Just like Lisa, who we’re featuring today, I was first motivated to start learning photography after my first daughter was born.

It’s like something I hadn’t even focused on before ‘clicked’ inside me… and I suddenly needed to be able to capture all the small moments, the big milestones, the celebration events as she grew. Then as I dived into photography, at first because I wanted beautiful photos… it became something so much more.

It became a passion I excitedly embraced. The friends and connection that also came into my life is also something I’m thankful for… so much so that community is a key tenet of our CLG Courses. You don’t just join our course, you are welcomed into our community… and that keeps going long after you complete the course.

So I’m really excited to introduce you today to Lisa, and share her gorgeous imagery with you as inspiration for your own photography journey… wherever you’re at right now!

 

Let’s meet Lisa…

Lisa O’Doherty lives in Donegal, Ireland with her husband, daughter Eve and her much loved furbaby Jasper!

She joined our Enthusiast course after her daughter was born and felt an urgent need to master her camera after years of frustrating missed shots and the rare lucky shot. She was determined she would not let that happen throughout her daughter’s first year and her childhood.

Read on to learn how taking the course gave Lisa the ability to capture her vision exactly as she imagined, on purpose (no lucky shots here!)…

 

The desire to take all.the.photos!

I’ve been interested in photography for years, as a way of trying to capture all the memories. I feel like I’m scared I’ll forget our memories so I try to hold onto them by taking photos.

I got my first DSLR in 2014 and I would take my dog Jasper on road trips to take photos of scenery and landscapes. I did use it in manual mode, but I had to google the best settings to use for this beach, or that mountain. Sometimes it failed and I would resort to using my iPhone. Sometimes I got lucky and got a great photo… but that was just it, luck.

I really had no clue how to use my camera and I had zero understanding of what makes a great photo. Under pressure, I didn’t know what setting I needed to change or which dial or button does what…

Soon I got fed up with all the preparation I needed to do before a trip, how stressed I felt when I missed something great, or the photo didn’t look anything like my vision. I had no idea what went wrong or how to fix it because I didn’t understand my camera.

Eventually I gave up, packed my camera away, and resorted to using my iPhone.

Fast forward to January 2018, and our daughter Eve was born. The need to record all the moments intensified. My husband uncovered my camera from the rubble in the spare room.

During Eve’s naps, I would read up a little on photography and I came across the CLG Facebook group.

I loved how the course was focused on women and so welcoming to beginners. Once there I discovered their Enthusiast Photography Course and soon after I enrolled.

 

 

Learning with Click Love Grow

I went into the Enthusiast Photography Course with an open mind but regardless I did not expect to learn the amount of priceless information that I did.

The course is so well structured that I never once felt overwhelmed. The way each lesson is designed, by the end of each one, everything would click.

Each lesson flows so well into the next that by the time you’re finished, everything is so ingrained that you can’t believe you didn’t understand it before. Louise explains everything so well and so clearly, it seems like the easiest thing in the world.

 

Becoming second nature

Before I did this course, my photos seemed so meticulously planned, but in reality they were not planned at all. I knew that I was going to this place to take a photo of that thing and that the internet told me I needed this particular group of settings.

What I didn’t understand was that time of day matters, the location of the sun, where my focus should be, my depth of field, whether I wanted to capture or freeze motion. And most importantly, how to use my settings to capture Jasper in the way I envisioned (I have more blurry photos of Jasper than anything!).

Since I finished the course, planning a photo has become second nature and isn’t a stressful chore anymore. I’m aware of background clutter, lines, direction and angle of light, colour of light, the story I want to tell or what memory I want to capture.

When I take a photo now, I have the ability to capture my vision. I get butterflies in my stomach when I finish a photo and it looks exactly as I had envisioned it.

I’ve never in all my life felt so passionate about something and each photo I finish makes me so excited about what the next one will be. When I take a photo that doesn’t work out as planned, I now have the ability to understand why it didn’t work. I can make a plan for next time, knowing exactly what I need to change.

 

Starting my business

I recently started my photography business, All About Eve Photography. In the months since taking the Enthusiast Course, I’ve been drawn to lifestyle and documentary style photos. So I tend to take more natural, unposed photos as I love to capture real moments, connections and emotions between people.

My goal is to eventually turn it into a career, and to keep learning as much as I can and expanding on my skills.

I’ve now joined the CLG Biz Builder’s group and the information, support and resources in there is helping me plan the next step in my business.

 

A genuinely supportive & positive community

I really benefited from the support that was available. When you join the course, you’re added to a private group with all your co-students and the CLG instructors.

I loved how open and willing to help everyone was. I am a person who needs regular boosts and a push in the right direction and I really got this from the course. There was an opportunity each week to be featured in the CLG newsletter, which is so exciting and it’s something extra to strive for.

I loved how each lesson came with a challenge, and you received individual feedback on your challenge photos.

The challenges gave me something to focus on and plan for the week ahead. They also encouraged me to get out of the house with Eve, who was only a few months old when I started the course. Then when the course is complete, you’re added to a new group full of past graduates, which is amazing as everyone started in the same position. It’s so inspiring to see the work of much more experienced photographers, and to see people growing and learning along with you.

 

Click Love Grow changed my life!

I would absolutely recommend Click Love Grow to friends. I can’t speak highly enough of this course, it has really changed my life!

I take my camera absolutely everywhere with me now and I look forward to each day because there’s always a new opportunity to capture something amazing.

I have amazing photos of moments I love… Eve playing in the bath… Jasper looking up at me on a walk… my husband laying on the sofa with Eve… her first curls in that pocket of light in the evening in our bedroom that I had never noticed before.

It’s exciting to know that I have recorded all these memories and if it wasn’t for this course, they would just be memories in our minds.

 

Before & After

 

A big thanks to Lisa for sharing her story with us, and her beautiful photos! If you want to see more of  her work you can find her at All About Eve Photography.

If you’d like to learn how to master your camera, shoot in manual mode and confidently record your children’s milestones and life events… our Enthusiast Photography Course is starting soon and I would love to help you achieve your goals! Head here to get all the details and register…