talents

We read throughout the scriptures about talents and how Heavenly Father has blessed us with talents and it's up to us to use our talents for the good of men and ourselves and to become better. For a while there, I honestly wasn't quite sure what my talents were... I played volleyball in high school, but I felt only an average player.... I used to draw and paint when I was little, A LOT. As I grew up, I slowly stopped... and I can tell you that because I stopped drawing and bettering my "talent", I really felt as though it has been taken away. I used to be really good! ( I'm sure with time and lots of practice, I could gain it back again.)

In my college years, I really had a hard time thinking of a talent of mine. Sad, eh?

Until last summer. I wanted a hobby. Something that interested me.

Photography.

A few years back, my dear friend Kristi and I spent every moment of our lives together. She and her brother, Lee, were in a photography class at school. She would come home and teach me what she learned. I found it to be very interesting. So, we would often go on bike rides, and bring our cameras with us. I had one lying around. They were FILM cameras ( I need to pick up my film camera and play with it again... it's been too long.) We would ride our bikes and take pictures of random things, like homeless people, or old buildings. One day, we decided to go to Thanksgiving Point to take some pictures of the beautiful flowers.

This picture, taken with my film camera, was the first picture I had actually taken where I messed with the settings and actually kind of knew what I was doing ( thanks to Kristi, she's a great teacher.)

Last summer, I borrowed my dad's old camera and started taking random pictures. I also signed up for a photography (film) class. I didn't learn much about photography itself, but I did learn a lot about a dark room. It was very therapeutic developing my own film and creating a final masterpiece. I loved it.

Here are a couple of pictures I took and then developed in the dark room at UVU:

( This was an Usher standing on Temple Square in Salt Lake. I loved the lines on his face. He was gracious enough to let me take a few pictures. )

After that short summer semester of the photography class, I started dinkin around more with my digital camera. I would find guinea pigs like ( see below: Isabel and CJ) and a few others and take pictures of them. I found myself more and more loving photography.

Here I am, a year later, with a website running and a little photography business. I feel I have a LONG way to go... and I hope to get better with time, but I feel SO blessed.

Heavenly Father has blessed me with the talent of photography.

I really feel so blessed because photography has supported me and Nick financially while he's busy in school. It's not only my job, but I LOVE it. I have a passion for it.

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to shoot a my first wedding recently. I am so grateful to the many families and individuals who's picture's I've taken. I am so grateful to those of you who always encourage me with kind comments or remarks. It is because of YOU I have kept going and kept faith that I can continue and become a better photographer.

I know that we each have talents with in us... it's up to you to try new things, and find the one (or two) that you really connect with or love the most. I know that with time and lots of practice... it can become your talent and you will be blessed because of that talent.