Wanna know the truth about my start as a St Louis photographer?
It was a winding path for sure. Somewhere around 2000, I started photographing friends and family and family of friends.
I photographed weddings, seniors and newborns when I wasn't busy teaching high school journalism, photography and advising the yearbook (something I had stumbled into wonderfully and unexpectedly).
It was A LOT. But I loved it, and although I loved helping my students find their creativity. it became clear how much I had been missing mine.
I soaked up all the photographic education I could, traveling and learning from legends in the business at small workshops, conferences and setting up one-on-one coaching.
As my skills expanded, my confidence grew, and when I left teaching and started to put forth my effort 100 percent into the business, there wasn't an option. I had to make it happen.
Honestly, I should have been more scared. I credit my parents and grandparents (all entrepreneurs) for paving the way and making it seem feasible (and maybe just a little too easy).
And what grew from it is something I couldn’t be more proud of. Being an entrepreneur comes with its work/life imbalances for sure, but I can't imagine any other career that would give me the same opportunity to work with the most awesome of families.