I wasn't particularly enjoying all my courses, and often felt suffocated with such a strict and heavy academically focused course load while suffering from frequent cases of burnout. I'd be lying if I said there weren't times that I wanted to quit or switch out into artistic - where I believe my true passion lied in. After hours of phone calls asking for advice from close friends, I decided to persevere through another semester before jumping to a decision. However, for the sake of my own sanity, I needed to make a change. After all, insanity is doing the same thing over again hoping for a different result (thank you, Einstein). First week into my second semester, I stumbled across a photography course that was being offered. As a specialized business student, I already had more than the average student with 6 courses, and adding another elective would mean 7 courses, not to mention another $700. Although most of my older friends advised against spending so much money on something I could easily "just learn myself," I decided that I was going to do it anyways as a passion project, not knowing what I was getting myself into. Self-Teaching Photography vs. Taking a CourseIf you had asked me 4 months ago to explain ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed to you, I'd probably stare at you with a blank expression. Although I owned a pretty hefty mid-level DSLR thanks to my photographer father, all I ever used it was as a point (what a waste)! I don't think I ever took it off auto mode! Although many valuable free online tutorials taught me how to finally move into manual mode, I didn't find that any of my photos got any better. Sure, long exposure is cool but anyone can do that and I didn't quite learn anything that really helped differentiate my work from anybody else. The value in taking a legitimate photography course lies in the conceptual teaching approach that gives meaning to your work. We never picked up the camera and looked at it technically. Those things come best with practice, through trial and error. Not matter how many books I read on the technical aspects, I could never remember what ISO did until I was forced to shoot a project at night. The most important thing that photography class taught me was to use the camera as a tool to convey and serve as an extension of your mind. Not the other way around. That's when I started to really pick up the camera and play with the settings to express my ideas. Aside from learning how to make pieces of art that is your own, photography class motivated me to JUST GO SHOOT. You can't get better at anything by simply thinking about it. Just because I appreciate watching hours of The Voice on Youtube doesn't mean I can suddenly become a great singer. Shooting by myself at first was awfully frustrating because surprise surprise, YOU WILL SUCK in the beginning and progress will be slow which can often be discouraging and often led me to stop shooting altogether. Having photo assignments due every other week keeps you accountable to pick up the camera every day to learn something new and push you out of your comfort zone. Do I Recommend It?Absolutely, 110% yes. If not photography, it's important to take on a side passion project no matter what it is. My love for photography sparked from my burnout. Having a camera attached to my hip forces me to look at things deeper, notice what I notice and stay alert which prevents me from just going through the motions. In the end, the most important investment you can ever make is in yourself. My Progress:Let's Get In Touch!
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My past week or so consisted of constructed and sent out 30+ cold emails to various music publications asking for photo passes to cover indie bands who were coming to Toronto to perform. Since I experienced little luck with most of these requests, I was about to throw in the towel and stick to my regular portraiture, I was surprised to find an unread email during dinner on a Friday night. One of the media publications had finally replied, but only with a request to see my portfolio of concert photos. Bringing DSLR cameras are strictly forbidden in most concert theatres, so scrambling to find something decent only resulted in subpar iPhone photos taken in a sea of people in General Admission. So I decided to find another approach. I was inspired by the analogy used in a video by one of my favourite photographers Jessica Kobeissi on how to stay inspired while grinding as a photographer about "faking it until you make it." That if your dream is to become wedding photographer but you can't book a wedding, to make your own wedding by getting friends to dress up and shooting a fake wedding for the sake of having photos to use to build up your portfolio. I decided to put that theory to the test. Most university students make their way over to the neighbourhood bar on a Friday night for the purpose of getting a little CH3CH2OH in their systems, forget about the week and have a good time with a few friends. I saw online that my local pub was hosting a live music performance that night and decided to head over with my camera in hopes to ask the band if I can take their photos. However, by the time we got there, we realized that there was a mistake on the website, that it was karaoke night and the live band was the next day. So we decided to stay for a bit. Starting a casual conversation with a few people in the tables next to us, introducing myself as a local photographer, by the time it was their turn to take the mic, I asked if I could take their photos if I promise to send it to them afterwards. They kindly said yes and I was able to use what I had to shoot "concert like" photos. There was a mic, stage lights and singers. All I had to do was make it look like there was a huge crowd and not squished into the front of a pub. Although pulling out a massive camera was quite intimidating for me at first, getting confused glances from the people next to me, it was a hit by the end of the night. I was able to collect a list of contacts and talk to a variety of different people, even making a few friends. The people who were reluctant to get their photos taken at first then slowly started asking for more! The key takeaway from this lesson is to always find ways to make the best out of your situation by being creative and start with using the resources available around you to meet your needs. Not only did I end up with a collection of great photographs that I can use to start building a portfolio with, I was able to grab a few drinks and have genuine conversations with new people, not to mention a great networking opportunity to gain exposure. Let's get in touch!The grass always looks greener on the other side. That being said, most of us never get to the other side because we are too afraid to take that first step. Having dabbled in photography for a few years now, it was always something that I loved to do, but never really got a chance to get good at. When I heard about a photography class being offered at my school, I immediately jumped on board. On the first day, I asked my professor what I can do to make my photos better. I expected to hear something along the lines of "use this lens" or "buy this kind of camera" or "for God's sake use the rule of thirds!" Instead, I was told to simply go shoot more. So I did. The first few shots sucked. I got bored, lost motivation and eventually got frustrated and started shooting less and less. Although I wasn't over the roof about my shots, I still ended up posting some of the better ones on my Instagram. A few days later, an old friend messaged me saying that she loved my shots and asked if I would help out shooting with a conference. Without hesitation, I said yes. It was my first legit shoot and I was nervous for days. However, having run many large scale conferences in the past, I immediately felt at home and knew exactly what kind of excitement needed to be captured. At the end of the day, I came home with 698 shots and saw my skill level increase exponentially through the post processing. Adjusting ISO, aperture and shutter speed simultaneously came like second nature, although it was my biggest struggle beforehand. Shooting with such a large organization right from the beginning of my photography journey showed me how important it is that if you want to get better at something, to just go out there and do it. There's no secret sauce or equation that will make you a better photographer, the times you click the shutter, the better you will get. Let's get in touch!Instagram: @wendyhwei (personal) @heywendywei (photography) |