It has been awhile since i've posted a personal post and my personal life, and the reason for that is because i have been busy. My photography business has taken a backnote, because at this point in my life all my focus is going towards my schooling in the fall.
This August as some of you may have heard, I will be doing a Discipleship Training School with YWAM [Youth With A Mission.] The school's main focus is in human trafficking, and how to train/stop human trafficking not just in a missionary sense, but also in an everyday practical sense. I have come at a crossroads at this point in my career as to really what to do with my photography business once I come back from my Discipleship Training School. [i did a few posts about it earlier
here &
here]
Part of the ministry that my school offers is using photography. I believe that I have been called to use my gift of photography to raise awareness for lives that are hurting, and to be the change to the broken lost souls who have never known a life any different than hurt, neglect and abuse. As of this moment, after alot and prayer I have come at a crossroads and I can not honestly say if I am sure I will continue to pursue lifestyle photography once i return from my schooling. This includes second shooting for other photographers, and all that jazz. It is not that I don't love doing photography, but that God has pulled the chords of my heart for something completely new and lifestyle photography does not have the same joy for me that it once did, like photojournalism now does. My desire is to share the stories of the world's broken people to raise awareness for issues our world didn't even knew exsist. My passion is that I will be able to stop even just one person from being trafficked through the photos I take, even if i only affect just ten people it makes all the difference.
I am not giving up my dream, if anything I am simply pursuing it even more than ever before. Since I made the decision to start my own business about 3 and a half years ago, it has not been easy. People say that it happens easily and that your business will automatically flourish, but that isn't the case for everyone-ESPECIALLY when your a young photographer [i was barely 15 when i started & began my business]. Atfirst my only motivation to do a photography based DTS was to get the photography training I needed to be taken seriously in my profession as a lifestyle photographer. God put it on my heart then, and evoked a passion in me for these people who are trafficked that I didn't even know that I had; and lifestyle photography doesn't give me the same drive as photojournalism does.
I will be available to do lifestyle photography until July 19, 2010, after then I will be taking the time to reconnect with my friends & family before leaving on my DTS [August 5, 2010] After I return from my DTS I will make the final decision of whether or not I continue to do lifestyle photography. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my mentors that have helped me get to where i am today photography wise;
Crystal Lee, Loni Bourne, &
Alison Gaine. You are all great mothers & I admire your creativity in photography and your passion for life!
I will be gone for up to a total of 10 months, my Discipleship Training school is six months long. Following my DTS-I will possibly be staying to be more involved with YWAM Las Vegas & to become more involved with human trafficking. All of the proceeds I make in the next few weeks will be going directly to pay for my missions trip; if you have ever wanted to get photos done by me this may be your last opportunity to do so.
[NOTE: you will receive 65 edited images with print release in this special, not just 30]
please e-mail me if you have any further questions at
memoriesbychelsea@gmail.com
if you would like to see my new blog about my YWAM adventures & updates/photojournalism photos-see my other blog
here
