Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.
A. I provide stylized shoots as well as lifestyle shoots for your newborn/infant. I also will come to you in the comfort of your own home after delivering your child as I know recovery can take some time.
Q. Describe three recent jobs you've completed.
A. My most recent clients included a newborn portrait session, a birth story, and a one year session! I truly love each and every type of session I offer and I'm so lucky and honored to be able to work with such amazing clients!
Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A. Don't hire someone based on price. I believe too many people out there hire someone to document the most important milestone's of their lives (as well as their child's life) based on a number. Try to look for quality as well as style. It's not at all uncommon to save up for photos just as you would to purchase a car.
Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?
A. I wish I knew the importance of newborn safety and the way the photographer handles my baby. So many new photographers are popping up all over and are inexperienced and don't know that most of the posing in newborn photography is made up of composites as to not harm the baby. Even the simplest pose could be a composite.
Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?
A. I would ask questions based on what type of photos you are looking for. Like, How would you describe your style of photography? What is your favorite subject to shoot?
It's also equally important to ask technical questions such as How long have you been in business? I also suggest contacting previous clients and ask how their experience was.
Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?
A. When I get an inquiry for a newborn session, I like mom to be about 30 weeks along as newborns over 3 weeks tend to be difficult and my calendar tends to fill up fast. I also prefer my clients to sit down and think about the value of getting their portraits done and to plan out a budget.
Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A. I really love to work with babies and toddlers and I think that really shows through my work. I feel completely at home dancing around making funny faces and looking silly! I try my hardest to get those genuine expressions of each and every baby that shows off their personality.
Q. What do you like most about your job?
A. What I really love the most is getting to meet so many amazing people and sharing in the joy and celebration of a new baby. I love all the time I get to spend cuddling the babies while talking to mom about the experience of motherhood. It's just an overall amazing experience and to call that my job is just beyond words.
Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A. The most commonly asked question I get asked is if I offer a disc with all digital images and how much? I would rather my clients invest in some high quality pieces to decorate their walls with. My favorite product I sell is my 2.5" thick ready to hang wall canvas. It really is a statement piece and goes with so many decor items. I don't like to sell the digital images because I can't tell you how many clients I get that have purchased the disc and say it just ends up in a drawer for months and when they finally get around to printing them, the largest they print is an 8x10. Why pay money for a custom portrait session if you're not going to invest in quality prints from your session?
Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?
A. I was one of those mom's that started after having a baby, however I didn't really pick up my first DSLR until my daughter was 13 months old. I spent countless hours online researching how to shoot in manual and I met so many amazing people along the way. I lost all of my photos from when I was a baby to about 5 years so I don't really remember much. I want my daughter to have some great photos of herself that she can share with her kids, her kid's kids, and so on. It is so important to me that she has these and I feel so blessed to be able to do this for others.
Q. What are you currently working on improving?
A. Right now I shoot with 100% natural light. I've been toying with the idea of studio lighting and I'm trying to learn everything I can before I make the switch. There's definitely advantages of using both and I would love to have that versatility. I don't think I would ever stop using natural light, there's just something about that golden sun that gives such an amazing warm feeling to the photos, but I am looking forward to using some studio lighting! :)
