Senior: Rachael

Senior year can be the most exciting, stressful, what in the world do I wear for prom time in a young girl's life. Rachael is right smack in the middle of all the ups and downs the high school senior life can bring and in a short while she'll be headed out to the real world with a dream in her pocket like any other hopeful senior. In her case, she's taking a ticket out to the Air Force and something tells me she's gonna' kick some serious military butt. I had an absolute blast having the opportunity to have her rock out in front of the camera for her senior pictures and dare I say she worked it like a pro. With the Museum of Photography  (which by the way I've become obsessed with) serving as her backdrop, Rachael strut her stuff and I was so glad to be able to document such a special and exciting time in her life.

Rachael, you are fabulous girl. Really, you are. Thank you for allowing me to snap pretty pictures and have a blast while doing it. :)

Here are some of my favorites from her session.

Thoughts on building my own business....

I've never taken a business course nor have I ever cared in informing myself in business related, you know, stuff. No, I'm the essay writer, I-want-to-teach-high-school-students-vocabulary-skills chick that dug her face in every form of literature you could think of in college because, well, I liked it ok. Don't hate. So business, umm, there was no reason for me to ever ponder the word unless I had to spell it. When I started doing photography I never thought of ever, and I mean EVER building any type of business out of it. And frankly, I never thought I would be close to being even remotely good at it to begin with. I mean, I studied Shakespeare internet!! Not on whether to shoot manual or automatic! However, after the first shoot I shot for free, and then the next one and the one after that I was hooked. Like how Romeo was hooked on Juliet the minute he saw her. Oh snaps, what chu know bout that simile! Anyways, my older sister was the one that convinced me to even begin doing photography in the first place because one upon a time internet, I was broke and my sister saw the need in her little sibling and told me I could get some extra cash by booking a few shoots here and there. So I agreed, mainly because I had to pay my phone bill, and strangely, on the other hand there was a part of me that felt I could do it. Then, the little photography journey began, still feeling super insecure and freaking out over thinking that people were going to realize that I had no idea what I was doing. I still think that sometimes. Then I drink a big oh cup of get over it and move.

 I love photography. I love being able to interact with and getting to know the people I get to have in front of the camera and giving them images that they will love. However, it takes more than loving and perfecting your craft to have a successful business. That takes drive, vision, leadership, creativity, efficiency, and all these other really cool words that sound professional. Believe me, I want so bad to nail every single one of those down and I cringe at the reality that I still have a long way to go but I know that stalking other amazing photographers who have really cool, swanky studios and wishing I also owned a swanky studio that offered my clients really cool macaroons with expensive tea isn't going to lead me anywhere. I have to work really hard. Really really hard. Yes, even when at times I may feel like the new kid in school who none of the cool kids sit next too during lunch because instead of a cool fruit roll up all I have is salty crackers. But in the mean time, while I try and make salty crackers taste sweet, I picked up The Fast Track Photographer Business Plan at Barnes and Nobles yesterday and after reading the first three chapters I swear, it's like I'm smarter. Dane Sanders gives fascinating and easy to apply business techniques as well as marketing strategies to help build a successful photography business, weather you're a rookie or an old timer in the biz. Sanders discusses the importance of having a specific vision for your business and leading your business in the direction you want it to arrive to. No one said it's going to be easy but a girl can dream right? And why not dream big? Why not dream of having a swanky studio where I could offer my clients colorful macaroons and tea imported from Europe!?!? Yes, I said Europe, but who says it's not possible? For now, I enjoy the progress I've made since I picked the camera for the first time and I look forward for the many photography adventures in the future.