A Tale of Two Careers

I am a portrait/wedding photographer.

I also work at the Mayo Clinic – as an analyst, non-photography related.

I often got asked if I’d become a full time photographer. To be honest, I don’t know.

While I do love photography, I also really enjoy my job at the Mayo Clinic. My undergraduate was in psychology/marketing, and I also finished my MBA last year so the job really fits well with my educational background.

As for photography, it was pretty much self-taught. I started off reading photography books (told you I love reading!), then participated in some photography forums, and did some photography workshops.

I know a lot of photographers said they loved photography since they were little… my love for photography didn’t start until I was in my early twenties – while I was searching for my own wedding photographer. In high school, I loved paintings so much more (but had hardly ever painted since…)  Since I grew up in Hong Kong (then later on in Australia – but I had no reason to look into wedding photography then!), the only wedding photography style I knew of was studio-based photography. The couple would get to dress up in different outfits (e.g. Chinese wedding customs, Japanese or Korean customs just for fun, and western wedding customs), and actually have their wedding photos taken BEFORE the wedding day (more like a portrait session). Then on the wedding day, photography typically isn’t part of the package – there are enough relatives and friends to take photos that day since almost everyone has a camera.

I was never really into that style of photography, so when I got engaged and started really looking for a wedding photographer (the wedding would be held in the US), that’s when I discovered the power of photojournalistic style of wedding photography. I love the emotions captured.

My then boyfriend (now husband) decided to send me a SLR as a gift (a Canon Rebel – FILM camera… am I dating myself here? ). I was still living in Australian then, and he was in MN. To my shock, I ended up having to pay about A$300 (about US $200? depending on the exchange rate) for the package for customs fees! I almost sent the camera back to him :p

My first wedding was for a friend in Melbourne (before I actually started as a business). It was all film. Much different to digital in terms of perparation (how many rolls of films do I need?! What ISO since I can’t change mid-roll?), actual photography (you have to change rolls every 24 or 36 shots, in the middle of the ceremony, hoping the ring exchange or kiss won’t be within the next few seconds…), or workflow afterwards (a lot less time spent on computers).

I digress.

Regardless whether my photography is full time or not, I still give in 110% at every wedding or photo shoot. There are also many behind the scene hours (thanks to digital photography! ) As with anything else, it’s a balancing act.

Since I am feeling a bit sentimental tonight (must be the new year!), I’d post my FIRST ever wedding here (without shooting any weddings, or second shooting/helping another photographer before). I am still proud of it – especially since that’s how I started my photography journey, and how I got hooked into wedding photography.

(okay for some reasons the photos I posted aren’t showing up anymore, so will re-post now):