Receive a cheap camera as a child = a love of photography is born.

This is such a familiar story… in fact it’s exactly my story too (I won’t tell you what year!)…

…but in this instance, the story belongs to Jessica Lea Slade, from Perth in Western Australia.

Jess graduated from our Enthusiast Photography Course in 2016, which she undertook after having a baby and deciding she didn’t want to be disappointed in her images any longer!

Loving Photography

I think I’ve always loved photography, to preserve the memories that were unfolding around me.

As a kid I remember the excitement I felt when I was given a disposable camera.

I would save my shots for all the important things in my life… but I also remember the massive disappointment I would feel my photos didn’t turn out how I had hoped.

 

In 2011 I was gifted my first DSLR and I had a few very poor attempts using my friends as models.

Thankfully we can all laugh at those now! But in 2015 after I had my first baby, I decided I wanted to take the kind of images that I would be proud to put on my walls. So began my journey to understand my camera.

I attempted to learn through online tutorials but it just did not sink in.

It wasn’t until I undertook the Click Love Grow Enthusiast Photography Course, that I discovered learning about all those different buttons on my camera could actually be fun!

Since I have completed the course my photography has been purposeful.

The images I capture are no longer just snap shots filled with clutter, they’re beautiful images that I’m proud to display.

 

The elusive ‘Ah-Has’?

The biggest ‘aha’ moment was when I understood the Exposure Triangle which got me out of auto mode.

Before taking part in the course I just couldn’t grasp how each element fit together, and what would happen if I slightly changed a setting.

 

Lou pieces the exposure triangle together slowly, laying all the information out in small manageable chunks, and it was this method that allowed me to finally begin shooting, successfully, in manual mode.

 

Goals & Dreaming

I have a few goals in mind!

My long term goal, when my little ones are much more independent, is to branch out to birth photography.

Birth is just too unpredictable with very young kids of my own!

My current goal is to run a successful photography business and I have begun taking on paying clients predominantly for family sessions.

 

I really enjoy working with families and couples.

I just love those first snuggles between a new parent and the little being they’ve created or those sneaky forehead kisses shared between a couple, old or new.

I love being able to document the raw emotions and connections people share.

 

 

Inspiration

Mothers are my biggest inspiration.

So often they are behind the camera capturing all the moment around them and they are only to be seen in a grainy selfie.

I want mothers to be present in their photos, I want children to look back and have beautiful photos with their mums.

 

 

Gear you Love?

I love my tripod and being able to remotely connect to one of my cameras!!

It means I can be in a few images and create what I have in mind rather than begging my poor husband to attempt to create my vision.

 

Before & After

These shots are taken a year apart.

The first year I needed so much help with my little crawler, I took nearly 50 shots to get 3 semi decent, albeit blurry images.

The second year I did it alone with my candy cane fuelled runner in literally 3 minutes. I managed 7 shots in total, which includes my test shots, and still got 3 lovely images.

 

Thankyou lovely Jess for sharing with us!

Check out more of Jess’ work or you want to book her for a session, you can find her on her website, Facebook or Instagram.

 

If you’ve always wanted to take beautiful photos, let us show you how.

Read all about our Enthusiast Photography Course over here.

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