I can safely say that almost every new client that steps foot in my studio will ask me one thing…… “How did you get started?”. That answer always leads into much more than they expected.  I used to be a second-grade teacher, we decided it was time to have a family, had a baby and decided it wasn’t worth it going back for the salary of an Arizona teacher.  I always loved photography as a hobby and took a few classes in high school and college but went the safe route in getting my education degree. After about six months of being a full time stay at home mom I honestly was getting bored. I love nothing more than being a mom, but I was loosing myself.  I needed something for me.  Some sort of creative outlet.  That is the “how” I got started.

 

I think more importantly the question that clients should be asking their potential photographers is WHY?  Why they do what they do. For me this is just as important as the how.  Most of us go into careers because it pays well, we get the summers off, we love kids, and the list goes on and on.  Two weeks after we had our son Easton, I decided I needed newborn photos of him.  So not being educated and newborn photography not being what it is today, I went to craigslist.  I chose the $50 photographer to capture the most important time in my life. She had a nice website but that was it. I didn’t ask the right questions or really look around at other options.  To make a long story short I don’t have a single newborn photo of my son on the walls in my house.  They are sitting on a burnt disk in our fire safe box.  At the time I got them back I thought they were okay. Some were out of focus, most Easton looked really oddly positioned and uncomfortable.  At that point it was too late to do anything about it.  After working with babies now for about six years I look back at the photos and want to cry.

 

But instead of crying, I use that as my why.  My driving force to go to work every day and be with my clients.  I want my clients to not only have a beautiful product they can hang proudly on the walls of their home and look at every day, but I want them have the experience they deserve of being able to see their brand new baby, the most precious thing in the whole world, be photographed in a natural and timeless way.  I want to give my clients what I don’t have.   That is my why.

I have NEVER shown these photos. They are our newborn photos of Easton from 8 years ago.  Not my photos.

Example of what I strive to provide for my clients.