EEEEEKKKKKKK! (Inset squeals of excitement!)
For a while, being published was something that the ‘real’ photographers were; but certainly not me. I kept telling myself that maybe down the road I would make that a goal, but I would need to be a few years in. I’ve only been doing photography for 15 months, and there was no way I had work ‘good enough’ to be published. And then last week it dawned on me; why am I keeping a number (how long I’ve been in the business) from putting myself out there? Yea, maybe I’ve only been doing photography for 15 months, but I’ve kept pretty steady work, booked 8 weddings in 15 months, have clients in 3 states, and I have people telling me all the time how much they love my work…maybe I am good enough to be published!
It’s a pretty overwhelming process, but I was able to figure it out (for the most part) by myself. I cast a wide net, and submitted to numerous blogs. I was rejected by two already, but accepted by 4! The first acceptance I received actually won’t be published until mid April, and the most recent one I received will is featured TODAY!
So as of today, my work has been accepted to 4 different blogs, which will be published over the next few weeks! It make me feel validated, and I am honored! I told one of my fellow photography girlfriends down here that I wouldn’t be totally crushed (because this hasn’t been a life-long goal or anything) if my submissions weren’t accepted anywhere, but I definitely would have been disappointed. I know it may be small beans to some people, but it’s not for me. I promise to remember this feeling and celebrate it when a ‘newbie’ experiences his/her first publication! I am so glad I put myself out there, and did something far outside my comfort zone. I know I will get more rejections; that’s just part of life, right? But I am also going to (hopefully) anticipate more acceptances!
So here we go, folks…my first submission! And can we all agree that my girlfriend Amanda is just beautiful, and her two kiddos are straight out of a magazine?! Click on the screenshot to see the publication!
