It's been a while since I last posted here...after my last events, which took place during Thanksgiving weekend, I went on a month long vacation to California to spend time with my dads side of the family. The trip was great, the weather was warm, and I got to do lots of fun touristy stuff that I usually don't get to do when I'm out there. This is mainly due to the fact that I'm usually in SoCal for one of my many cousins weddings. Anywho, since Bushra and Ali's wedding events, things have been fairly quiet for the most part. But as the weather gets nicer and spring begins to show its face the wedding season is starting to pick up. I actually shot my sisters sister in laws (Aisha's) dholki this past weekend, which was held in Staten Island. A dholki is a pre-wedding event in which the bride's friends and family get together and sing traditional wedding songs. It was a nice and elegant event and I had fun shooting that night.
Today, I was contacted by two brides-to-be who wanted to know my rates and see samples of my work. One client called me late this evening and confirmed me for her mehndi event, which is THIS Friday! That just happens to be my birthday and the day of a job interview for a photography studio. I only have two days to prepare for both the interview and the mehndi, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. The next few days should be nice and busy!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The birth of Aurora Moments Photography
So, as you know by now, I started a photography business called "Aurora Moments Photography". Let me tell you a little about how it was born and then I'll share with you a little about my first few gigs as a photographer.
Taking pictures has always interested me, whether I photographed at parties, weddings, or even just took candid shots. Everytime one of my friends got hitched, people would joke that I should become a professional photographer. Of course I laughed it off then - me, a professional photographer? Not a chance. . But it wasn't until the early months of 2010, that I really began to pursue it and seriously think about possibly making a career out of it. I mentioned this to my older brother, and he told me if I was dead serious about it that I should write up a business plan. He gave me a few days to come up with it, and by the time I finished, I had typed up five whole pages about why and how I would run this business. So, about a week after my birthday this past March, my brother purchased a DSLR camera for me.It took forever to come up with a name for the business - since I've always been into astronomy and celestial events, we all agreed on Aurora Photography - but as it turned out, that was already taken. So we threw "moments" in the middle and that was it. Voila, Aurora Moments Photography was born!
Over the next couple of weeks, I read the user manual and did research on wedding photography. After watching countless videos on youtube, reading articles, experimenting with the settings, etc..I became more familar with the camera. Before I knew it, a friend asked me to be a backup photographer at her wedding in April. I took the job and spent a lot of time preparing. It's not the best thing being a backup photographer, but it made my job a lot easier since I wasn't expected to capture every waking moment of the the wedding - that was the actual photographer's job. Nevertheless, the event went pretty well and I got a couple of shots I put in my portfolio.
The next event was my first "real" gig. A relative in New Jersey asked me to take pictures for her at her mayoun. I had so much fun with this gig, for a number reasons. The main one being that I knew almost everyone there and the other reason being that the event started in the daylight hours so the lighting was great. They had sent up a tent in the backyard where the mayoun took place and even after dark, my light tents as well as a few generator lights provided by the hosts ensured that my pictures came out just right. This job barely felt like one because I wasn't just a photographer here, I was also a guest. I enjoyed every bit of it, and I'm hoping I get to shoot more events like that in the daylight hours especially - although because of the season and changing weather, that probably won't happen until next Spring!
Moving on to my next job. A good childhood friend of mine, Sumaira got married and June and hired me at her mayoun and wedding to take pictures. I wasn't a fan of the venue for the wedding - it was at Kabab King Palace, in Hempstead NY. The lighting there was AWFUL. And unfortunately, at that time I did not have the proper lighting equipment. I set up my light tents but they barely helped. The thing I really needed was the external flash that goes on top of the camera - which I didn't have. Because of poor lighting situations, my pictures didn't come out as nice as I wanted them to. But, that was a learning experience and now I know that I can't ever shoot an event without that flash! It does wonders, I tell you.
After a few quiet months, I was hired by an acquaintance to shoot her wedding and valima reception in November. Since it was my first big gig, I think it deserves a post of its own ;). So, I'll tell you about that in one of my next few blog posts.
Till then,
Samia
Taking pictures has always interested me, whether I photographed at parties, weddings, or even just took candid shots. Everytime one of my friends got hitched, people would joke that I should become a professional photographer. Of course I laughed it off then - me, a professional photographer? Not a chance. . But it wasn't until the early months of 2010, that I really began to pursue it and seriously think about possibly making a career out of it. I mentioned this to my older brother, and he told me if I was dead serious about it that I should write up a business plan. He gave me a few days to come up with it, and by the time I finished, I had typed up five whole pages about why and how I would run this business. So, about a week after my birthday this past March, my brother purchased a DSLR camera for me.It took forever to come up with a name for the business - since I've always been into astronomy and celestial events, we all agreed on Aurora Photography - but as it turned out, that was already taken. So we threw "moments" in the middle and that was it. Voila, Aurora Moments Photography was born!
Over the next couple of weeks, I read the user manual and did research on wedding photography. After watching countless videos on youtube, reading articles, experimenting with the settings, etc..I became more familar with the camera. Before I knew it, a friend asked me to be a backup photographer at her wedding in April. I took the job and spent a lot of time preparing. It's not the best thing being a backup photographer, but it made my job a lot easier since I wasn't expected to capture every waking moment of the the wedding - that was the actual photographer's job. Nevertheless, the event went pretty well and I got a couple of shots I put in my portfolio.
The next event was my first "real" gig. A relative in New Jersey asked me to take pictures for her at her mayoun. I had so much fun with this gig, for a number reasons. The main one being that I knew almost everyone there and the other reason being that the event started in the daylight hours so the lighting was great. They had sent up a tent in the backyard where the mayoun took place and even after dark, my light tents as well as a few generator lights provided by the hosts ensured that my pictures came out just right. This job barely felt like one because I wasn't just a photographer here, I was also a guest. I enjoyed every bit of it, and I'm hoping I get to shoot more events like that in the daylight hours especially - although because of the season and changing weather, that probably won't happen until next Spring!
Moving on to my next job. A good childhood friend of mine, Sumaira got married and June and hired me at her mayoun and wedding to take pictures. I wasn't a fan of the venue for the wedding - it was at Kabab King Palace, in Hempstead NY. The lighting there was AWFUL. And unfortunately, at that time I did not have the proper lighting equipment. I set up my light tents but they barely helped. The thing I really needed was the external flash that goes on top of the camera - which I didn't have. Because of poor lighting situations, my pictures didn't come out as nice as I wanted them to. But, that was a learning experience and now I know that I can't ever shoot an event without that flash! It does wonders, I tell you.
After a few quiet months, I was hired by an acquaintance to shoot her wedding and valima reception in November. Since it was my first big gig, I think it deserves a post of its own ;). So, I'll tell you about that in one of my next few blog posts.
Till then,
Samia
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