Laura van Cutsem

On the 4th of September, I bought my first Canon camera. Now three months later, I am a bit further in my photography journey. Here’s what I have learned:

I always thought you needed expensive courses, books and modules to be good at photography. That’s the reason why I did not take the leap earlier because I did not want to enrol in a series of classes learning about all the buttons and functions a camera has. Turns out, you don’t need to do that in order to get started with photography. I began going outside, just trying to capture what inspired me. Even though it often took me 10 minutes and more to take one picture I was mediocre happy with.

Besides, I watched a ton of YouTube videos from professional photographers explaining the basic functions and important parameters. That helped a lot and it also made me realize that I am in fact a beginner and that there is still so much to learn.

After 2 months I began doubting the camera I bought but when I reread many reviews and websites about different types of cameras I was reassured. In fact, I did buy the perfect camera. It is true though that there are a lot of different cameras ranging from fairly low-priced to expensive but It felt good, knowing I made the right choice. There is no need for a beginner photographer to buy a professional camera.

Photography has also enabled me to be open about my passions. My love to capture what inspires me has never been bigger. Little by little, I am finding my voice to capture the pureness and beauty of our planet. That’s one part of what I have been doing. The other part consists of getting to know people who have sustainable businesses/initiatives and sharing them on my Instagram page. I have always wanted to be vocal about a vegan and sustainable lifestyle but I didn’t know how. Wanting to learn more about object photography and being a big fan of the soaps of T’is Ohm Zeep, brought me to meet Karolien from T’is Ohm Zeep. We teamed up and hosted a giveaway on Instagram, challenging our followers to do a sustainable activity and by doing so, earning a botanical soap made with all-natural, vegan, non-toxic ingredients.

I am now a photographer for the “Vrienden van het Abdij Park“, an organisation for which I volunteer. Together with other people, we maintain the botanical garden of the Abbey as a strong community.

On top of that, I went actively seeking for photography friends, since I love to share a passion with someone else. Luckily for me, I discovered that one of my classmates from my lecture “Editorial Skills” also loves photography and we went to a birdwatching hut together.

Lastly, I met Lilia on a cold Saturday afternoon. I had invited her to come to Leuven for a dance photoshoot. It was for both of us a thrilling experience but in the end, we were very happy with how the pictures turned out.

I’ve been up to many things, lots of side projects and I can’t wait to share more about them. But for now, this is all I can tell you. If you are curious, feel free to subscribe (below) for more blogs or follow me on Instagram for more content!

I hope December will be good to you,

Laura

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