I Am a Fine Photographer

Recently I have had several people questioning me to as why I don't want to photograph weddings and all I can say is I'm a fine art photographer. I understand that there are fine art photographers who do weddings, but being a fine art photographer means I photograph somewhat with my emotions and in that way I feel a need to be personally connected with my chosen subject. When it comes to weddings I have to be honest and say that I can't stand them.
That alone is reason enough not to do it. Why would I want to photograph something I hate? I understand the money is good and what not, but I'm going to school to learn how to better communicate with my photos not how to photograph for somebody else. On top of that there is the stress of photographing possibly one of the most important days in someone's life and I don't want to be held responsible for not capturing the right moments.
Another thing that goes along with people not understanding why I don't want to shoot weddings are the people that automatically assume because I am a photographer I will photograph their wedding. For example, over a year ago when I started at my current workplace on of the guys had just gotten engaged and when he heard I was a photographer said, "Oh great, you can shoot my wedding it's in 2 years. How much do you charge?". My jaw literally dropped, I just met the guy and he hears what I'm going to school for and automatically assumes my interest within that major. The store manager actually laughed and said, "Wow man you do realize that she may not be a wedding photographer nor interested in that kind of photography". I immediately set the record straight because I am just not comfortable shooting in that way.
If times get hard though and money is tight, there is no saying I may not turn to wedding photography, but as long as possible I will be avoiding it.

I Want a Photo to Remember

Before starting my journey to become a photographer I wanted to be a chemist. I loved the experiments and being able to work with my hands. Chemistry went hand in hand with my interest in photography because in high school all we did was darkroom work for my photography class. The day came when I had to make a decision, focus on my artwork or crack down on my chemistry studies...I choose my artwork. I like to think it was the right decision, photography makes me happy and I would love to have that career for the rest of my life.
Entering MIAD as a freshman I was excited about all the photos I was going to take and the work I was going to make while going to school. When I had my first photography class I was completely thrown off my axis when I realized I would be starting out with digital photography and I had never worked digitally before.
Looking back on all that I've done and all the worries I had, I know that this was the right choice for me and that challenging myself in this way has only improved my photography. Since high school I've learned that photography, or art in general, is all about experimentation and being able to discover something new about yourself. So, my photography is as such. I'm constantly changing my interests and hoping that I'll find my next inspiration just around the corner. I'm currently working on a nightscape series, in which I photograph places at night to show their deserted or rather empty feeling. I plan on continuing this for awhile so hopefully I can get some photos up here for you to see.