Becoming a professional family and newborn photographer in St. Catharines, Ontario.

I never intended to become a professional photographer and never imagined I would be a blogger as I am definitely not a writer! But I’ve always loved taking photos, going way back to when I received my first point and shoot film camera at 14 years old. Back in the “good ole days” when you had to load up the film (and hope it was loaded properly), took your photo (not knowing if it was in focus or good lighting), then bring it in to be developed. And wait a week to receive the prints.

Oh, and also you had to decide if you wanted doubles when you brought in your film for processing. You could get more prints developed later if you still had the negatives, but at a much higher cost. Then you would receive your prints, half would be out of focus, half would be too dark or too light, maybe one or two would be good enough to keep, but you kept them all anyways just in case!

I learned how to develop my own film through a high school course in my home town of Ancaster, Ontario. The fun part was that I also learned from my dad. He even set up his own dark room in the basement that I could use and develop my own prints in black and white. It was pretty neat to put the exposed photo paper in the chemicals and watch the image slowly appear. It was also very tricky loading up the film onto the film wheel in complete darkness. It was a bit frightening in the school basement as you never knew what critters would come out and reveal themselves when the lights were turned back on. Fun times!

I don’t remember exactly how or when I got my first film DSLR, but I do remember taking it with me everywhere. I even made room for it in one of my panniers on a 6 week bike trip from Vancouver to Waterloo with three of my friends after we graduated from university (that adventure definitely deserves its own post!).

My first experience photographing a wedding was for a university friend, and I was excited to do it. They only wanted a few portraits and I was up for the task. I took some really neat shots, but unfortunately, the developer did not realize it was a black and white film, so none of the prints came out. How disappointing for everyone!! I felt so terrible but there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Fast forward some years, when technology improved, and the quality of the prints improved. I was able to get great photos of my kids when they were little and save all the prints for scrapbooking.

Then enter digital cameras!

What’s this?? No more developing mistakes, no more over exposed or under exposed photos, no more blurry photos-they can all be deleted on the spot! Super!

So I save and researched and saved. When I was pregnant with our fourth child, I was ready to purchase. However, a few problems arose.

First problem was deciding which brand-Nikon or Cannon? If Nikon (which I was leaning towards)- which version: the D series or the 300 series? What lenses would I use? What type of memory card would I need? How many? Do I need an extra battery? The list went on and on.

I finally decided on Nikon, and I never regretted that decision. I like to brag that I am a Nikon girl and always will be!

Once I decided on which model I was going to purchase- a 300 series one-another issue presented itself. I went to the local photography store and once I held it in my hand, I realized it was too big for me! So…the D80 it was!

I researched and researched the best-and cheapest-place to purchase it and I found an online company-this was before eBay and amazon was a big thing. And the company was in New York. So, perfect, given the exchange rate at that time, it would be cheaper!!

Looking into it though, they wouldn’t ship to Canada. Or maybe the problem was that shipping was going to cost too much. Not sure anymore-that was so long ago!

The solution presented itself pretty quickly: girls’ trip to NYC!! I was planning on getting it shipped to my hotel. Perfect!!

But…they couldn’t or wouldn’t ship to our hotel.

So, once we arrived and settled into our hotel, I dragged my friend Linda to a sketchy building, via subway, in New Jersey. And here’s how it went: enter sketchy building, bang on door until someone finally let us in, awkwardly wait while my order was processed. But the end result was a happy photographer!

We still talk about that NYC camera adventure. And the sketchy building? We made it back safely to our hotel and since I had insomnia due to my pregnancy, I was up most of the night learning how to use it.

I loved my digital DSLR! I took it everywhere and constantly pestered my family and friends to try out new poses or different lighting techniques. When an opportunity presented itself to take a course from a local St. Catharines photographer at a mom’s church group a few years ago, I jumped at the chance to participate. I am forever grateful to Estelle for encouraging me to take my photography skills to the next level and get out of AUTO mode. While she promised that I would, I didn’t believe her. But she proved me wrong and I haven’t looked back (to Auto) since!

I have taken various natural lighting portraits for friends and family such as wedding, newborn, immediate family, extended family, maternity, professional headshot portraits and special occasions such as anniversaries, baby’s first birthday, and grade 12 graduation.

All these sessions have been great experiences and an excellent opportunity to build my portfolio. And a chance to save up for an updated camera!

Within this past year, I enrolled in two on-line courses and these have further given me the confidence and the tools to create my own style of photography and produce amazing photos that any one will love and cherish for years to come. These courses taught me a lot about lighting and posing techniques.

I have also enrolled in many webinars that focused on a variety of topics from what camera is best, to how to run a business. Very useful information, but I still wasn’t quite ready, or perhaps didn’t have the confidence enough to start my own business.

Well, the next few months seemed now like a crazy ride! I learned of an opportunity to apply for a grant though the city for those starting a business. I went for it! It was a ton of work though!  Putting together a business plan, opening a bank account, registering my business, insurance, coming up with a name, finding someone to do my logo, research, research and more research. There were many requirements before I was even accepted as an applicant. But that was the push I needed to get things going.  I pitched my business to a committee but was denied the chance to move on to the next level.

I was pretty disappointed and, to be honest, it was a huge blow to my confidence not only as a photographer but as a person. I had to keep looking at the bright side-I learned a lot about myself and about setting up and maintaining a successful business. Just because I wasn’t awarded a grant, didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy taking photos and help others capture their memories. And a slogan was born: I want to help you capture the special moments for you to remember years to come. Your photographer for life!

I launched my business in January of 2021. Not the best time to start a photography business,  but I absolutely love the lighting this time of year. How beautiful the lighting on a partly cloudy day, the sky so crisp and clean. And how beautiful the golden hour is-the hour before sunset and after sunrise. God is good!  Just wish it wasn’t so cold!

If you want to chat about my process in creating beautiful artwork for your home, please click on the “Let’s Chat” button below.