November. November marks the one year anniversary of when I started photographing families. This year has been truly amazing.
Do you know the story of how this all came about? Many of you know that I started taking pictures last year for my little niece, Gracy. A couple of her friends asked if I would take pictures of their babies, and I reluctantly said yes. I was nervous about how the pictures would look and how the mamas would react. I had never taken any photography classes and only had an innocent love of good pictures, but I took on the jobs to get some practice. After a few of these little sessions, my sister’s friend Courtney really suggested I branch out. Take pictures of other families. Who knows, it could end up a “little business.”
Well, did that ever turn out to be an understatement.
November and December went by quickly, with some commuting back and forth from Ann Arbor, where I was a senior at U of M, to take pictures. When January hit, I was booking sessions into April. When April hit, I was booking into October. Through April, I would come home nearly every weekend for sessions, then go back to school and edit (and procrastinate doing homework, writing papers, studying…). It was not an easy feat, but it worked. I graduated in May (woo hoo!) and came back home to work on my growing “little business.”
Over the last year, I have worked with over 120 families, done just over 170 sessions, played with countless babies and children, lulled dozens of newborns back to beautifully deep sleep, given out hundreds of prizes from the special “prize box,” and was voted 2nd place in Channel 4’s Best of Detroit contest for best portrait photographer. I also have 3 assistants hired to work with me for newborn sessions and office work. (Big thank you, of course, to my twin nieces Shelby and Taylor, and my Aunt Sudie.)
What a difference a year makes.
This business, I affectionately call “my baby,” has changed my life in so many ways. I was kind of floating before, not knowing what to do with my life. I have always loved kids, especially babies. This career allows me to fuse my love of kids, photography, working with families, and being independent. It does become stressful at times, mostly because the workload and pressure lays directly on my shoulders. But the benefits so greatly outweigh the tough parts.
I want to thank you all for sticking with me this year. For all of you who decided to give me a chance when I was just starting out and have ended up coming back every three months, thank you. I appreciate your loyalty. Even the people I’ve only met once have given me such great opportunity to practice and learn.
People keep asking me if this is it. Is this my career? Am I going to do this for life? I don’t really know how to answer that. At this point, I absolutely want to keep this up. I am doing what I love. I can only see potential in the future. I could never have imagined this in my wildest dreams, even just a year and a half ago. And here I am now.
All I keep thinking is, what will I be saying next year at this time?
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