Flickr Slideshow

I've been taking photographs for a long time. It's been over 10 years since I accidentally stumbled upon photography as a hobby. As a high school junior, I was placed in a photography class. Apparently, my requested electives were already filled up, so they threw me into a photography class that still had spaces. I was furious, to say the least. Why would a 4.0 Honors and AP student get put in some artsy photography class? I swore up and down that whenever I was able to go get my schedule changed that I would be the first one in the office, demanding a more academic class.

I ended up sitting through the first week and realizing that perhaps it wouldn't be too bad learning how to use a "real" camera...after all, the only camera I was familiar with was one of those automatic point-and-shoot film cameras. I got some awesome hands-on experience in this class, and in no time at all, I was developing my own film, making my own prints, and my hands constantly smelled like the chemicals I used in the darkroom. My teacher, Mr. O'Neal, and I butted heads from time to time. (I didn't think it was right to receive a grade on art. Granted, we were instructed on principles of photography and had specific things to shoot for in each assignment, but I figured, as long as I met both criteria, why should I have points taken off? I was so obviously unhappy with my 96% and thought that I should have a 100%, because photography was art, and art was subjective.)

So, long story short, an "accident" in my scheduling opened my eyes to the world of photography. That accident led me to take two classes during my senior year and go on to receive college credit. It's been a long time since I dabbled with REAL film cameras, because I fell in love with the instant gratification of the digital world.

I never stopped taking pictures over the years. I finally started up my own company on the side. Although my sessions with Beck Wagnon Photography are few since it's so green, I do have favorites from over the years. I put them together in this nifty slideshow on Flickr. Check 'em out!