Okay BP4Uers, we have something a little different for you. We have a fellow BP4Uer on the blog this week, as well as our Featured Photographer!
Sit back and relax, and get to know the lady behind Silent Ranks!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer?
I didn’t realize that I wanted to start this career path until I had a Valentines Boudoir done for my husband, and the photographer left everything set up in my basement and I wound up playing around with it while I had my niece and nephew the next day.We just played around with it, and they turned out ….well at the time I thought they turned out amazing…. but my husband looked at me and said ” You take pictures of everything, you’ve been taking pictures since you knew what that silver button did, so why not go for it?” So I signed up for the first college class I could get my hands on, and just went for it!
How did you start out in photography?
I have always been the photographer when it came to family functions (birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc) But the career path started back in Jan of 2007. I started with Boudoir, and worked my way through each little challenge I could get my hands on. Whether it be families, babies, pets, flowers, sunsets, whatever I could. My daughter and I would even take her toys and take photos of them to see what I could do with them.
How would you describe your style?
My style never stays the same, I’m always learning something new that I have to try out. I love doing simple and natural, but on the flip side I love to play in photoshop and make something completely out of the normal.
Name the first person that comes to mind when you think of:
·Newborn photographer: Kristen Mackay
·Wedding photographer: Marcus Bell
·Lifestyle photographer: Jesh De Rox
·Most inspiration person: Jessica Drossin– That woman inspires me and reminds me that I can turn a photo from a portrait to art with just a little bit of effort and imagination, and anytime that I ever am in a funk, I can look through her photos and my light bulb comes on and I think, WOW I got to try something like that!
Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught?
Both, school didn’t hardly do much for me, I couldn’t even begin to tell you about the lessons that I had in school. Most of what I have learned was self taught, seminars, webinars, tutorials, books, and trial and error. And don’t you dare tell me I can’t… that just always gave me the drive to prove to you that I could!
What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business?
Patience! I am the least patient person I know, and photography takes a lot of it in so many ways. People really don’t think about it, but newborns take extreme amounts of patience, toddlers you have to have it or you’ll loose your hair, families specially that have children or adults that are being “forced” to be there and then you have the dead zone where you think you have done something wrong because you haven’t had a client in two weeks, so you start beating yourself up thinking of the worst things possible that you have done wrong. It all takes an extreme amount of patience.
What has helped you most to grow in your photography business?
My family, My husband has pushed me so much, and stopped me from throwing in the towel so many times and just reminded me numerous times, “It will get better”
What is something that you still want to improve on?
Oh gosh… Lighting would be my number one pick. I love using natural light, and it can be the most challenging sometimes. After that I would have to say marketing and business management.
What is your favorite type of photography to shoot? How did you decide?
Boudoir. As a military wife, I know the role well. When your a mother, a cook, a maid, a shrink, a referee, etc. You do not have time nor do you hardly ever feel sexy or beautiful. Your too busy most of the time. So women tend to become self conscious about their body, their curves, and other things that we let go so that we can put our family first. And I feel like every woman should have at least one Boudoir session where they can cut loose and feel beautiful and sexy. It’s their time where they don’t have to worry about being mom, cooking, cleaning or anything but showing off what their mommas gave them and doing something they know deep down inside their husbands are going to drop a jaw over!
If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be?
A stay at home mom, wife, friend, and daughter. I do not see my life at all with out some kind of camera in my hand.
What’s the best lesson in photography that you’ve learned so far?
Don’t be their photographer. Be their friend! I have learned I have gotten far better pictures when I stand back and just become their (kids, couples, models,etc) friend. Talk to them, cut up with them, When you get that first real laugh, they release that ball of fear and nervousness they have built up in their stomach the whole way to the shoot, and they become soooo much more workable.
What are your thoughts on props?
I have guilty habit with props and I get yelled at all the time about it. I will buy a prop at a yard sale, flea market, store, or whatever as long as the price is right. But I will only use them twice before I get rid of them. I absolutely refuse to use the same prop more than twice. I have always been like that. I think its because I dont want two neighbors side by side to have the “same Walmart type photo” as their neighbor has.