Starting Fresh

Peg Jones

©Meghann Justine Photography

It is amazing to me how an artist can grow in a short amount of time. With each new discovery and every new passion found, something changes a little inside, and images have more depth and feel more real. To compare where I was two years ago, and to where my photography is now, it feel as though two different people made the work I've created. I remember making the older pieces, but it doesn't feel like me anymore. I've changed, and therefore, my art has changed; dramatically.

Then I didn't know what kind of photographer I wanted to be. I knew loved film, and shot it almost every chance I got despite my classmates obsessions with digital photography. I felt a connection to getting my hands dirty and smelling fixer on them all throughout the day. I thought, maybe I'll be a fine art photographer! But soon realized that 1. That would allow me almost no income to pay back my outstanding student loan debt and 2. My concepts (at that point), were definitely not up to par.

After two additional years of education, I learned what I needed to know to create better photographs. I learned that high contrast does not equal greatness, that caucasian skin tone should be a zone 6 (generally speaking), that color needs to be controlled and that the digital camera is my friend. With a little practice, digital photography became second nature to me, and I haven't shot film in about a year (as much as that pains me to say).

To see my current work, I direct you to my website, which is currently updated.