In His Image

Many of us remember taking the dreaded Myers-Briggs personality type tests either in school or when applying for a job.  Those endless and often repetitive, mind-numbing questions actually did serve a purpose.  We all have our own personality type and it drives most of the decisions we make in this life.

I have been attending tele-summits, conferences and various photography meetings lately and the general theme is always “Define Your Style/Define Your Client”.  I cannot lie-this level of introspection can be scary.  It forces you as a photographer, and a person, to stop being “jack-of-all-trades” and to become the master of one- yourself.  YIKES!  But the truth of the matter is, you are only really good at being you so why try to be anything else?

No, I did not take some crazy road trip out west to “find myself”, but I have taken a walk back in time in these past months and some patterns have emerged.  When I first began, I would shoot anything, anyone and EVERY job that crossed my path. At that stage of the game, it was just necessary.  I needed to learn, to practice and mostly to screw up!! I learned primarily through my  mistakes and will forever remain a student of photography with a true desire to improve.  Then came purchasing the equipment, website, blog and social networking, professional print labs and products, etc.  The business emerged over time and now I feel another crossroad in my professional career has presented itself.

First, let me say, I have enjoyed photographing every family that has entered my door, allowed me into your homes or met me on location somewhere.  You have trusted me (probably before I was even worthy of it!) to capture images of your families and I will be forever grateful for your willing spirits.   Now, I feel I need to set some boundaries for my business.  What I mean is that my greatest goal  is to remain TRULY passionate about what I do.  My heart stirs with such joy when I get to work with a specific type of client and I need to identify them as I move forward.  I don’t want to take jobs just to take jobs.  I am too afraid that passion will give way to duty and this job that I love will lose its luster.  If that happens, my work will suffer and neither of us will be happy with the final product.  I have seen this firsthand in the wedding photographer I hired years ago.  She left the business soon after our wedding and our pictures reflect her attitude about photography.  Our wedding was a paycheck, a check list and a “to do item” on her list that August.  She did what we asked but not one thing more.  There were so many images left uncaptured because she had lost her passion for her job and I do not want any client to feel that way about me someday.

So, I thought it might help all parties, if I told you what I like about photography.  The images below are some of the most treasured images of my own family.  I like them because they are not just my work- they are glimpses of me.  I have always been best at being Julie (good, bad or ugly) and I will take pictures along these lines.

My maternity pictures……are they moody, serious, black and whites?  Nope.  Those are beautiful and I do shoot those on occasion but my mind often leads me to some “out-of-the-box” ideas.  I had one baby at Halloween and one at Easter.  This is the only way I knew to express my joy at the time.

My oldest child……The pictures I love of children are ones that are in the moment and a real reflection of their spirit.  My Layne is a thinker, an artist, a daydreamer.  To have her pose in a stiff dress with a bow perfectly placed atop her head and ask her to say “cheese” would be to photograph a stranger.  These are the images I treasure of her.

My youngest child….Hurricane Rachel.  She is wild, funny, and crazy on wheels.  Again, to ask her to don a Strausburg number and sit perfectly still would be like herding cats. So why try?  These images of her make me laugh- just the way she does in real life.

Sibling pictures…….these should be about the bond between them and not making them look like Pottery Barn cover models.   To get mine to interact in an authentic way, I have to involve playtime.  We chase one another in fields, explore new places, blow bubbles, build things, etc.  I am not the photographer who enjoys posing your children in front of a sterile backdrop, asking them to force a smile and appear down-right unnatural.  That is not who I am as a  mother or as a photographer.  I won’t leave a session until I know we have enough great images of that true bond (serious or funny) between your babies no matter how many crazy games it takes.

Family pictures……I love these 3 people more than anything on the planet.  We laugh, we love and we see each other first thing in the morning (and it takes some special people to love me and my big hair at the crack of black!).  We are silly, loud, and expressive people so this is the most honest picture I have of us as a family (there is also one framed in our living room of all 4 of us making different silly faces but the digital file escapes me).

I need to restate that just like the ol’ Myers-Briggs personality types, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to photography style.  There is however, a right and wrong when it comes to matching the right client with the right photographer.

• If you adore timeless, posed, studio-based, formal images, then I will go ahead and say I am not your girl.  There are amazing artists in our area who do excellent custom portrait work along those lines and I will refer you to them with a happy heart.  I want you to LOVE your images and if you desire a final product that I don’t produce, why even bother?
• If you are someone who loves props (today at the mall they had live bunnies for Easter shoots going on in a studio), I am probably not your girl either.  I have run promotions like that in the past and they were great learning experiences but they do not reflect my style of photography.
• If you are someone who wants every imperfection you ever had removed (ex: mole on your cheek, slight rosy hue to your cheeks, jawline that has added a few wrinkles or pounds over the years), then I am probably the wrong choice.  I do use Photoshop to enhance your own beauty but at a certain point, I just feel icky making  you look like someone else.  There are fashion-type photographers who will happily edit, airbrush and craft your images to look like the cover of a magazine if that is what you desire.  I have too many personal quirks all on my own to ever call out and critique all of yours!!
• If you are afraid of dirt, wrinkling your outfit, laying down while your kids pile on your back, braving a railroad track for a great shot, etc…….I am not your girl either.  The best images I produce are usually in gritty, dirty and “au natural” settings.  My camera does its best magic in sunflower fields, abandoned warehouses, broken-down junk yards, wide open spaces, towns with charm and real-life dirt, etc.  If you would feel uncomfortable in these environments, I will gladly recommend other Charlotte photographers with amazing and air-conditioned studios to produce the images you will love.
• If you are someone who does not like animated people, you will probably not enjoy your time with me.  I sing your child’s favorite cartoon theme song.  I dance A LOT. I make goofy faces and blow a whistle.  I ask you all to break out in random tickle fights, leaf or snowball fights, and to run, skip and jump during our session.  If that seems like fingernails on a chalkboard, then we are not a match made in photography heaven.  ’Tis better to spare us both the agony, me thinks.

HOWEVER, if you are someone who loves candid moments, has a desire to use interesting and unusual settings, will be open to wardrobe suggestions (think beyond the white shirt and khaki pants)  and will allow for real life to  break out during a session……then yes, I AM the girl for  you.  I take pictures the way my eye tells me to.  They are rarely centered, they may be at odd angles and they are usually taken when you least expect them.   If you feel I am still the right choice for your family’s next photo session, I would love the opportunity to work with you.  I love what I do.  I don’t keep a perfect home or have a perfect life, but I am passionate about photography.  I tell stories with my camera.  Let’s tell yours….together.

Here is a sampling of some images that truly reflect my style.  I never grow tired of them!!