Remembering back when I got my first camera. It wasn’t long ago, it was actually just last summer and it was a DSLR. I was so excited when I got it. I thought I was going to take pictures all day, every day. But I only ever took pictures when something was going on (parties, get-togethers, and other events) and I thought my pictures were the BOMB! Check it out:
Okay those weren’t “that” good. But I thought those pictures were so awesome. So then I took one of PrairieView's short courses. I started with Prairieview’s Photo 1 course. It wasn’t at all as I expected. It was kind of confusing at first but nothing too hard to understand. The instructor was Aaron Siverston. He made the course really understandable and after a while, I started seeing some good progress in my photos. That course changed the way I saw photography. Now it wasn’t just about clicking the shutter button whenever it was sunny. Now I knew how to make good pictures and in my opinion these picture are better than my first pictures.
It was during photo 1 that I found out what type of photography I preferred the most. Paolo Porquez, one of the instructors at Prairieview, helped me set up some flashes and light boxes in the studio. It was then that I found my passion for studio lighting and people pictures. I had my god-siblings model for me and it was so much fun for me and for them.
I guess I really like it because I’m lazy. Not that studio lighting is easy. But in the studio, I didn’t need to adjust for the light, I didn’t need to worry about stuff in the background that might ruin my shot and I didn’t need to fight the weather. Oh the weather. Especially here in “Winterpeg”. It feels like such a hassle to go out because you never really know what the weather will be like. In the studio, the lighting is controlled, the background is controlled and the temperature is controlled. I think it’s just less stress overall, and most of all, my pictures look great almost all the time. Check it out:
Oh wait, actually this one first.
You'll learn in PrairieView that a plastic bag and a rubber band can be your best friend on a rainy day. Like all the time, you'll see a flock of PrairieView students with bagged up cameras... it looks really odd.
Anyway!
Here are my shots from my first studio shoot.
Not bad for Photo-noob hey?
After Photo 1 I took like a year-long break. I only ever took pictures on outings because I had no access to a studio. I was very picky. But after I graduated highschool, Paolo Porquez suggested I take the diploma program. It was he and Aaron Sivertson said in class that helped me make my decision. Aaron talked about his experience at PrairieView and how we should just take the Diploma Program if we were really interested. Well anyway, I decided to become a professional photographer.
I started attending PrairieView's Diploma Program in September 2012. In the first few weeks or even days, classes and assignments were pretty easy going. Of course the instructors did warn us that it would only get busier. But after those few weeks, photography was just being pounded into our brains every day along with those never-ending assignments. The times of personal shooting and free time began to disappear the more we learnt about photography.
The good side was that my pictures did get better! Looking back to how my pictures looked before PrairieView, my pictures now are much better. Although I really don’t compare to the other Diploma students. Their pictures are really cool. They have more and better equipment. But the one thing that separates me from the other diploma students is our experiences. I think I can honestly say that everyone else has more photographic experience than I do. I know for a fact that in my group, everyone’s experience started out when they were young. I only started getting into photography roughly 1 year ago at the age of 17. But despite all of that, I still try to make professional quality photographs all the time.
These are my friends. I’m really proud of myself to be able to use natural lighting now. I think that these photos only look “okay” compared to actual professional photos. I have a feeling that I haven’t seen anything yet. But for now, I’m only at this level.
In the future I want to be a wedding photographer. I can do product photography too, but the studio and portraits are where I’m most comfortable in. I wish i can be a photographer like Yousuf Karsh. I love his portrait photographs, they’re really well composed and lit. But if anything my dream job would be to photograph famous people or supermodels. (Awwwh Yeaa~, Supermodels... yes. Hehehe)
Anyway, to all you future PrairieView students: Good luck! Just kidding, my only advice would be: live, breathe, and dream photography. But do take breaks when times get rough. Trust me, times will get rough and breaks help a ton.
Phitier Francisco
PV Diploma Student
2012-13
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