My skills aren’t growing as fast as I want them to. I have several photo shoots lined up in the next few weeks and I’m suddenly aware of how scary this all is. Yes, I’ve been playing with my camera for years, but it’s only been a few months since I took it seriously. I’ve jumped in with both feet and I’m flailing a bit.

My good friend Angy always says that super scary things mean you’re moving in the right direction. Last night all I could think was, “I’ve made a terrible mistake.” I’m not ready for this. What if my friends/clients hate what I do? What if, like my nephew’s birthday over the weekend, I can’t get the exposure right? By jumping in this fast, have I ruined my chance of having this as a second career?

So, while I couldn’t sleep last night, I edited these photos from my recent trip to Denio’s Farmers Market. It’s a weirdo space, and I felt at home taking photos here. I love these. The stakes were low and so I just had fun. This is what I need to remember when I’m out taking photos of people in the next few weeks. I love this. It’s time to play and have fun. It’s all growth.

So, today I’m taking another online class about lighting. I’ll probably beg my daughter to let me photograph her again for practice. I’ve already booked a bunch of shoots, so no turning back now.

Let me know if you like these and don’t miss my bonus butterfly photos at the end. Have a fantastic day!

• The photos above were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.