In the Beginning . . . . .

This is my first blog entry so bear with me if I ramble . . . . .  I guess an introduction of sorts is in order . . . . My name is Debi Buck.  I am the owner/operator of Beyond the Box Photography which is based out of Palm Bay, Florida.  I’m currently in my first year of business (read “still in the “starving artist” phase).    

I’ve always loved photography and first started with a 35mm film Minolta camera back in high school, which was . . . . . um . . . .awhile ago.    Life got in the way of pursuing my interest and, it wasn’t until I got an underwater camera 13 years ago that my passion for photography resurfaced.  I started with a little point and shoot film camera and took a lot of really bad pictures.  I’ve gotten better since then and now I almost always have a camera with me and love taking photographs of just about everything (which can possibly be irritating to some, though I like it just fine). 

Photography remained mostly a hobby for a long time.  That changed for me  late 2011 when I was laid off from my job as a category manager – a position that is the polar opposite of art.  Everything I did was based on facts and statistics.  I liked it and was very good at it, but it was never a passion for me.  Losing my job made me do a lot of soul searching and I decided that I wanted to pursue photography professionally (with the help of prodding from family and friends).  So I took a leap of faith and started Beyond the Box Photography.  If I had to say what I specialize in, I’d probably say “life” . . . . . I do lifestyle portraits, weddings, events . . . . . and anything else that people want to remember . 

I love most types of photography, so I don’t limit myself and I am always trying new ways to increase my creativity. I went back to school to get my Photography degree (I firmly believe that there is always something new to learn) and am thoroughly enjoying the process (and the fact that my student loans get deferred is a nice bonus).

 I just started a 365 Project today which I am looking forward to completing (and crossing my fingers that I can maintain the momentum.  I’ll try to share some of those images here, though if you want to follow it, you can here:  http://365project.org/debibuck/365.

I also have a Facebook page (yeah don't we all) at http://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheBoxPhotography.  I have a pretty good sampling of my photos there and keep it up to date.

My goal of this blog is to share the journey, interesting tips I run into (not that I would ever claim to know everything) and share my passion for photography.  I will NEVER get into political discussions – there are more than enough of those to go around and I don’t believe in putting down other’s work, opinions or ideas.   I believe that as artists, all photographers are different.  We have our own style, our own way of doing things and we all have something to offer each other whether or not we are new to the business or have been doing it forever.  {sorry – I have seen the “I’m better than you game” being played out and think it’s just plain stupid}.  Comments and discussions are welcome – just please keep it light – life’s too short to get all uptight (yeah, I have one of those quirky sense of humors . . . . . I never intend to offend . . . . really  :)).   With that . . . .until next time!

Debi