Ralphie Rough Road

If you are new to this blog series or my blog.  Click here to read what this series is all about.  

Let’s start at the beginning.  In 1976, I was born in a rural town in Indiana.  Ok, maybe not that far back.  Fast forward to 2011 where this series picks up.  Actually, in order to really show where it all began I must back up one year.

In 2010, I decided it was time to find a hobby.  Shane had many hobbies.  As for me, I never really had time for a hobby.

Shane enjoying his favorite hobby, drums!

With a little encouragement from Shane, I took the plunge into the world of photography.  I don’t have one of those lifelong love of photography stories, more like a lifelong interest.  As a kid, I was fascinated with my mother’s polaroid camera.  Later, I was always buying those disposable cameras (back before we had cell phones) to capture photos of trips or family memories.  Then I upgraded to my first point & shoot camera.  I took it everywhere.

The old point and shoot.  It no longer works but it remains tucked away in a box.

When I bought my first DSLR camera in 2010, my beloved Nikon, it was truly love at first site.  It was also overwhelming, so many buttons.  Like most people I started shooting in auto mode & I photographed everything I could.

Old barn in rural Indiana

 One of my first attempts at a close-up.

I cheated and used the silhouette mode on my Nikon.

A day at the Mid-Ohio road course.

Loved capturing this guy will visiting the Ohio Bird Sanctuary.

At the time, I had been working at the lab for almost five years.  I had learned almost everything I could at work and I found myself longing to learn something new.  I quickly found my passion in my camera, soaking up any and all information I could.  I came alive with my new hobby.

Finally, I had found what I loved to do.  It was exhilarating!  However, I was stuck in a job that I no longer enjoyed. The newness and the passion for learning at the lab had faded.  It was time for a change.  At the time a change I had no idea how to tackle.

This would be no ordinary overnight change.  There were many factors to consider.  I had a fifteen-year-old son, who could eat everything in sight.  I had a big car payment, car insurance, cell phone payments, among other debts and little to no savings.  How would I generate an income using photography?  I had a lot to learn, research and think about.

My Nikon had started me down a path that would forever change my life.  It was not a simple step by step plan that went according to plan.  No, I must be honest, it was a bit messier and complicated than that.

Challenge 1:  Formulating a plan to align my life more with the thing I most enjoyed when I had little experience, debt, and no savings.  

Stay tuned for the next installment of this blog series.  Facing challenge #1.

Have you discovered your passion?  If so, share your passion in the comments below.