The blog! A tiny pivot

As I’ve been contemplating things and how I want this business to progress, I think I want to do less events* and more portraits. Like family portraits, but also just portrait portraits. Seniors, kids, headshots, theatrical headshots…Also? I want to focus more on families and clients who aren’t “normal.” Which means the people that are absolutely normal, just not necessarily the modern day social media version of “normal.” I’ve had plenty of clients in the past who fit the bill of neurospicy and/or differently abled. You, the reader, can’t always tell. And while that’s kind of the point sometimes – like you shouldn’t be able to tell at a glance which families have an autistic member – other times, it should be celebrated as a part of who that person is and the family they are a part of. So what if you use a walker or wheelchair when you have a gorgeous smile and a family that loves you more than anything? That’s the part I want to share and show.

(*or at least stick to only ones I really really want to do that fit my niche – like the low-key wedding in spring outside at the botanic gardens under 100s of fairy lights with a guest list under 100?? I could do one of those every weekend and cannot wait till the one I have booked in April!)

I know enough special needs families to know that pictures might not be top of the to-do list. And when the thought of bringing a kid with differing tolerances or abilities to a new person who is going to *look* at them and they might have to interact with can feel super stressful for both them and their grown ups. I think one of my super powers is being a mom. I’m about as non-threatening I think as they come – I’m chubby (which makes me extra cuddly according to my kids), wear glasses, kind of short, sometimes have funny hair, will let you touch my tattoos, and am not afraid of getting down on the ground and meeting kids where they are. And, as a mom of kids with their own neurospicy tendencies I can be patient. I can be accommodating – Let me meet you where and when is best for you. Is mobility an issue? I have places I like to shoot that are flat. I can come to your house. Is there a time of day that maybe isn’t the best for outdoor light but is best for your kiddos well being around naps, food, school, etc.? Then we will make it work. I’ve always leaned this way with my clients anyway, but I think in pivoting to find and work with more special needs families it’s an important tidbit to know for when you, the parents, might be shopping around for a photographer. We can snap for 10min and what we get is what we get and that may be all your crew can handle. Or we can shoot for an hour, slowly, taking our time to warm up and move at a speed that suits all involved. I want to impress upon future clients that I am here to work with you, not make you work with me.

The other group of folks I’d love to work more with is our queer community members! I’ve kind of sussed out chatting casually with guests at events (and current LGBTQ+ clients) that maybe there’s a need for this with queer families who don’t really feel like they fit the mold and haven’t tried to ever do family pics because of that. There can be a big fear of judgement when you know you’re going to turn up to a shoot with your AMAB kiddo who insists on wearing a dress or your AFAB one who rocks a pixie cut and loves bow ties. Not to mention parents who don’t fit a binary label or relationship themselves. I don’t care! Can you smile? Then let me make the magic happen. Family photography isn’t about trying to fit your family into a box on an instagram grid that makes you look like everyone else – it’s making your family look like they adore each other and love one another deeply whatever outward packaging that’s in.

Lastly, I just want to work with people who feel left out by the pretty people. The fashion trainwrecks. The no-makeup wearers. The nerds. The non-binary. The non-traditionally beautiful. The ones who hate their looks. The ones who hate pictures but know their job requires putting a good face forward on the website. I could check at least 3 of those boxes myself. If you come to a shoot looking miraculous and glowing in all your perfectly applied make up and hair fixed just so then bring it! I’m game. No offense but some of my clients are so gorgeous a toddler with an iphone could take a perfect pic of them. Give me a challenge! A photoshoot can be a little bit like therapy and a lot like a giant ego boost. So that’s where I’m at. I think I’ll work up a spring email (Gasp! That will be TWO in a year!)and give a shout looking for X number of folks who fit this bill and are willing to do a mini-shoot in exchange for a review and a blog post with pics/bio. Stay tuned!