Portrait Photographer

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. I take family, child, newborn, senior, and engagement photos. I also frequently do musicians' headshots.

I do shoot weddings occasionally, but limit my wedding jobs to 3-4 a year.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Find a photographer whose style speaks to you. Imagine the five dream images that you would want for yourself, then look through your potential photographer's portfolio. If you can't imagine yourself in those images, or you don't see your dream images represented, then you should search for somebody whose vision aligns more closely with yours.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. People often ask me while custom photography costs more than studio photography. The following website answers this question better than I can: http://www.professionalchildphotographer.com/information/?p=6

When people think about photography, a common misconception is that the only time put into the final result is the actual length of the shoot. In reality, more time is spent working behind-the-scenes in a photography business than you might expect; my everyday tasks include editing pictures, answering e-mails and phone calls, bookkeeping, and maintaining my website and blog. Also, as with any other profession, I've spent hours and hours learning and practicing my craft.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. My work has a unique feel to it because of the connection I have with my clients. I approach every photography session with the goal of leaving with a new friend. Portraits aren't just about nailing the exposure and focus; although those things are important, the pictures that tell a story are the ones that draw you in and stick in your memory. My photos are colorful, alive, and fun, but most importantly, they represent the best things about my clients' personalities and their stories.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I love that I get to capture the best side of people. Clients come to me at the happiest times of their lives, celebrating engagements, newborn babies, and high school graduation, just to name a few. Although we already have something to celebrate in their photographs, I try to draw out even more happiness and natural beauty by creating an environment in which people feel safe and comfortable.

One of my favorite parts about being a family photographer is that I get to watch kids grow up. I get to see them develop from a week-old newborn, to a lighting-speed toddler, to a loving member of the family. It makes me incredibly happy to know that these kids will be able to look back at their family photo albums and realize how much love surrounded them in their childhood.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. As a beginning photographer, one of the best things you can do is to take advantage of all the free information available to you. When I first started, I lived in the photography section of Barnes & Noble, and spent the rest of my free time watching amazingly talented photographers on Flickr and DeviantArt, and gathering feedback about my own photography. Many lifestyle photographers also regularly update blogs, which are great to follow in Google Reader.

Although it's important to learn from other photographers, try to stay true to your style! When I first started, I was constantly trying to emulate other photographs that I saw. While that's a great starting point, you'll get more people to notice your work if you offer something that you're passionate about and that's truly your own.

Q. What is your greatest strength?

A. There's a consistent "Kate Lemmon" look to my pictures-- my pictures are all very colorful and dynamic, and I try to paint a picture of personality of the person or family I'm photographing. I'd like to think that you can really tell a lot about a person after looking at my photographs of them. My goal for each session is to take away the nerves and leave my clients with great memories that last far beyond that day.