Shortly after he was born, I cashed in my Bounty Bag voucher for a free photography session and print with one of the photography chains in the big shopping centres (that now no longer exist). My son was about 6 weeks old, and I had no idea what to expect. When I looked at the finished photos after the session, I was quite disappointed. While I thought he was beautiful (what mother doesn't think that about their baby?!), the photos were badly posed, his bright red baby acne untouched, and there was not a huge amount of variety in the images. He was cranky, his arms were flailing all over the place. This company wanted thousands for the whole collection of photos - an amount I wasn't able to afford at the time. I felt quite put-off, yet guilty, after being given the hard-sell to purchase ALL of his images. I also didn't appreciate being told I only had that day to decide, and pay for them. This was a huge thing for me! So in the end, I left with just my free print, and a sour taste in my mouth.
When I returned home and told my husband about the experience, I remember saying something along the lines of "I could probably take a more flattering photo of our son, myself!" and what he said next, really shocked me - he told me to do it. Buy a camera. Take photos. Learn photography.
At first, it was something to fill in my time during maternity leave. While my baby slept, I trawled the internet. Read books. Watched YouTube videos. Studied other professional photographer's work. I lived and breathed photography. I took hundreds of photos every single day, learning my camera, working out the best settings for each situation.
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Some of my first ever photos taken with my DSLR, of my first son. |
Over the next year, I started thinking I could possibly do something more with this. I began taking photos of my friend's children; and then friends of friends. With each photo I improved, and my husband was so supportive of me, for which I am so grateful for. Without his trust in me developing my skill, I wouldn't be where I am today.
So today - I've been in business for almost five years. It started slow at first, but has eventually developed into an actual income for our family, which I am so proud of. With each year, I see change and improvement in my work. I'm always learning - I don't think I'll ever stop. I still have that same passion for photography that I did in the very beginning - if not more. I'm excited to see where this will take me in the future. My experience with chain-store photographers has shaped how I run my business. There is no hard-sell or minimum spend; poses are patiently perfected before being photographed; temporary blemishes, skin discolourations, dark circles under eyes (what new parent doesn't have those?!) are all lessened or removed. Sessions are natural, fun, and completely flexible.
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Photos taken of my third son, earlier this year. |
I love working with babies. They are so tiny for such a small amount of time. I love documenting their perfect little features, the bond between parents and their new baby. I love the expectancy of new life with my maternity clients. The excitement, the anticipation. All such precious moments to capture.
I've now had many hundreds of clients. Each one I remember. I've been so lucky to have formed many beautiful friendships, both with clients, and fellow photographers.
I'm so lucky to have a job that I truly love.
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