Sunday, February 12, 2012

Picture Perfect Obsession

From day one I grew up surrounded by art.


(Actually I could probably still only produce a painting that is as good as whatever it is I am doing right there.)


And I owe it all to this guy...




Yeah the funny looking gentlemen in the really big glasses :). You see, he's an artist and mighty fine one at that, and because he's an artist I was constantly enveloped in the art world. He paints for galleries and the church mostly now, but he used to paint for hallmark cards too. (actually i'm on a few of those cards...not to brag or anything).

 (This wasn't one that ended up on a card but just to give you an example...)

Whenever he would have an art show at a gallery he used to take one of us girls with him. At the time I just loved it because it meant we got to go on a trip to another place and get daddy all to ourselves, but now I see how much culture we were exposed to. I guess it was those experiences, and the many trips to the art museums, that instilled a love of art in me. I assume these opportunities were the moments that helped me have to desire to take up photography.


I was never really good at drawing/painting...i'm still not in fact. I just don't have the patience for it to be honest. My sisters are both pros and I was pretty darn jealous let me tell ya. I was, and still am, a huge daddy's girl. I always wanted to do things that would impress my dad. One time I had every NASCAR driver's name, sponsor, and number memorized all because my dad thought it was impressive haha. Anyways, because I was a daddy's girl and couldn't draw worth crap, I was always trying to find something that he would think I was good at.


I remember my family, my Grandparents, and I were all going to my aunt's house a few hours away from where my grandparents lived. The mountain pass was absolutely gorgeous that day. And naturally my dad wanted to stop and take pictures to paint from. (We stopped a lot on trips taking pictures of cows, horses, and other random things so he could paint from them). We stopped on the side of the road and the grass was absolutely covered in these beautiful violet wildflowers. I asked my dad if I could take some pictures with his big camera, he said yes, and I began snapping away.
When we got back home, my dad and my grandpa were looking through the photos that my dad had taken on the trip when my dad saw the ones that I had taken he was "amazed" (not sure if he was really all that "amazed" because I was only like 10 years old and didn't even know how to properly focus but I still took the compliment).
So I took that compliment and ran with it. I think I still have all the photos I took from that Utah trip somewhere. I was outside for the remainder of the time at my grandparents taking pictures of flowers haha. I took so many. Seriously.

So that's the background of how my passion for photography started. I know it was a lengthy post and I would venture to guess most of you didn't even get to reading this far because you were bored out of your minds haha.

Here's a little before and after for you...or at least a "just starting out photo", and a "where I am now photo"


Blurry as all get out haha but at least I had some good design going on right? haha

(The closest photo I had to a "floral")
And for some reason Blogger is making this one blurry too :( but I promise it's not...That's kind of a sucky before and after if they both look awful haha.

Well either way, I have come a long way. I am by no means perfect, and do not consider myself close to professional level, but I am learning new things every day. And it's awesome!

I still show all my photos to my dad to get his feedback. It's still the the most important thing to me. If he tells me "That's a really good photo Cassie" then I believe it.

2 comments:

  1. SOOO cute!! I love this post! You are awesome!

    Your dad is amazing...I love those old picture of you guys painting together. How priceless!!! One day I want a home with a ton of wall space so I can just hang portraits of my babies everywhere! (Cause by that time maybe I'll actually be good!) And the before photo? That's incredible! Especially for a ten year old picking up a complicated camera! You go girl :o) We need to go shooting sometime...I just never find the time to go out by myself and just forget everything else, ya know?

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  2. I agree!! We should go out shooting sometime! I need photo buddies because I can never get myself to go out haha

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