Becoming A Personal Brand Photographer

I’ve had a camera in my hand for over half my life. Surviving a natural disaster helped lead me on the path of becoming a personal brand photographer. Ultimately I wanted to pair my love of storytelling with helping women show up confidently in front of the camera.

Film and Photoshop

In the early 2000’s I attended a pretty cool visual and performing arts High School.  I had no creative bone in my body, so I thought. Attending Fort Hayes was an opportunity for me to try something new. I’ve always been a different kind of kid, so why not attend a different kind of school.  My first two years there were great! During my sophomore year I had four rotating art classes.  The class I fell in love with was, yes you guessed it!  Photography.  

Fort Hayes wasn’t your average High School, it was also a career center.  The school was an old army base made to resemble a college campus. I jumped at the chance to attend the 2 year photography career center. During my junior and senior year I thrived in the photography program.   This was right as digital photography was becoming a thing.I had the best of both worlds, digital and film! I processed my own film all while learning photoshop.

After High school I literally attended college 3 minutes  from my High school. I spent four years at Columbus College of Art & Design exploring my creativity and sharpening my skills.  While there I discovered what work ethic was.  Art school was Tough! In 2011 I graduated with my BFA in Photography.

Life as a club photographer

In an effort to become a full time photographer I’ve done it all. I was even a nightclub photographer for 5 years.  On weekends I would go to the most popular bars,  set up my printer and sell prints. I gained control over my camera settings, customer service and people skills.  The energy was always high and taught me to be alert at all times. 

During the week I learned from my mentor and worked on building a business. Mentorship has been one of the greatest assets in my LIFE.  Side note- I recently sat down to do a video interview with my long-time mentor  Shellee Fisher. You can check out our conversation below.

Working as a staff photographer

In 2016 I landed my dream job as a staff photographer for a hospital. I was working in the marketing department along with the graphic designers.  The opportunity was AMAZING! I photographed their events, marketing materials and traveled around south west Ohio shooting headshots.  The best part of the job was photographing patient stories.  My company had a quarterly magazine that featured real stories of their  patient’s. Some people beat cancer, had a near death experience or overcame the impossible. It was so much fun planning the photo shoot and asking personal questions about what they like to do.  Each photo shoot was centered around who they were as a person.

So something you should know about me is, I’m a proud NPR nerd! I love a good story, audio books and documentaries. When I was working in the marketing department  it hit me.  I was actually telling someone’s story through the act of getting to know them. 

On Memorial day in 2019 a tornado destroyed my apartment.  I decided that it was time for me to leave my job behind and start something new.  After surviving a near death experience it makes you question a few things.  I started asking myself “What do you want to do?” and “How can you make a difference in the world?” 

Why I became a personal brand photographer

At the time I started admiring the way other female photographers were capturing female owned businesses. I was seeing creative imagery that was evoking emotion and telling a story.I wanted to be a part of the movement too! 

I’ve photographed all kinds of subjects, from high school seniors, weddings, portraits and events.  One thing that stuck out to me were the negative comments that women would make. I’ve had brides, corporate clients and ladies in the club say  “I’m fat” I’m ugly” I hate the way I look in photos.” This would eat me up inside. It hurts to hear someone tear themselves down.  

I started thinking. What’s  going to help women, specifically female business owners feel comfortable and show up confidently in front of the camera? After thinking about it for a while, things started to click.

If you look good you feel good. Nine times out of ten when you put in the effort to put a cute outfit together, you’re gonna feel great! The best way to show up confidently is through preparation. Creating a plan, identifying the right props to bring, trying on your clothes before your session and scheduling a professional makeup artist will no doubt set clients up for success.  

So there you have it.  I’ve tried lots of different things in my career, but ultimately landed on celebrating women in business. I absolutely love what I do! It’s my intention to help women to look and feel their best when stepping in front of my camera.