A promise is a promise!

So in my first blog I mentioned that at this time in my life college just isn't for me; and that I would cover that in a future blog.  Guess it's time now, eh?  I mean, you've heard me whine enough already about not being a good dad, huh? LOL

Anyway, I didn't come by this thought lightly.  I suppose I have a bit of a left-over anti-college streak left in me form hearing my father rail against the establishment of "the piece of paper doesn't make me smarter," which was juxtaposed with the indoctrination of my mother that was "if you don't go to college you won't amount to anything."  Ok, maybe that's not fair to her...but that is how it came across at the time and stuck on the dartboard that is my mind.  The point of all that blathering is I did have a balance from which to ponder my dilemma.

Man, this brings back memories!

My dilemma?  Ohhh...perhaps I'm a bit ahead of myself.  If you've not kept up, my kids are all in school now.  After spending many years as a stay-at-home Dad, I find myself wondering, "What next?"  Or, as my lovely wife, Karen says, "What are you going to be when you grow up?"  The fact on if I'm going to grow up is another debate altogether.  As stated I found myself staring at a camera I purchased a little over a year ago.  I have always wanted something better than my crappy point and shoots that kept getting pop spilled on them. >.<  But ever since my first DISC Camera waaaaaaay back when I was 8, I've loved taking pictures of my finger in front of the White House.  That stupid Disc camera had it's lens in the wrong place...my finger belonged there, and I'm sticking to it.

I tumbled through school bouncing from wanting to be an Art Teacher because I despised one of mine so bad I wanted nothing more than to replace him, to Commercial Design and then Youth Ministry.  Commercial Design took a header after my senior year after I had taken two years of Commercial Design.  I liked the class enough, but after having to hear for the umpteenth time "That's not what I want" when I delivered exactly what was asked for from some guy who had no business drawing a stick figure with a ruler, I decided there was no way I could make a career of doing that daily and no shoot someone inside of two years.

I settled on Youth Ministry and started looking for a good place to get a degree in it.  However, my fiance' was going into computers.  We had agreed she would make vast sums of money above and beyond what I ever could in ministry, thus she would go to school first.  We also decided I would be a stay at home dad, based on desire, money and what not.  So off she went to school. while I worked retail, moved into management and passed up store after store promotion so she could get that degree.  We moved back to Indiana, I ran screaming from full-time retail, left management and she started working on her BS degree.  (Note to Dad: BS stands for Bachelor of Science, MS is Master of Science and PhD doesn't mean "Piled Higher and Deeper.  I know, shocked me too!)  Blah blah blah, hit the fast forward and I've come to the conclusion that my calling is not to a career in youth ministry.

And thus, I found myself staring at the camera.  Talk about your digressions!  Photography speaks to the artistic side of me.  I argued internally, sought advice and just plain harassed people in my life for their opinion on college.  Looking at different schools, so few had schedules that would allow me to be home with my children when they got off the bus and still pursue a degree in Photography.  Add to the fact that they all seemed to be very expensive degrees.  I needed a portfolio...which I do not have in photography, to get into many of the programs around the area.  It was all very frustrating.

Shameless plug? Maybe...but I doubt I get
a free class outta this.

During my searches though, I stumbled across Indy Photo Coach.  There was a very loud few measures of Handel's "Messiah" coupled with this beaming light from my window and the image of Jesus pointing to the computer screen saying, "Hey dolt, look...not college, but an edu-ma-cation."  Ok, that might have been the questionable yogurt two days past expiration that I was eating at the time, but it all definitely lined up with my desires and schedules.  Plus, lets face it...it didn't cost a whole lot!  I do wish the classes were a bit longer, but I've learned a lot more than I imagined I could have.  I mean, look at the difference!

Before IPC:                                                                             After IPC:

Lighting is all wrong.  I even got the off camera
flash in the frame!

So much better!  Fancy lighting abounds!

So I'm smack in the middle of my second and third classes and I think I've found what I love most about photography.  For a long time I thought of photography, especially nature and architectural photography, as plagurizing someone else's work, God's, Ted Moseby, architect's you name it.  I figured, with exception of product shoots where the photographer manipulates the object, sets up a still life or something, it was just capturing another's work in a new or different way and claiming it your own.  But in the Speedlighting class, I am falling in love with how one manipulates the light.  So many neat tricks I've learned.  So many more I'm going to experiment with once I get a stand, umbrella and gels.  (Parents reading this...hint, hint...)  The world of off-camera flash and light sculpting is amazing.  I will probably pay for a private lesson with the same teacher covering the same aspects just because I feel more comfortable with someone over my shoulder guiding me as I learn.  Plus I really connected with Dustin's teaching style.  The fact that he teaches high school on a regular basis is in no way a comment on my immaturity.  I make that comment on my own, thank you very much!

Wrapping it all up though, I do think once I'm comfortable behind the lens and producing professional level images, I will look into business management type classes at maybe Ivy Tech or something.  Not a degree, just something to tuck under my belt so that I feel safer in taking the risk of opening my own photography business and studio.