In a word? Nope.
I used to be a patent lawyer, in fact. Working in a big firm doing biotech patent law, and then in-house for a major pharmaceutical company.
I wrote the story of my metamorphosis HERE. (It really is a good story, and I love to tell it!)
So, no. Degrees in biology and law, yes. A degree in photography, no.
But I’m a firm believer in lifelong learning and I can tell you that my tenacious self has ingested more photography education in the last decade plus than I could even begin to express.
In the early years, there were the classes. And then the books. And then the forums. And as I got more serious, there evolved a dedication to investing every year in some kind of workshop or conference to develop my skills in photography and running a photography business. I’ve visited some awesome places and met some incredible and inspiring people thanks to my hunger for photography learning. Oh, and all of this was before I even knew what a podcast was – now I’m addicted to photography, business and marketing podcasts. (Geek!)
The prize for all of this was a massive (and still growing) collection of memories and beautiful photos AND a large (and still-growing) collection of people and families who appreciate photos in the same way that I do.
No framed diploma or fancy degree, BUT I’ve amassed a fair amount of recognition for my hard work. You can see a selection of my fancy badges HERE, but I thought I’d drop my most recent one here. (You know, since you asked).
And of course, I’m looking forward to continuing to learn …
Thanks for looking,
~Jaye
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Jaye McLaughlin is an award-winning newborn and family photographer serving Westchester, NYC and beyond since 2010.
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