About
I started taking pictures professionally for 3 reasons:
1. My first born was a difficult baby and toddler. She hated everyone except for like 4 people, cried all the time, and smiles were rare. Trying to act like a good parent, I took her to get her milestone portraits at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 months...so forth and so on. She would cry, refuse to stay in the positions the photographers insisted upon, and withhold all smiles. In the coming years, I would spend hundreds of dollars on photos that didn't represent the child I knew she really was. I even had one photographer simply give-up. She turned to my husband and said, "I just don't think this is going to work." I cried all the way home. I knew that if I wanted photos that truly revealed her personality, I would need to take them myself. Even more than that, I didn't want a mom to feel the way I did, so I strive to be patient and reveal a child's personality...even on their worst day. 2. While working as an English teacher at Kankakee High School, I overheard the frustrated yearbook teacher talk about how he couldn't sell enough yearbooks to sustain his program. Curious about this, I polled my students asking why they weren't purchasing yearbooks. The survey showed a clear problem: very few of my students could afford even the minimum senior portrait sessions, which meant their picture wasn't even in the yearbook. I thought, "I have a nice camera. I will offer very affordable, digital, mini senior portrait sessions. How hard could this be?" Well, as it turns out, very hard! I quickly realized that good photography takes training and hours upon hours of practice. As I begin to upgrade my equipment and purchase editing software, I started understanding the prices local photographers were charging. I started taking online classes, practicing every weekend, and really learning how my camera works...I mean all the buttons. Luckily, my beloved KHS students helped me build my portfolio. They came out in the heat, rain, snow, and wind to help me improve my craft. Now, I am so proud to report that these KHS students are adults, and I have photographed several of their weddings and children. 3. Last, and perhaps most important, I love it, and I believe that all families deserve quality portraits, while maintaining a reasonable budget. I try to keep my prices as low as I can while justifying the large time and financial commitment professional photography requires. |