"your energy.... success guaranteed" || school

It's been a while since I've written on the blog. School has been really busy so I haven't been able to redesign my blog, but I know where this blog is going. It'll happen soon!

I've decided to mainly focus on my growth as a photojournalist. I found my niche in the photography world and this is only the beginning. I'm amazed at how much I'm learning in this program. More on that later.

Today was my first experience in doing a portfolio review. At my college every program has an advisory board. Our advisory board is really unique because the members come in and sit down with us and look at our portfolios.

When advisory board was first mentioned I was so clueless. I just knew it'd be big name photographers/photo editors checking out our portfolios. Honestly, after my first few critique classes I thought my portfolio would suck and I wouldn't go to advisory board. It's pretty intimidating when your work is being looked by anyone, but especially by professionals. 

But since they only come in twice a year, I knew it wouldn't be good to miss the first one. I had to get over my nerves and fears. I would rather take a risk than miss an opportunity. I put together something - something I wasn't sure would be well received. 

The tension and the energy in the classroom today is the kind of environment I enjoy being in. I also really enjoying talking to people so what I experienced today was much better than I expected. I had braced myself for scary people and harsh critiques. 

The risk was totally worth it. Each person I spoke with was incredibly helpful and motivating. Some were really positive about my work. Others were interested in who I was and how I see the world. I got a lot of good feedback - more than I expected. I was afraid I'd come out doubting myself and what I'm doing here, but rather this whole experience confirmed why I'm here. Today has probably been one of my favorite days at school.

Through this experience I learned the importance of being myself, being confident of who I am and what I am capable of. I'm embracing the amount of growth I'm going through and it's only been 2.5 months. Incredible. 

"Your energy, eagerness to learn, natural talent and infectious smile will make your success guaranteed." 

Words are powerful. I soaked in every word that came out of each person I spoke with. When someone believes in you and can see what's going on in your head, it means a lot. Take it and cherish it. Each person I met weren't giving out cheap words. They meant what they were saying. 

Here are a few pictures from my portfolio. The challenge now is to go out and take enough shots to replace all of these with much better photos. Its a good kind of pressure.

Until next time... enjoy!