I believe the interest in pictures start the way before I own the camera when I was a young girl. I love to look at the pictures….started interested in browsing the National Geographic magazines. Also I enjoy browsing the model fashion magazines.
I have brought the old fashioned 35mm film camera…love to take the pictures of families or friends. But I not yet really develop the serious interest in photography until I moved here and worked in Washington. Then I got married to my deaf husband, Michael Johnson, whom I have met a several times before at the deaf camp meeting at Milo, Oregon. I never dream that man had picked me to became his wife. Then we have two boys Luke and Kirk born to us, and raised by us. I decided I wanted to document our boys’ life so I asked Mike if I can get a 35mm camera, my first real 35mm auto focus Minolta camera. I snap a lot of pictures, but the real problem that arose. Lots of the prints turn out black, or dark, or out of focus, or not good. My husband complained that wasted my money on these kind.
So he got idea to began looking for digital camera. I did not know where he got his idea from. When he bought it for me the first digital Olympus camera. Oh, my!! I fallen in love with my Olympus camera that have LCD screen on it, and can see what is in focus, in right lighting. I played with it, and deleted some that I learn is not best ones….after a lot of practice from trial and errors. Then, with blessing of heart, my mother, decided to use her saving to give me a pro-camera Canon Rebel that last me for a long time, still uses today.
Lots of my friends called me a crazy photographer that always carried the camera with me on my chest everywhere I went. I shoot at anything, any that I thought is interested…in nature, in flowers, and even my kids for fun. That caught one person’s attention. That person is Julie Miles, she have believed in me, and have confident that I will do well with shooting pictures of people. She began to ask me to shoot pictures of her as a model. I declined at first, because I don’t think I am good at it. She keep insisting that I am good…and suggested me to try for just fun. So I picked up on her suggestion, and shoot her in one of the park near by a small river. Surprisely these pictures turn out nicely…so I decided why not can I do it when my other friends saw me post pictures of Julie on my website. They wanted to have it taken by me. At first, I sells my business for low prices…slowly the prices hiked when I gained more experience in learning from the trial and error, and from my studied the other photographers’ websites. I owed the deep heart felt thank you to Julie.
I decided if that is what I will be doing for a living, I went into to advertise it on facebook since. It went into demand…then I hardly cannot keep up then I learned to keep myself steady and not put myself under stress so I learn to control the schedule to have it done two or three times of photo sessions a month and editing in between sessions are enough for me to keep it up. I have mostly done worked with the deaf people that are easy to communicate with. I noticed that many of them told me they preferred have the deaf photographer is much more easy for them to express their feelings, or thoughts what they wanted me to do rather than deal with writing back and forth with the hearing photographer.
Some hearing people did hire me to shoot for them. I find a little slower in communicating with them, but I learn to use gesture to tell them what I wanted them to do the posing for me. However, in exchange, I have my older son, Luke to accomplish me to act as my interpreter to keep things go smoothly for me between me and my hearing clients. I do paid my son for his interpreting job. Mostly the weddings and seniors. But the high percent is work with the deaf clients is my specialty work and my love to work with. Several well-to-do deaf clients paid me well. Some are teachers, and some are from some important jobs. I am really proud of them! Some I have encountered are to best advantage is these who are adult of deaf parents, or siblings…can sign well with me, I am most thankfully for that of their great confident in me!
It is not easy to be a freelance photographer, means you would have to advertise, to pay for license if earn more, and tax. Do a lot of paperwork. Have to follow up on clients editing. Be sure to remind them of appointment with them, and be there on time a little early to look around, and do the research to find locations what to suggest to the clients to meet for photo sessions. Quite different from indoor studio because the weather day to day is always unpredictable, and have to work around it. To do the best of it.
It is not a really fully time job, more of a side job, and in season for outdoor photo session. Really good experience for me as a way of meeting new faces and made friends that way to broad the deaf community a bit more. As a way of connecting deaf to deaf in a sense.
Now with bad economy I would have to seek the other part time to support the family, a steady job that freelance photography cannot offer. But the only good out of it is lots of warm memories that leaves with me for a long time, never forgets! I love my deaf people!
Oh, one more most IMPORTANT thing…I always seek Lord to be included in my photography sessions every time I went out, to make things go His way, to bring GLORY to Him. I never want any credit to myself because it is Lord that make it possible to have beautiful pictures even when weather turn against me, or the light not working right, or when one of kid got sick, or any go wrong, but pictures turn out nice, is what I am thankful for that. Praise goes to God alone for allow me to experience His love, and His desire to share with my clients about Him in a way, sometimes unspoken but character spoke loudly in way I talk with them, or carry my work with them. I always want put Jesus in front ahead of me…now that I notice the many of deaf friends includes a few clients of mine began to copy me, and start their own photography business. Some are serious and some are talented, rekindred their interest in photography. At first, I am not sure how I feel about them taking after me of my work, but I realized like John the Baptist, started, then Jesus taking over…so I feel that way, too. I realized I am thankful for what I have experience that help enriched my relationship with Him.
Judy Johnson
Deaf photographer
Vancouver, WA
Beautiful story, Judy.
Thank you, Twyla!! Made God proud!