a facebook.

i thought i would hold off on creating a fan page. then i decided i might as well get the exposure while the getting is good. there are tons of people on facebook that don't do blogs and a little free advertising never aint gonna hurt nobody. =)

you can "like" it here if you like: 
Paige Anderson Photography Fan Page

with a little help from my friends and family over next few weeks i will get the opportunity to expand my horizon a bit. i can't wait to show you guys the results.

a frustration.

if you are already a pretty savvy photographer, you probably vividly remember what it's like to learn exposure and all the practice it takes to get it right. i am still trying to get it right. i made myself a promise not to ever shoot in auto again. i had to go manual and stay in manual. so far it's been an semi-easy task. i can usually set the exposure, snap a few, and go on about my business. that was not the case this past friday. i was so excited to go along with emma on her field trip to the new mississippi children's museum until i tried to take pictures.


i immediately started to get hot and could feel the anxiety rise from my toes to the top of my head. the lighting changed with every step i would take. to top it off, these kids would not stay in one place for longer than .00053 seconds. i was missing practically every shot i tried to get. when i would get the exposure nailed the gals would move. i would set it again and they would move again. i was having a panic attack at this point. for me, when this happens, it proves that I'm not good enough to be a photographer.


after an inner freak-out, i told my self to calm the heck down. what would these pictures be used for? they would be my reminder of this wonderful day with emma. they would not be on a gallery wall...maybe just my facebook wall. with all that in mind i turned my little dial to P and shot without regret for the rest of our time at the museum. i decided to let the camera figure out the lighting so i could sit back and enjoy my time with emma.

later that evening, i still felt like i had lost all that learnin' i thought i had. my bag sat on the counter and i just knew the camera inside was mocking me.


emma had a friend over and tim decided we should build a little fire outside. it ended up being perfect because hot dogs were on the menu. we let them roast hot dogs and make s'mores. my mood had lifted and i decided to pull out my camera. i put it back in manual.

a beginning.

we all have one. this is mine.

i have always wanted to create something. i have taken on many incarnations: scrapbooker, jewelry maker, business owner, invitation maker, and the -er list could go on. i always start and never quite follow through. why? i know there are many reasons and i could spend the next three years explaining them, but i don't want you to leave so soon.

the one constant throughout my years has been taking photographs. my mom had a little 110 and took it everywhere. i love sifting through her photograph albums. when i was pregnant with emma, i knew i wanted to update my camera. digital was a big deal, but i was not ready to head in that direction, instead, i purchased a canon film camera. i took hundreds of rolls of film. some came out and some didn't. it was a guessing game.

that camera was stolen and i finally bought a nikon digital point and shoot. i thought i was big time. certainly i took pictures of the girls, but i realized i liked taking pictures of everything else too. 3 point and shoots later, tim bought me a Nikon D40 dSLR. now i really thought i was hot stuff. i shot everything on auto mode and it was still hit and miss whether the photograph would turn out. the quality and my composition had definitely improved, though.

with all that being said i knew deep down i really wanted to pursue this further than i had pursued anything before. for some reason i just couldn't bring myself to save the money or study to find out what all those fancy buttons on my camera could do. this past november it hit me like a bolt of lightening...i'm about to turn 36. isn't that half way to death? what have i done with my life? besides my beautiful family? well, the answer was, NOT MUCH. this is the moment i decided to do something for myself.

if you know me well at all, you know that i am no good with money. i can't save it. i'm usually squeezing my pennies the last few days before payday. i actually saved enough money in 3 months to purchase my new "professional" camera. paige anderson actually set a goal and met it. besides that, which i promise you is huge, i have studied my buns off to learn how to properly operate my camera. this is a way huge moment for me.

i'm not going to say i have talent, i'll leave that up to you guys to decide. i love doing this. i love the reaction a great photograph can bring. am i a professional? heck no! do i want to be? heck yes! am i learning? yes, everyday. i am nowhere near close to being where i want to be. but i am closer today than i was three months ago.  

another reminder of why i want to do this: