There's more to being a photographer than taking pretty pictures.

There is more to being a photographer than taking pretty photos. You are the accountant, the customer service rep, the marketing coordinator, the graphic designer, the PR person, the photographer, a printing expert, the product tester, IT and troubleshooting technician, office manager, webmaster, event coordinator, smile maker, social media guru, copywriter, a tax expert, physical laborer, student, and the visionary of your own future. I have had to find a way to balance all of those responsibilities in order to be successful, and while it’s not an easy task, it IS worth the effort. Being a photographer is just a SLICE of what I do. I also lug equipment at all hours of the day, write blog posts until the wee hours, take online courses on a weekend to learn a new skill, and I laugh and cry with my clients...this is a multifaceted and emotional business and at almost EVERY single photo session, I find myself saying out loud “I can’t believe I get to do this for a living” ️

I just left a family photo session for a friend’s boss’s family (thanks for the referral Chuck New!) and I’ve realized something. As 2017 is coming to a close, our referrals sound more and more like: “a friend of a friend’s boss’s family member” and I’m feeling super humbled by that. This spider web of referrals and connections and the support we’ve received throughout this transition into full time photography is beyond anything I could have hoped for or imagined. Our friends, our families, our business partners, our social media followers and of course...our amazing clients have continued to keep us top-of-mind in their daily lives, and without those elements, our business couldn’t survive.

I guess what I mean to say is that being an artist for a living isn't easy, but it's MORE than worth it. The satisfaction of nailing a photo shoot, or running a successful marketing campaign, or meeting a new business connection, or making a new life long friendship, or revealing an exceptional set of photos to a family...THAT is so worth every tax form & youtube tutorial. It's worth every crying infant, every long day with tired feet, every rainy day reschedule and every 3am blog post that won't allow me back to sleep until I type it out =] I hope everyone who reads this is able to find something they love and pursue it relentlessly - it's incredibly satisfying to do what I love.