We all start somewhere...

It's a phrase you hear thrown around a lot in photography groups.... "We all start somewhere." And it's true. I started in high school when I was asked to join the yearbook staff after winning a photography contest with a series of photos I took on a disposable camera from Walgreens. (Don't get too excited, it was a high school contest and I'm not sure I had a ton of competition). That was when a DSLR was first put into my hands and I was told to go and learn... I have had a DSLR in my hand ever since... usually for various content coordination or marketing director jobs during and after college. After saving for my own DSLR, my husband surprised me with a Canon T3 Rebel which is probably the most common starter DSLR these days. It wasn't long after that a neighbor asked me to do a newborn session for her 4 month old. They weren't able to afford anything else and just asked me to get better photos than they could with their phones. That was the day I found Ana Brandt, I watched all her videos, took a newborn photography safety course, and did my very first "newborn" shoot a few weeks later...complete with furry blankets, over sized bows, too many obnoxious props and the inevitable garage sale group ad offering sessions for "all your photos on a CD for $60".... I was so proud of myself.... now I look back at those photos and think about that ad and cringe but part of me is still proud of them and even more proud of how far I have come!

Less than 3 years later, this is my full time job. I am recommended by the local hospitals and OB offices and am earning more than I did at my 9-5 job as a corporate Marketing Director for a large Real Estate firm. (Take that wage gap!)

I learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and some I learned from other's mistakes. Some of us start in different places and I'm hoping that whether you are just starting out or just now getting serious, this blog gives you a head start so that you don't have to start in the "$60 for unlimited everything" trenches like I did.

Always,

The Professional Baby Holder