A simple request changed my photographic style, permanently. A dear friend of mine, Alecia Earle, asked me to take photos at her wedding several years ago. I declined. I had never really aimed my lens at anything other than the night sky prior to her request. For months it bothered me that I was too afraid to delve into the world of ‘people pics’. It bothered me so much, I simply had to at least try. Years later, I am almost addicted to portraiture, albeit unusual portraiture. Don’t get me wrong, there is no model quite as beautiful as the moon in a star filled sky, but aiming my lens a tad lower at earthbound stars has become quite rewarding. In all honesty, some of the fear of photographing her wedding came from the fact that she was, and still is, an accomplished photographer herself. It’s like having a world renowned chef taste your cooking. I wasn’t sure I would meet her expectations. Alecia is the photographer behind A.E. Photography. I guess I should be flattered that another photographer saw something in my images that made her confident I could create great pictures of her wedding. To this day she is still a photographer I admire and try to emulate. Her experience dates back to her high school days where she worked in a portrait studio learning the trade first hand. Her experience is clearly evident in her work. A master at ‘people pics’ and posing, I find myself attracted most to her flowers, wildlife, and landscape images. She is also one of the reasons I started to experiment with macro photography. I met Alecia through our work. Although a great co-worker, my relationship with her changed drastically one mundane afternoon. As mentioned before, my first love and passion is astrophotography. I love all things in the night sky. Sitting at my desk one day, Alecia entered my office and handed me a hardbound book. I opened the cover and realized she had taken several of my astrophotography images I had posted online and had created a beautiful bound book of them. I can’t remember the day before that event or the day after, but I can remember that moment as if it just happened. Should I fall prey to losing my memory in old age, I am convinced that will be one of the few memories I will hold onto forever. She also did a themed project using the alphabet. She took each letter of the alphabet and created a daily photographic series based on the day’s letter. I found myself eagerly waiting for the next letter/day. I hope she finds the time to start another creative series. Not only is she a good friend and an excellent photographer, she has also offered herself as a model for some of my crazy ideas. There is nothing more exciting and fun than to work with someone that is equally excited about working on a project together. Yes, it is a little nerve-racking having an experienced photographer as a model, but she has been nothing but supportive. I am excited to continue to work with her on my crazy ideas as well as continuing to learn from her as a fellow photographer. She is the first person I would recommend for family, couple, or wedding photography (as long as it’s not on the same day she is modeling for me). I simply love her work and get excited every time I see her post new images on her page. Hopefully, someday, I will be as good at ‘people pics’ as A.E. Photography.
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