I could use some help.
In 2019, my son was born. My life was in a total upheaval. We moved. Sold our house. Had a baby. Dealt with some pretty bad post partum depression. My husband lost his job due to relocation of the business. He started a job working really awful hours. I went back to work at my job for a month because of the uncertainty with his job. After a month, I left and pursued a career as a full time photographer.
I’ve been photographing professionally since 2008. I was in college. I’ve worked a lot of jobs and learned a lot along the way. I’m still learning. I love people. I love helping people by showing them what I see. I’ve done portrait work including school pictures, weddings, headshots, seniors, newborns, infants, large family groups, sports. I’m not bragging. This isn’t a résumé. But I’ve done a lot in the last 15 years.
In September of 2019, I went full time with my photography. Just in time for the busy holiday season. I surpassed my goals. Things were going well!
In early winter of 2020 I photographed my first product. It was for RaGa Naturals. It was 100% a learning experience. The bottles were reflective. I way over delivered. I edited every image before sending to the client. I worked within the 2 week time period. Only to have the client pick their images that fit in with the collaboration. Hey. Chalk that up to the learning curve. I loved working with her and we created some images that I’m still happy with. But. I spent a lot of time on it. Thankfully, it was time I had.
The next opportunity I had to work with someone from the Facebook group was Bad Beez. It was lip gloss and liquid lipstick. I was to photograph modeled images with her product. The day I received the product, we were put on lockdown. 2 weeks turned into months without seeing anyone other than my 2 kids (9 months and 2 1/2 at the time). My husband too, but most of the time he was working awful odd hours.
Out of frustration, one day I went outside on the porch while my husband was in charge of my 2 sidekicks. I photographed lifestyle images of those lipsticks and lipglosses.
Then another day, I made my husband photograph headshots of me in the lipstick. Then as the guidelines loosened, we started doing things outside. I met up weekly with a friend. She would model products for me that I picked up through the group. This was so beneficial for my mental health and ppd recovery.
2020 was actually a good financial year for us. I worked with several clients consistently. Many of those continuing into 2021.
Then 2022 hit. My first client of the year canceled. Then the next several portrait clients did. Several clients would let me know what images they would want, even planning to purchase additional images, only to never pay an invoice. So they didn’t receive their images. I did the work but times were tough for people. And I understood that. I started considering charging a booking fee or a session reservation fee. In retrospect, I should have. But I hated the idea of someone feeling obligated to have their session while sick.
The only thing that kept my business going through 2022 was product photography. Both clients and collaborations.
Then in November 2022 my dog died.
January 2023, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and executive dysfunction. NOT ADHD. Regardless of how obvious it seems to me. #notadoctor
We got a dog the next day. She’s been such a joy in our lives. I didn’t realize how badly I needed her until she filled a hole in my heart that I didn’t know was there.
I photographed a musical and had a blast. The turn out for image purchasing wasn’t as I had hoped but I did receive a lot of advertising for it and met some wonderful students along the way.
We visited a cousin in Philly for his wedding.
My hands went numb. A lot. Driving? Numb. Sleeping? Numb. Shooting? Numb. Soooo fun.
We finally went on a real vacation to Michigan .
We took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge.
We went sea glass hunting all summer.
Torben broke his arm.
Adelei started school.
Portrait sessions didn’t book much over the summer. Which was unusual. Normally the warm weather inspires people to get their pictures updated.
My cat died 2 days into the school year.
Many of my business clients pared back the work they were sending me due to production costs and trying to keep their sales prices down to maintain their customers.
There were fewer people asking for collaborations and even fewer choosing to work with me.
Mini sessions didn’t book as well as even previous years.
I did photograph several senior sessions, which are some of my favorites to do.
I got to photograph several doggos and get kisses from them.
My grandma’s sister died. We celebrated her life with our family from Seattle.
I played with lighting on a few sessions and have been helping to coordinate meet ups with some local photographers to practice different photography related activities (headshots, lighting, group posing).
I’ve still gotten to work with some of my favorite clients. Just not as frequently. I even met one from Michigan! I’d love to meet the ones from California and Hawaii!
Did I mention Adelei went to school? She freaking loves it.
I’ve been working at the credit union once a week for the last year helping with their marketing and website.
I lost 40 lbs in the last year and a half. Then gained 12 back during our summer. It’s been rough.
I started therapy again. But the first therapist didn’t work out. I’m on my second but surprise, now I have to deal with insurance issues. I haven’t been back. I need to. But. Time.
I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. Then I photographed the next day. It was an amazing thing. It hurt. But I functioned. Very slowly. But still functioned .
Around Thanksgiving 2023, I was unexpectedly deleted from an online group I’ve been participating in, without being given a reason or a notice. If that comment seems abrupt, imagine how I felt finding the “join” button when I searched for the group. This group was full of small businesses and photographers with the one goal of helping the small businesses elevate their online product line. When I did finally get a response in February, they stated that my work wasn’t consistent enough.
None of my clients were ever disappointed. I was so torn about this. I didn’t talk about it because I didn’t think it was a good idea to act unprofessionally. But I really wanted to. In a field where we are constantly battling imposter syndrome, any of the groups I’ve become involved in have only torn my work down. Instead of helping me to build up. This group quite literally telling me I’m not good enough to even work for free/trade. Another group I paid to be involved at the beginning of my full time career literally laughed at my work. I had hoped to learn from these “successful” local photographers in the field. But that group was a waste.
We have since had some family health issues. IYKYK. My Sister in law had a baby. I’m still in a big debate over sending my 4 year old to school in the fall. People. I’m so freaking tired and disheartened. I want to keep photographing but I am not sure how I can keep going without business. When Torben does ultimately go to school, if this isn’t working for us financially, I know I won’t be able to continue.
If you made it this far, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me. Whether you are a client, friend, family member, online observer, thank you for being here.
I had so many words.
I muted my audio book I was listening to and wrote so many heartfelt words. I expressed a bit of frustration and sadness over the slow season I’m currently in. I asked for help. Suggestions for where to go and how to fill up my schedule for the rest of the year.
I guess you are off the hook reading it because my computer froze while exporting and rendering the video below. The images in the video are from sessions I photographed during the months of January to June of 2023. I would love to fill the rest of the year up with creative work for Seniors, Families, Minis and all sorts of products and people!
My heart is in this. Help me make this work.
If you have any suggestions about how I can improve my reach, leave a comment!
2022… a wrap up
2022 opened calmly and with the relief of a fresh start for the books. I had a few sessions lined up. I took a few weeks off to recover from a very busy Christmas season. Then came the cancellations. It was ok. But then my parents had Covid in the beginning of March. We also got Covid in May. I had to cancel spring mini sessions due to the virus running through our home.
The actual 2022 season for me didn’t really pick up until later in the year. I lost several months of work due to sickness. Then the colds hit. After years of staying away from as many germs as possible… this was the year we were going to pay for it.
That all being said, I was asked to speak at an event about my success and how I reached it. In a year I was not feeling successful. I went completely blank on what to talk about. My husband reminded me that this job… my contribution to the family, was intended to be flexible. That even though I was supposed to contribute monetarily, I was also the first option for childcare for the kiddos. I spent a lot of time working from 9 pm to 2 am. And we were every bit as flexible as possible for the kids.
2022 wasn’t nothing. I still had an opportunity to photograph some really fun sessions. I have some clients I’m really excited to work with coming up. I’m looking forward to fresh books and sharing some of this content. I know better than to claim 2023 as my year. But I can still be excited about it.
Torben - My Baby Model
I love the vibrancy of this outfit. The gold in the fabric almost glitters, while not having a spec of shimmery metal fleck.
I recently purchased a set of lights from another photographer who had just upgraded. I’m thrilled with how they lit my kitchen where my background was set up.
Torben loves a hat. He also loves to ignore me. It’s one reason his images work so well for my clients. Most of them select images of the subjects just living and existing using their products. It helps the potential customer picture themselves or their children using the product.
And if you have ever met a 2 year old, especially a red headed monkey like Torben, you know, getting them to look at the camera and just smile is an almost impossible task. But these pictures, of him being himself… I will treasure more than the fake smiles and posed mania that comes from a formal session with preschoolers.
Torbens Milk Bath
July 2020. I don’t know where the time has gone. I started uploading images into blog posts so I could plan out and schedule them and post when I had time to write them.
It’s March of 2022. While I’ve posted blog posts (and only a few at that) I haven’t come back to these to finalize.
As far as this shoot went…
Torben was a little over a year. He had been walking for 4 months at this point. Keeping him still was not an easy task. He did love the strawberries and lemons.
The galvanized tub was not sealed when I purchased it so I had bought silicone sealant to run around the seam and I also put dollops of silicone at the bottom of the tub to keep a baby from slipping once the water was added.
The milky color was created by using warm water and expired frozen breast milk.
June 2021 BINGO - New Brighton, PA
I sat in Harmony at the Wunderbar (unknowingly, just before COVID-19 hit). I could not believe this quaint coffee shop and their neighbor Two Fraus Bakery were hiding just 20 minutes from home. Experiencing the small details that were so carefully and thoughtfully chosen just for their patrons gave me such a good feeling. I sat and sipped my iced coffee and nibbled on my freshly made pastry from next door as I played a board game provided by the shop with a friend and my two children. We discussed the town. I needed to come back. I needed to share this experience with people I knew to save it from disappearing.
As a photographer, I love to walk around a new place and find little spaces to photograph in. It’s like a fun game for me. I planned this BINGO game as a tool for local photographers to get together once a month to meet other like minded (or not) photographers and enjoy this game. But then it got me thinking… Life is starting to open up a bit. We still need safe fun things to do with our kids this summer. Why not make this a game that anyone could enjoy!!
So, rules. Frankly…. let’s just have fun. You can play as competitively as you want to within your family. Or, you can use the BINGO board as more of a scavenger hunt. However you decide to use it, I urge you to share your experiences and images and tag the local businesses on social media. Why keep small town hot spots a secret? We want to support them and keep them around.
Download the BINGO board and use the spaces as inspiration. Look around the town to find places to photograph your interpretations of the words on the board. Stop in a shop. Meet an owner or a worker. Learn their story. Then be sure to talk about what you learn. I would love it if you shared the images in our group on Facebook , or tagged us in your posts by using the tag #SmallTownExposure. There will be albums set up in the Facebook group to share your interpretations of each board space.
In June of 2021, we will be focusing on New Brighton in the Facebook group. I welcome any shop or business from New Brighton to post during the month to introduce themselves and their businesses along with any specials they might be offering during that month.
Have questions? Please ask!
I don’t even know where to start.
I can’t sleep. My cat has a swollen face and a pussy eye. I have to call the vet in the morning. There’s nothing I can do right now… except go to sleep and wait until they open in the morning. And yet, I cannot fall asleep.
So I’ll blog. But where do I even start? I check my blogs waiting to be worked on and it starts with work from July 2020. Ummm. What was my word for the year? Presence? Have I lost sight of that?
No. Because presence means being present when I’m not working. It’s just been a lot busier of a year than I anticipated. Mix in some covid concerns that has meant a lot of late nights working and long days playing with my kiddos.
But am I upset with myself for neglecting the blog? You know what. I am one person. I am going to focus on the things I have to do… like submitting taxes, photographing and sending out images and marketing and creating new communication lines with businesses. And then make time for things that I get to do. So. NO. I’m not upset.
I one hundred percent believe that no one and nothing is perfect. There should always be something to work toward. In life and business. So today, one thing I can work toward is making time for blogging.
What is something you can work toward in your business?
Because I can’t blog without an image or several included… I’ll share a few from my recent shoot at the color park / Highline in Pittsburgh Pa.
Germ Shine - by Foxi Avenue
“Exposure by Rachael did a fantastic job with my product photos! My product is not something most people are familiar with, and I wanted to be able to explain it in pictures. I told Rachael what I wanted and she captured it perfectly! The photos are stellar. If you are looking for a product photographer, Exposure by Rachael is the one!”
As much as I want to be caught up on my blogging, posting, planning, marketing… it’s been an eventful year. Between Covid, wrecking my car, potty training and a 20 month old deciding that sleeping overnight isn’t important… I’m behind. The one thing I’m not behind on is shooting and editing.
Terri at Foxi Avenue asked if I would be interested in photographing her Germ Shine box with one of my kids. Adelei is the only one really old enough to understand it. And we have been talking about the importance of washing our hands lately with this “bug” going around. So of course, I said yes!
I set up time to photograph with our Miss Hillary and Adelei. We explored the box and the blue light and the sticker and the coloring pages. The fun seemed endless. It took a promise of chocolate to get Adelei to allow the box to be put away.
Since then, Adelei has mentioned the “Germ Box” every day. Multiple times a day. I told her we needed to wait until Miss Terri lets us know that she is happy with the pictures we sent to her. Adelei assured me that she would be happy but that she would wait. Guys. She’s 3!
I’m happy to report that Miss Terri is in fact happy with her pictures and Adelei is allowed to show her almost 2 year old younger brother the prized “germ box.”
Word of the Year?
As an entrepreneur, I’m in many groups on Facebook that I look to for inspiration. Many of the posts that have popped into my feed on this New Years Day revolve around goal setting for 2021. I’ve been considering this for a few weeks. Maybe even months.
I have truly enjoyed product shooting AND working with my portrait clients again. I will continue both through 2021. But even bigger than that. I want to make sure I’m doing a better job of sharing with everyone. You will see more blog posts. You will see an increase in daily social media posting. Heck. Maybe I’ll even go live a few more times.
I want to hear from you. What do you want to see more of? How to guides on picking the right clothes? More mini sessions? The pointing videos? (just kidding. I won’t be doing that.) Blogging about the products I’m working with? Maybe even some sneak peaks on location scouting?
PRESENCE.
Image by Alyssa Petrella of You Got Lucky Photography
Collab # 33
Madison was looking for pictures of a 12 month old next to cows. I was so excited to tell her I could find cows! After receiving the handmade cow print romper in the mail, we took a drive out to my friends family dairy farm. The sun was on the wrong field, the cows were in a far pasture. It just didn’t work out.
I came back later to find all the cows hiding in the barn. 88’ weather… I would have hidden from the sun too.
I took Torben out of the car and got him dressed. I admired the little romper on him. The owner of the farm was there and we discussed the cows. He said, why don’t you pop him up on the tractor. I responded that as long as it isn’t a green one, I’ll be good. Torben wasn’t so sure.
He then suggested heading in the fence toward the barn. I never ever would have done this without him. In we went. Me wishing I had not worn my flip flops. We got closer to the barn and the cows sure enough came out. They are very curious beings. We retreated once I had gotten a few shots and the cows headed to the wrong field. We headed toward the pasture they were in and got close enough to get them to follow us back to the other pasture. Those girls just came right up to him! And sweet Torben just wanted to play with the kitties. He didn’t even notice the big girl behind him.
I’m just glad to have these pictures of him. And so happy to help Madison from Nora C. Boutique.
Collab # 32
Christmas will be here before we know it. My mom always said, as soon as we hit the 4th of July, the year is over. It’s crazy how fast it goes as I get older.
A few months ago, I set out looking for some props for my Christmas mini sessions. Jenna from Mud and Marble volunteered her ornaments. We had to push back the sample shoot so I set out to improvise. It’s amazing how little it takes to make a scene that looks full. I try to tell a story with my images and show the client how people really might use their product.
We gifted my cousin and his new wife the ornament as a tag on their wedding gift.
These ornaments make for a unique handmade gift and decoration. Don’t hate me for sharing Christmas already… but it’s going to be here before we know it.
Collab # 31
I’ve been using sulfate free shampoo for at least 7 years. I’ve seen ads for shampoo bars. But I was skeptical. I was interested in how it would lather. In my experience, sulfate free shampoo doesn’t get very “soapy.” Not only did the shampoo lather really nicely, it took very little. And my hair was very clean. The conditioner bar left my hair feeling incredibly soft but still lightweight. I’ve been able to style my hair with waves for the first time in over a year and a half.
The Kind bars are the newest line that Upfront Cosmetics offers. They are intended for the littlest ones in our families. My kids love them so much I have to hide them during bath time. I will definitely be purchasing more when these ones are gone. Especially some of the orange ones. They smell amazing!
Collab # 30
What Sherry Sews. Like something that should be said a few times fast. Sherry made thus adorable sweatshirt that Adelei loves! Adelei really showed off how she followed directions for me. And then she didn’t. But we got great stuff! She’s really becoming a good little model. I’m so looking forward to cooler weather. I only wish this game in my size to sport matching sweatshirts.
Collab # 29
Truth time. A lot of these blogs I post include not just the images purchased by my clients, but my favorites from the session as well. I’ve been holding off blogging because I know there’s still gold in the albums on my computer… I just haven’t had time to mine them all out.
I was chatting with a friend yesterday and I came to the conclusion that I should stop sitting on the ones I at least sent to my clients. This winter when I’m bored, guess what you will get to see! A blog or 10 of just my favorites. Maybe I’ll post them by month.
Which brings me to my next holy cow moment. In August I photographed 15 collabs. FIFTEEN! In addition to the other sessions I photographed. And I took a few days off to go away once or twice for weekend trips to camp with my family.
Now it’s crazy and I have to think about how these collaborations happened and what I should tell you… because I have to think hard if I showered today or not, and even harder to remember what happened in my life in July!
This cute outfit was embroidered by Nettie from La Bella Rose Boutique. She graciously sent the outfits in the next size up so that Torben could wear them when the weather was more appropriate for long sleeves and pants. Poor kid is just a peanut.
Collab # 27
I’ve gotten a little out of order here!
Loc Jewelry. A few weeks ago I didn’t know this existed. Now I’m seeing it in more and more places. I volunteered for it because they were such a great idea. You will see that nose cuffs were also part of the project.
I met up with my model friends - Nikki and her daughter Yanni in one of my favorite places to photograph. The beautiful town of Beaver. Marquito of Got to be Fab Designs was looking for images that were true to color but bright and professional. I asked that my girls wore clothing that were trendy but not covered in labels or logos. This is what we came up with.
Collab # 28
Dottie modeled at 14 days new. She was amazing. She slept and even gave us a little smile. She didn’t fight the swaddle. Perfection. Even her skin was beautiful.
I have already had to hide this pacifier from Adelei. She’s been into chewing them apart lately. The swaddle, pacifier and pacifier clip are by Danielle at Getting Sew Crafty. I wish I had known about these when Torben was a newborn. They made perfect accessories to Dotties newborn portraits.
Kristy : Headshots
I love photographing headshots. I love reminding everyone how beautiful they are. Whether you need formal or casual headshots, I’m happy to work with you.
Kristy is getting into finance. She will be using these portraits for social media, business cards, indeed… etc. When we took these, she had beautiful open space with great light. I couldn’t help but ask her if we could shoot off a background and use her room instead. I’m so glad we did.
I would be thrilled to help you with your online presence!
Erica Clark : Headshots
Erica and I started communicating back before Covid. We finally were able to fill her need for new headshots in the middle of May. I was impressed with how easy she was to work with. She explained her vision. We discussed backgrounds/using her back deck, clothing and hair. She chose to keep her styling as down to earth as she is when she works with a client.
She works with Remax Select Realty. If you are looking to buy or sell, you can reach her Here .
A mid June wedding
When I planned my business, I knew I wouldn’t do a lot of weddings. As much as I love a good wedding, helping the bride through the day and getting to see the creativity behind the scenes… the editing time always gets me.
That being said, when your fourth grade teacher reaches out asking if you would be interested in photographing her daughters socially distanced wedding in a few weeks… how can you say no?
Beth and her new husband Greg started the day worried about rain. The sky let loose as I was driving to the Ann Alison Hoover Park. I was a little worried. But in all the years I’ve been photographing weddings, not one has ever been completely ruined by weather.
When I arrived, the humidity was stifling but the sprinkling was cooling. The ceremony was intimate and beautiful. Everyone was cautious about being together. But it was done respectfully.
The rain subsided in time for the family pictures.
We even had sun just at the end while we were photographing the bride and groom alone.
I always ask if I missed anything the subjects wanted before we finish. They said “what if we try some silly ones?” Honestly, these may have been some of my favorites from the day.
I wish Greg and Beth a lifetime of happiness. I’m so grateful that they included me in their special day. I’ll leave you with the last few details of their special day.
Collab # 26
Ok. Seriously. How clever?!?
Renee Suhr is the maker of beautiful beaded medical ID bracelets. If you have to wear one, why not wear a pretty one?
This is the beginning of what I hope to be a long project. She has already sent me a batch of bracelets to photograph since these were done. Believe me when I say, they are beautiful and each piece is clearly made with love. Be on the look out for more images of these!
Shop for more of her pretty things:
