Behind The Blog

2018 was a fantastic year for me. I quit my full-time job to go full time with my photography. Let me tell you how amazing it feels but let me tell you it’s more exhausting that working a traditional 9 to 5. The entrepreneur hustling is a real thing. Being a mom, there are specific responsibilities you have to contend with then you throw in trying to get your sessions out as fast as possible. Some days are harder than others; it is a struggle trying to balance work and home when you are primarily working out of your home. The crazy thing is even though 85% of the time I can’t keep my eyes open past 9 pm and I basically collapse into bed ... I am still doing what I love. 

2018 I took on a project called what you see vs. what I see. Today I am going to go over a little back story on WHY! So please don't get upset if I ramble! I have been writing this and then deleting it for about 7 months.

Hope you are excited!

I'm going to take you back to 2016

I did a Christmas session on the side of the road in a not so nice-looking area because it had pine trees! If you have ever lived in Phoenix, you know, we live in the desert, and they aren’t familiar. I had a new client show up to the place where I was doing all my mini sessions, and she didn’t even get out of the car with her family. She messaged me:

"How dare you take us to some homeless drug-filled wasteland! I want a full refund for the lies you are taking people to. The location looks nothing like what you were advertising for your holiday promotion. Thank you for absolutely wasting our time today."

Not going to lie... This one hurt and I cried for a moment after reading this because at the time this photography thing was still relatively new to me. Was I in the wrong for not taking my clients to more of a "prettier location"?!

After getting home and finally not crying every time I thought about the situation. I started uploading all the images and finally the next day after slaving away trying to get previews out with a baby and toddler at my ankles all day... I did it... I posted my shows and then replied to her message. I felt pride knowing she was in the wrong and didn't trust me.

I responded finally after writing it up 99 times before hitting send...  

Good Afternoon!

I am so sorry that you didn’t make it out of your car for family photos! We missed you! However, per my contract, there will be no refunds. I am so sorry that you thought the location was a mess however photographers see lighting and colors and I am sad you didn’t trust my vision and the image that I put up for the promotional is precisely what the area looks like through my view. If you want you can check out everyone's pictures online, I just posted previews! They are beautiful! Again, we missed you, and I am so sorry you didn't give me a chance.

Have a blessed day.

I got a response in seconds after sending this... They wanted to reschedule - this is a lesson that taught me a few things.

1- Believe in yourself even when nobody else does.

2 - Always have a contract. It will save your butt so many times!

3– My reflector saves my life in bad lighting situations. See which one to get!

4- If you are not shooting in Kelvin and are super confused about white balance This thing is easy to use – White Balance HELP 

The last thing I learned at this very moment is that you don’t need to have the best location for a session. As an artist, you make the most out of your situation at hand. Make it fun and memorable for your clients, and they will love you for it.

I started this because every place I went to that was "suggested" was mainly overrun or over the shot. I wanted something outside the box. I wanted to be different.

As I started shooting in random areas, I would get the question I dreaded the most. 

Where was this?! What EXACT location is this? 

I honestly hate that question. Where is this location? Well, it is a bush and some trees it can genuinely be anywhere. Why do you have to go to the exact location? WHY? You can find a bush and some trees anywhere. I will usually tell them, but I feel that it is just going be another photographer in that location and it will either get overrun or there will be permits required when it gets overused. I don't want you to fall down the same rabbit hole I did. I want you to have a challenge instead of using everyone's ideas.

I want YOU to be original. 

The location doesn't make the photographer. If you take 50 photographers to the same area, at the same time and even the same models - Guess what?! All of those images will be different. Why? Because everyone is on their own skill level with the surrounding elements. 

Put your skills to the test. 

STOP shooting in common areas. 

Let's see what you are really made of! The worst thing that could happen is you can learn from each new location you try out. 

I can't wait to show you the strange places I was in 2018!

Cheers to 2019!

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