When I was 17, my mom brought home a book she had purchased for a quarter at a local garage sale. She said she had seen it and thought I'd like it because it featured photo's of animals. The book was from 1987 and was called LIFE Smiles Back. It was a collection of funny, heartwarming and inspirational photographs from early America all the way into the 1980's. Although the pictures aren't what many would consider phenomenal or even really newsworthy, I loved them.

These pictures, many of which were taken by amateur photographers who were avid LIFE readers, feature children, animals and everyday people in funny or unconventional situations. Or, as my teacher Frank would call them, "slices of life."

I read the book from cover to cover that night and from then on I was hooked. I wanted to take pictures like the LIFE pictures. I signed up for photography at my high school and while many of my friends fooled around taking pictures of themselves, I strived for different. I was fascinated by shapes and textures and took pictures no one else in my class was taking. Pictures ranging from flowers and trees to the unconventional pictures of dog food and pine needles.

Fast forward a few years and I was going nowhere, working retail for minimum wage and hating what I was doing. One day, out of nowhere, I decided 'this is it, I've had it, I'm going back to school.' It took me a few months of figuring out what I wanted to do, but I kept coming back to photography. I missed it and wanted to reconnect with my inner photographer. While doing research on the internet I came across a program called Photojournalism, which involved two of my favourite things: photography and writing. I decided to go for it and applied.

While as you can guess, I got in and now, amazingly, I have only 6 months left before I graduate. Going back to school for photojournalism was nerve-racking. I go to school with people who were actually BORN in the '90's which makes me feel really old sometimes. But it was worth it. I am rediscovering my passion and I'm learning how to apply my talents into different situations. I am slowly learning what makes me tick as a photographer. I love the outdoors and nature, but I have also discovered I love portraits. Who would have thought that shy, quiet Jen Roberts would enjoy telling people where to stand and how to pose!

I hope that I continue to grow and learn as a a photographer and as a writer and I hope that you, the reader, will follow along with me as I learn, make mistakes, and overall, have fun.