My Love for Landscapes

Mary Jane “MJ” Kordahi had always had a recreational interest in photography from the time she was a small girl growing up in Canada. It wasn’t until a friend gifted her a Sony a5100 mirrorless camera that she began exploring her true love for the art form.

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My true photo journey began after a friend noticed me stopping to take cell phone pictures everywhere I went and decided to give me a digital camera for Christmas. Cameras had changed a lot since my 110 disposable camera days, so I knew I would need training on how to use this new technology to make the best images I could. When I started researching photo schools in my local area in 2016, I came across the Creative Photo Academy, located in Torrance, CA.

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I immediately enrolled in their Photo Boot Camp classes and became enthralled with all of my new learning! Mark’s passion and enthusiasm for photography penetrated the classroom! After a couple of Boot Camp classes, I realized I wanted more out of my equipment than my current camera could offer, so I began my upgrade journey.  Currently I shoot with a Nikon Z7 and a variety of lenses ranging from a 14-30 mm wide angle to a 200-500 mm lens, all carefully selected with my photo advisors at Paul’s Photo based on my photography goals.

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Photography has become a passion for me and I certainly have seen my skills improve over the years through participation in other Creative Photo Academy classes, photo walks and travel with other photographers of all skill levels.

I love to shoot landscapes and seascapes, because who doesn’t love the beauty of a magnificent sunset over the ocean! I also love learning new photography techniques that add more interest to my images, such as long shutter speeds to capture motion and panning to blur the background while keeping the moving foreground in focus.

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I feel my weakest ability is capturing great photos of people that both tell a story and evoke emotion. So, I have made it a goal to step outside of my comfort zone and learn the art of photographing people. The CPA offers a great, interactive portrait class that helps hone these skills. I know I have a lot to learn, but I am happy with my progress and couldn’t have built the confidence to share my work without the support of Mark and the CPA