Oh, young Stephanie. There's just so much I need to warn you about and yet, tragically, I cannot. (If you get that reference, I love you.)

I have taken pictures for my old friend, Jackie, over the years (I say old only because we go back to high school when we both worked at Culver’s…I think we have been friends for 20 years now. That doesn’t seem possible. IS THAT POSSIBLE?!) I always go back to THIS session. The year - 2014. The Stephanie - not a professional yet - The lighting - so harsh - so midday - so not understood by a hobbyist with a camera. Also - DO NOT EVER SHOOT PHOTOS ON TRAIN TRACKS! It is illegal, and it is dangerous, and I was stupid.

I always say to her that I hate myself for being so awful at the time. She always is very sweet and says that she loves these photos. I definitely love the subjects, but I have been so mad at myself because I can’t go back in time and fix it with what I know now.

BUT, I was looking for something in my hard drive the other day, and OMG - I found the original files! (And by original, I mean straight up taken with my T1i Rebel in jpeg format…) BUT! Even with the originals not being ideal, they gave me something to work with, so I did what I could to try to update the editing as best as it could with what I had to work with, and I am pretty happy with the results! A couple of them aren’t exactly apples to apples because I picked a different pose, but close enough! :) Some were too far gone to really match my current style, but I tried!!

Moral of the story - be sure when you hire a photographer, the photographer knows what is what with regard to lighting and how to actually function. Back then, Jackie was helping me to portfolio build, and I am so grateful for her working with me! I wish I could redo everything I had from back then…but! What makes me happy comparing these images with what I do now, it is obvious that I have grown and gotten better against myself, and that shows me that I will continue to do so.