Lissa in Nashville

Summer is here and I am jonesing to get out with my camera and take some pictures of random things as the weather becomes warm and it feels like God is beckoning me outside with his own hand.

I've been looking at SO many photographers' websites in the past few months. I want to know why I like the ones I do, why I don't care for certain styles, etc. I am very drawn to shots of children, which is not surprising considering my natural affinity for kids. Although I realize that extra lighting is almost always added, I really love natural lighting. There's something in the talent of a photographer to use what he or she is given and produce amazing artwork that people can cherish.

I'm also learning what I do not like. I've been praising Evan for his photography style for almost a year now, and I mean every word. I love his black-and-whites and I love his eye for an interesting angle. His shots are a great blend of a photojournalistic style and a personal touch. One thing I've discovered that I do not care for is photography that is really, really artistic. I looked at a wedding photographer's blog and his pictures were SO "artsy". What do I mean by that? Gosh, I don't even know. The subjects were extremely posed. There were a few emotional, personal shots, but for the most part it was just overwhelming ART ART ART. Look, I lined them up with some boxes and made an interesting shape. Look, this person and that person side by side look like a rectangle. Look, one person is in a window and one is not. I really dig photography that feels emotional and spontaneous.. which, thinking about it, nothing about a wedding is spontaneous. All brides [attempt to] plan out every spare second of the wedding events. Perhaps this is good insight as to why I've never felt the calling to be a wedding photographer.

As I discover more things that I like and dislike, it makes me more excited to get behind my camera. After all, you can't know what you want to do until you konw what you DON'T want to do!