So..why photography?

Until I hit high school, I never really cared much about photography. I enjoyed taking pictures now and then, but it was never something I thought I'd dive into. Then, I took an Intro to Photography class to fulfill an elective requirement. The course used phone cameras, and the focus was on teaching us the basics of composition and other fundamentals. At that point, I didn't think photography was going to be a passion of mine, but it taught me something surprising: I loved editing. I never imagined that editing would be my thing, but the more I played around with it, the more I realized I could transform mediocre photos into something that even impressed me.

The images weren't very good, but I enjoyed learning about composition and light editing.

Inspired by this, I decided to take the next level of photography classes offered at my high school. I went from using my phone to working with a real camera. I'd never even touched a professional camera before, and buying one seemed totally out of the question. But little did I know, the loaned camera from my school (a Nikon D3400) would eventually become the one I used to launch my business.

Still not very good, but this was one of the first times I had ever captured someone using a digital camera.

As the course wrapped up, I wanted to experiment more and see if portrait photography was something I could get into. So, I asked one of my close friends, Sara, if she'd let me take some photos of her at Fields Pond in Orrington, Maine. After that first shoot, I was hooked. I realized that this was the direction I wanted to take with photography.

While I would definitely make a few changes to the editing, this was an eye-opening experience for me.

Then came a game-changing message from my friend, Tessa:

"Hey Noah! I need my senior pictures taken, and I really like how you take and edit your photos. What do you charge?"

I was caught off guard. Up until that point, I hadn't charged anyone for my photos, and I had no idea how to price my work. After a little hesitation, I decided to just go for it and quoted her $50 for 60 photos.

When the day of the session came, to say I had a blast was an understatement. I remember photographing Tessa's senior portraits at Sandy Point Beach in Stockton Springs, Maine. The session lasted about two hours, and I took over 2000 photos (year, I know..it's a lot). I spent HOURS editing them. Looking back, I look at them with critiques in mind, but at the time, I was pretty proud of the results--and I couldn't wait to do it again.

I went back and re-edited these photos, and I still use them on my website today!

That shoot was the start of something bigger. Over the next few months, I got more and more inquiries. By the end of the season, I had captured photos in 11 different sessions. For someone who didn't think their work was all that great, I was seriously blown away. Those sessions laid the foundation for what would eventually become Photos by Noah Gendreau. I officially launched my business as my final project for an independent study Portrait Photography course I took in high school. It was there that I built my website, set up official pricing, and created social media pages.

The following year, things started to pick up. I continued shooting more sessions, expanding from just senior portraits to family photos. And..I upgraded all of my equipment. Then, one day, I was asked to photograph an event for my friend's company (fun fact: that friend is now my college roommate!). Photography didn't just let me channel my inner perfectionist--it also brought me closer to my friends and gave me so many opportunities to learn and grow.

During the summer before heading to Boston University, I got a message from a coworker asking if I'd photograph her wedding. Weddings always seemed so intimidating to me and the idea of doing one all by myself felt nearly impossible. But, with a little nervous excitement, I said yes and drafted up my first contract. The wedding day arrived, and I paced around my living room for over an hour before leaving. By the end of it, I had taken over 5000 photos (surprise, surprise!). I spent days editing over 285 final photos in my college dorm, just after starting my freshman year.

Detail shots became one of my favorite things to capture after this wedding.

When I moved to Boston for school, I lost the clientele I had built back home. So, I turned to landscape photography as a way to explore my new surroundings and keep up with my passion. Over time, I completely fell in love with landscapes. I'd drive over 80 hours at 5 in the morning--sometimes dragging friends along--to capture new places. It quickly became my favorite thing to photograph.

With a growing collection of landscape shots, I began to think about how I could bring those into my business. I started designing canvas prints and selling them through my website. This not only allowed me to explore a whole new artistic side of photography, but it also gave me even more excuses to keep photographing sunrises, oceans, and cityscapes.

And now, here we are: my latest project, Frame & Focus. This is my way of sharing my experiences, the ups and downs of running a photography business (especially as a self-taught teenager), and the lessons I've learned along the way. After four years of running Photos by Noah Gendreau, I can confidently (well..almost..) say I know how to photograph people and landscapes.

Are you interested in exploring photography? DO IT. Start with your phone. Start with a small handheld camera. Learn the basics and everything else will fall into place--at least that's what happened to me.