I have the honor of coming to work each day to a job that I truly love. Part of that is because I get to be creative and 'play' in Photoshop most of my days. Part of that is the amazing families that I have the privilege of assisting to pick the perfect portraits for their homes and family members. And part of that is the cutest little long nosed Fox Terrier that is always at the door greeting me on my way in each morning.
But the greatest reason I absolutely love to come to work each day is because I work for an amazing woman whom spends her days creating these amazing works of art for the homes of our families. She spends a lot of her evenings surfing the internet or in Professional Photographer magazines reading up on latest technology and techniques to better her work, her business, and to keep her creative juices flowing so she can produce amazing images each session. And she encourages me to grow and learn in the business as well.
I can't get her to 'toot her own horn' so to speak, so today, I am tooting it for her.
She is a member of the Arkansas Professional Photographers Association (APPA) and of also of the Professional Photographers Association (PPA).
But that is not all that makes her a Professional Photographer.
She is on the board of the APPA.
And yet, that is not all that it takes for her to be a Professional Photographer.
She attends conventions and classes 3-4 times a year, 'talking shop' with other professionals that share with each other what their clients are saying they want.
Still this is not all that makes her a Professional Photographer.
She has a lot of expensive equipment, props, and her own indoor/outdoor studio.
This is certainly not what makes her a Professional Photographer.
She studied hard, produced images worthy of the certification, and has passed the test to become a Certified Professional Photographer by all standards set by the Professional Photographic Certification Commission.
That certifies her to be a Professional Photographer, but isn't all that it takes to be a Professional Photographer.
She is not satisfied with just the snap shots that some call "life style" photography.
We all have those stored in flash drives, on discs, or still in our own digital cameras.
She loves those shots just as much as everyone, and every session has some of those just for you, but that is not her passion.
She strives to create the portrait that can be passed down for generations to come. The image that shows each persons features to the point your great grand children can look at and say, "I look like my Great Grandma/pa".
Her passion is to create portraits that are true to who you are.
It takes all of that to make Becky Hardgrave a Professional Portrait Photographer.
HA HA BECKY - You've offically been hacked!
And.... Thank you for the opportunity to learn from one of the greatest artists in the industry.
