Time To Choose, Specializing In Wedding/Child Photography

Here it goes. It was a hard decision to make, but I had a wonderful, fantastic, super fabulous photographer friend...(I won't mention any names Crystal George). Who has talked me through a few business lumps and bumps. However, she did stress one thing to me...and that was to specialize.
At first, I had no idea how to do that or what it truly meant.  Now that I have been on my own for nearly a year, I get it.
No photographer can do it all. A photographer can be good in a lot of avenues such as newborn work, seniors, children, brides, pets, sports, weddings..you name it, there is a genre for it. However, I don't believe a photographer can be  THE BEST at all of these things. So, in the past few months as I have looked through the year I asked what work to I absolutely LOVE the most.





I categorized by:
Do I feel passionately about it?
Where do I enjoy investing most of my energy?
During a session..which one do I feel most alive in?
What's working?
What is the most fulfilling?
Where and I am working really hard to be better?

It came down to two areas: children and everything to do with weddings :)

Children
I was surprised by this actually. Choosing children over some other categories, but I can see why now.  After a year of shooting various events and sessions, photographing children has brought me a sense of accomplishment.  My style and my personality definitely cater to making a professional child shoot work. I know what parents are looking for and I know what a child will love and hate. All this to say..having two children of my own to practice..never hurts! This also includes families. I feel they go hand in hand. While some people love to have their children photographed exclusively, some may also want to figure in a total family shoot. Of course!

Weddings:
From engagement shoots, client meetings to the big day..I truly love every aspect of it.  There is a challenge to produce high quality work in a fast paced environment and I truly enjoy it!
Furthermore, I adore the relationships it fosters. The brides are friends,  the families become a part of me and I don't say that because it sounds nice,  I say it because it's absolutely true.

Relationships are a lot about who I am and I find relating to children is very easy and fostering solid friendships with my brides and their families is making my life richer.

It's not to say that I don't enjoy other aspects of photography, but at this stage of my career, it's full throttle with children and "I do"...and it will be my passion to be great at both of these :)