Follow your dreams

Hello.  I am Michael Kaynard.  Welcome to my photography blog.  It is about the photos not how to take them.  It is about enjoying the beauty around us.  You are welcome to comment on anything you read here.  Some days I will talk about things other than photography.  So here we go.

You hear about people who quit their jobs to follow their dreams but until recently I had never met one.  Little did I know, that person would turn out to be me.  At 60, I decided to quit my job of eleven (11) years and do photography full-time. It's as easy as building a bridge.  Unfortunately, I am not an engineer.

On July 13, 2011 I fell and injured my knee and surgery was required.  While I was stuck at home, I realized that I did not want to go back to an office job.  I have always enjoyed taking photos and had been sending in submissions to Charlestoncurrents.com, since June 2010.  My photos were published almost every week and before I knew it, I was an underwriter and contributing photographer. To date approximately 50 of my photos have been published.

On September 28th, I quit my job and it became official.  I was an unemployed photographer.  Now all I had to do was figure out how I was going to make a living with photography.   DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME.  Believe me, I am not suggesting that anybody do what I did.  Do I regeret my decision?  No, not for one second.

I am not a studio or wedding photographer but an artistic photographer.  I use the term "guerilla" or "drive-by" photographer.  Almost 100% of my work is done outdoors. I call my body of work "At Street Level".

About a year and a half ago, I started walking the historic district near my Church Street office.  I took shots of architectural details.  I am attracted to bright colors.  I have taken hundreds of photos of the beautiful vistas around the country.  None are more beautiful than Charleston.  They are just different. 

I am glad that I have had the opportunity to travel and see some of the wionderful sights in our country.  When I look back at my shots, whether of the lower falls of the Yellowstone River or a keyhole shot taken at St. Michael's Church, it makes me smile.

The attached photo was taken just the other day at St. Philip's Church on Church Street.  I was outside, it was a beautiful day, the azaleas were in bloom and I saw the first blooming dogwood of the year.  Believe me when I say, "It don't get much better than this!"

For more of my work go to http://kaynardphotography.webs.com.  I can be contacted at mkaynard@gmail.com.  See you next time.