Here I am, 10 years into what I might call my photography career! I’ve been ruminating on this post for awhile now, and I still don’t know exactly what I’m going to say! Let’s see what rolls off the fingertips.
People often ask how I learned to photograph, and truthfully, I don’t really remember the process. When I was in middle school, my grandparents gifted me a point-and-shoot style digital camera. I remember playing around with settings, trying things in sepia tone, using flowers as a foreground to capture a photo of the Portage Lift Bridge, and so on. I loved it! As my interest in photography grew, so did my desire for a better camera. I don’t recall if I asked for it or not, but my Grandpa always had a knack for encouraging me to grow in my passions and hobbies, so one year I received a Canon Rebel for Christmas. (Don’t ask what kind, because I don’t remember.) I started out with the kit lens and went from there! Pretty soon I had purchased a 50 mm and a 35 lens as well, and in June of 2017, I upgraded to a Canon 5D Mark III, which I still use today!
Me taking pics of absolutely everything to try and figure out what I was doing. (From July 2013)
Editing was also a fun part of learning photography. I loved trying out presets and figuring out what my photography style was. We have to thank my grandparents for that too because they bought me my rusty trusty Macbook Pro that I’ve now had for ELEVEN years, and it still works! It won’t update anymore, so a new one is on the horizon, but my point here is my grandparents are mostly to thank for this entire journey I’ve been on.
Throughout 2014, I took pictures of my friends and family for practice. A friend of mine asked me to take her senior photos, and I was sooo nervous about what to charge and whether or not I could do a good job. When the session was done, I distinctly remember the rush of creating and thinking “I was born to do this!” And from there it went. I consider 2014 as my practice year because 2015 is when I really got into working with clients, so I say 2015 is my first year as a budding professional. In early 2015, an aunt’s family member asked if I would photograph their wedding that August, and since I had little experience, I reached out to a couple local photographers to ask about second shooting. Bryana from Riutta Images took me up on it and a great friendship was born. I credit her for teaching me a lot of what I know!
A picture from that very first senior session! The sparkly rocks in the background made me giddy.
Bry and me, April 2017
I actually did take a basic photography class in college circa 2014-2015; however, I had already grasped the concepts of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed prior to that, so when I say I don’t remember 100% how I learned, it’s because I don’t know how I grabbed ahold of those concepts!
A photo I took to practice composition during that photography class.
It’s also important to know that during those years of my life, I was a flat out workaholic. I worked 2-3 jobs at all times, took on photography projects as much as possible, and completed 15-18 credits for every single semester I was in college. I was BUSY. And I thrived on it. Between my own weddings ands second shooting, I remember being at up to 13 weddings between May and October for three years straight. I loved meeting all of the new people, creating beautiful photographs, hanging out with other photographers, traveling to different towns for weddings, and really just doing something that was new and different for me. A big part of it was the community. The photographer community in Upper Michigan is AMAZING. Everyone supported each other and sent referrals to one another like nowhere else I’ve ever experienced. I was also part of a group called the Rising Tide Society. The mantra was that a rising tide lifts all boats- since entrepreneurship can get lonely, the goal was to connect and network with other local business owners. I loved that too! I met so many amazing women in that group that I’m still connected with today.
A bunch of photography friend at Stefany’s wedding.
One of my favorite photos Bryana took of me! We bonded over being messy hair, genuine conversation, coffee loving friends.
Though it was an exciting time for me, it did cause some anxiety too. My family and friends weren’t so sure about me doing something they were unfamiliar with and being around strangers in other towns where I didn’t know anyone, especially in a setting where alcohol was often prevalent. I knew they weren’t okay with it. I did it anyway. In my mind, I was just working and I didn’t really know how to communicate that. I also skipped church here and there to second-shoot a wedding in Marquette or Munising, and while I don’t believe that God is only with us at church, I still felt in my heart that it wasn’t good for me to do that very often. And I really truly gave up a lot of time with my friends. A lot. They tried often to get me to do fun fun things with them, but I was always working, editing, doing homework…. fill in the blank, I had something to do. While I can’t say I regret this because it is what I wanted at the time, I recognize now that I put a lot of pressure on myself to always be doing more and learning to do more better. In the spring of 2016, I started to feel my anxiety rising so high that it felt like something was sitting on my chest. I happened to run into my aunt at Walmart and I was telling her about it and how I wanted to just get through the rest of the semester and that summer would be okay. Thankfully she knew me well enough to say no, you need to get some help. I’m glad I listened to her, because it made the final semester of college much more bearable!
An image from a Marquette wedding in September of 2017.
After I graduated from college in December of 2017, I went to Scandinavia for three months and had the opportunity to photograph a Norwegian wedding there. Talk about a wonderful experience! Even in Finland (where I stayed most of the time), I took photos of my friend’s baby girl named Ellen and hauled out my camera as much as possible to document my time there. When I returned home in March of 2018, I moved to Washington state. I didn’t really know what my photography business would look like at that point. The industry had absolutely exploded in the few years since I’d started and I was feeling like keeping up with social media algorithms and creating photos that would resonate with people consumed more of me than actually creating photos I loved with people who loved my work. I tried joining the Rising Tide group in Vancouver and quickly realized the culture there was completely different, so I didn’t go back. Looking back now, I know that burnout was creeping in. Still, I kept at it! I’m grateful I did because I love the work I created while living in the PNW.
Marita and Øyvind’s wedding in Malm, Norway.
In the fall of 2019, I started to feel pretty discontent. Though I had great friends, a great job, and lots of family in Washington, I didn’t feel settled there. I last-minute decided to travel to Chicago that October for a conference and it was a game-changer for me. Bryana and several others from the Rising Tide group back home were there, and I knew then that I had to move back to the Midwest. I considered staying in Washington through the following summer and going back to Europe for the fall, but then… covid. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to be closer to home but not actually in Michigan, so I ended up interviewing for a position in Duluth, MN in May of 2020 and moved three weeks later. I physically felt a sigh of relief when I got here. I was home. In the first couple weeks, I did an engagement session at Park Point and it set my soul on fire. I thought my love for photography had returned! However, I had moved in with some fabulous roommates who, in their words “taught me how to be lazy” and have fun, and for the first time since I’d turned 16, I didn’t want to be busy all the time anymore. In December of 2020, I flew up to Alaska to take photos for Poppy Lane Mercantile, my aunt’s store in Palmer. I was so grateful for the opportunity and that they wanted me to come, but I didn’t feel the fire anymore. It was after that trip that I decided to take a break.
From that lovely trip to Chicago. <3
I posted on social media that I was “retiring” from photography for the time being and felt excited about having some space in life for whatever might come next! I deleted my Instagram and I also slowly backed off from editing weddings for other photographers. Though I enjoyed that and actually learned quite a bit from editing in other people’s styles, I needed less time in front of a computer. I ended up photographing three weddings for friends and family that summer, one of which was in Montana and was so beautiful, but after that one, I really committed to taking a 100% break. I had started dating my now-husband that spring, so between dates and hanging out with my roommates and other friends, I really was enjoying the time to just live.
A beautiful Montana wedding.
Fast forward to 2022- I got married! And had a baby! Lots of change in a year. I photographed one wedding for a good friend who was also at the wedding in Montana in 2021, and though she and I had a conversation about me taking a break at that time, she told me she was going to call me anyways when she got engaged. She did. :) And her wedding was so special! It was the only project I took on in all of 2022 besides my sister’s school pictures.
My sole photography project in 2022.
By the time 2023 rolled around, I was feeling like my world had shrunk soooo much with having a baby and all that that entailed. Even though I still worked part-time, I was bored. I wasn’t getting out to see people as much anymore and I didn’t like it. When I got asked to photograph a wedding in April of 2023, I sat with it for a minute and realized that yes, I actually really wanted to! What an amazing feeling that was. It was such a fun and sweet wedding to start back up with. After that, I slowly started putting my name out there again and adopted the approach of accepting whatever came my way without marketing too terribly much. This approach has worked well for me, as the vast majority of clients now come through word of mouth and I enjoy that type of client relationship the most. I realize I do still need some online presence for potential clients to get a feel for my work, so I am still committed to blogging and I share on social media when I want to!
The wedding that started it back up again!
The summer of 2024 and so far this summer have actually been pretty quiet with photography, and I’ve enjoyed that. It’s nice to have a slow period and be able to spend more time outside and less in front of a computer. I also don’t mind the quiet months because the fall/winter seasons have been extremely busy! I’ve been reflecting on photography a lot lately, and I’m so thankful for the opportunities I’ve had since I started back up again. I’ve gotten to know many people in Duluth through this hobby/side-job of mine. I love meeting new people, making connections and friendships, and providing a service that people can value for a long time. Getting out and creating is a plus of course, but it’s always been about the people!
If you’ve followed along this far, you’re probably one of those people. Thanks for being here and supporting me for all these years! <3 Cheers to at least a few more! (I’d say many more, but I’ve come to learn that we never really know what God has in store!)
