Today we’d like to introduce you to David Ballard.
Thanks for sharing your story with us David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Both of my parents dabbled in photography, and I grew up watching my dad take pictures and going with him to get the film developed. My first camera was an old Remco “Where’s Waldo?” camera, the one that imprinted Waldo into every photo! I loved taking pictures with it, but I grew impatient waiting to go get my pictures developed. One day I found my parent’s old Polaroid instant camera (“Shake it like a Polaroid picture!”) and I was fascinated with playing with it, but that got expensive fast because I wasted a lot of their film just so I could watch the photos develop! Eventually, they bought me my own Polaroid I-Zone camera, the pocket sized one that printed tiny photos on those little paper strips (that were also stickers!). I had fun shooting with that, but the pictures were so small, they were almost useless! Growing up I always made sure that I brought a little disposable camera on just about every vacation we went on so that I could have my photos to remember the trip. I’m sure I took some real “bangers” with those! I can still hear the high-pitched sound of the flash charging up! As I got older I lost interest in photography, as peer-pressure pushed me away from the arts and into other influences and activities that fit with my friend’s interests.
Fast forward to 2015 and my sister-in-law’s wedding. It was a courthouse wedding, but they wanted to have some simple photos to commemorate the day. I didn’t have much of a role to play in the ceremony, so she handed me her Nikon DSLR and asked me to take some photos. I started just pointing and shooting to get some photos for the couple, but I quickly found myself getting more and more creative with my angles and detail shots from the day. While they were talking I was sneaking off with their rings, flowers, and shoes in order to play with some more creative shots. She ended up loving her photos and had some of them printed out to display at their party/reception a few days later. Every time someone asked who their photographer was, I found myself welling up with pride! My wife and mom pitched in to get me my camera for Christmas a few years later, and I found a wealth of creativity that I had been missing for some time! I spent countless hours on YouTube learning to shoot and edit in order to better my craft. Eventually, I found a community of local photographers, models, and other creatives called Sunday Night Meets that welcomed me in with open arms. Learning from the other photographers and getting experience shooting with models improved my photography skills immensely, and provided me with some great friendships along the way! With the help of Instagram, my exposure has increased and I’ve been getting requests to work with people from all over! Even though I’m still fairly new to this, the experience has been great and I’m on my way to forging a real business out of this passion of mine!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been a winding road, to say the least. It took me some time to find my niche within the artform. Finding my passion for taking pictures of people didn’t come easily or naturally. I’m a fairly introverted person, I tend to find myself in the back of the room, observing others rather than being the life of the party. Putting myself out there, and interacting with strangers on something as intimate as a photoshoot, especially when we’re out in public and attracting attention isn’t a very natural feeling. Portrait photography has forced me out of my comfort zone and provided me with opportunities to grow and create a social environment that wasn’t readily available to me before. The aspect of collaborating with someone else to create artistic visual pieces has proven to be very rewarding, even if it doesn’t come all that easily.
In addition to the social aspect that I’m constantly trying to adapt to, there’s been an internal struggle with my self-confidence that I’ve had to learn to overcome. In the age of social media, I constantly find that I’m comparing myself and my work to other photographers. Worries about why I’m not gaining followers, or generating enough “likes” have weighed me down on a number of occasions and made me question if I was doing the right thing, or if I was wasting my time. I’ve had to learn to reframe my thoughts on social media and accept the fact that someone else’s success doesn’t detract from my potential. Instead of being jealous and doubting myself, I’ve learned to use the success of other artists as inspiration for my work, adapting and developing my style into something that is decisive “Me”.
Please tell us about your work.
I am a freelance portrait photographer. My specialty is in photographing people and creating lasting images that will stay with them for the foreseeable future. My proudest moments as a photographer come when people tell me that my images have helped them see themselves differently. Helping someone develop a newfound confidence and allowing them to see themselves in a different light has proven to be the biggest reward in this endeavor. I graduated with a degree in Psychology before pursuing photography, so hearing that my images have helped someone improve the way they see themselves combines passions from two major areas of my life and provides rewards that reach far beyond monetary compensation or “likes” on social media.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My photography business is still very much in its infancy, So my focus going forward is to continue to grow this passion of mine and expand it into a full-fledged career. I love shooting and creating images that people love and I very much look forward to the day that I can do this full time and support my family while pursuing my passion. As they say, “All good things take time”, and I am continuing to learn and grow my craft with every passing day.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 303-946-7443
- Email: Davidb5280@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidb5280/
Image Credit:
Michelle Smith
Hana Koch
Dalena Nguyen
Joulene Chapman
Anastasia Sjahputera
Tristan Taylor
Calee Wilkinson
Adrienne Lee
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