being a working mum ...

When Jacob was born my life was thrown upside down ... not in a bad way by any means but his arrival forced me to do something i had been wanting to do for a long time. Since our arrival here in Germany i had been employed at Chilis on base as a server & a bartender. Not the career i had in mind as a twenty something photographer with a degree but it was the best i could do. On the plus side it paid for my equipment, workshops & the studio. But photography is my love, my passion & what i want to do with my life i just wasn't ready to take the leap. & then we throw Jacob in the mix, the realization that i didn't have day care, that it was time to really be a family & that i wanted to see my son grow up. So here i am, a stay-at-home-mum following my dreams.


I asked what people wanted to read about on my blog & one of the responses was for me to talk about being a working mum. I admit i've only been doing this for a couple of months but this is what i know ...


... it's not easy but it's incredible rewarding! I've learnt to edit with one hand & a sleeping baby on my shoulder. There are times when i will put him down (thank god for the car seat, the bouncer & more recently the bumbo) but nothing beats a sleeping baby for precious moments.


... i'm learning to work around his schedule. Thankfully i was blessed with an incredible chilled out baby, he's so happy & content. When i was 5 months pregnant i made the decision to set up a studio in my home o i can shoot boudoir & the occasional child at home without worrying about a sitter. My little munchkin has sat happily in the corner whilst i photograph women in their underwear. Such a lucky little boy right?


... i only schedule shoots every other weekend. One of the things i missed out on when working at chilis is time with my husband, weekends away & more travel opportunities. I can now set my schedule (to an extent you know uncle sam is always going to get in the way), i can work one weekend & spend time with family & friends the next.


... i've had to take my son on a location shoot with me ... the downside to being out & about is that i either have to schedule these shoots when my husband is off work or when i can get a sitter. Now it's not hard for me to get a sitter because i have some wonderful friends who love my son i just hate imposing on people. But occasionally my son is going to have to come with me & i can only hope the client is as wonderful about it as this one was. Plus the fact my son loves being outdoors & it's summer makes it easier though i can't lie i'm not 100% focused on the client (the down side). 


I know as time goes on my thoughts will change & practices will increase. As Jacob grows i may get to a point where i need to hire a sitter to take care of him for a few hours so i can focus on my work. The thing about working from home is that as nice as it is to set your own schedule, be able to work all hours & not worry about office politics we don't always focus the way we should, like editing one handed because i have a sleeping son. Before he arrived i could sit down & work my way through a shoot, not worrying if i didn't finish the editing process until the wee hours of the morning. Now I need to make sure i'm in bed at a decent hour as is Jacob. 


But i'm not fitting everything in around my chili's schedule & i have noticed that i am more focused on my photography. I'm loving what i am doing, & not tired from dealing with the stress that came from chili's. I can work at my own pace, spend time with my son & i feel (for lack of a better word) more fulfilled as a result. This is the life i want, the dream i had & my happy ending. 

bad reputation ...

Reputation is everything ... period ... when it comes to the photography industry. & we all know that word of mouth is not only our best source of advertisement but also the sure fire way of clearing our calender. You may be wondering why i'm writing this ... partly because it needs to be said, especially since it can have a knock on effect & cause trouble for others but also because i've seen a disturbing trend of bad work out there. 

The quality of your work is vital ... whilst we all have images that stand out as "the best of the best" (yes i did in fact quote topgun) they should be representative of all our work. Take portrait photography, when i edit a shoot i spend my time on every single image not just editing a couple & not bothering with the rest. People come to me for the because i take the time to create that perfect image or in this case 50 of them, i give it the unique "laura touch" (please no dirty thoughts) & my client walks away more than happy with the product they've received. In fact clients are often surprised with what they get simple because of bad experiences. In this instance the old adage is true ... "quality over quantity" every time. 

Another thing i've come across recently is bad communication from photographers or simply them dropping off the radar. I had a client come to me recently because the photographer she thought she'd booked stopped responding to messages. In what world is that considered an acceptable way to run a business ... reminds me a little too much of high school. 

Finally it's not just about the photography itself ... i am a great one for not proof reading (thank you to my wonderful friends for pointing out my various mistakes) but this is another area that can get you into trouble. If you don't make the time to check something over you could both put off potential clients as well as loose the ones you already have. I guess what i'm trying to say is that it's not just about a pretty picture but the whole package ... how my blog looks or the way a write my etsy store descriptions says as much about me to a potential client as the image itself. All too often we don't take the time in getting these seemingly unimportant details right when these are the things we have the most control over.

Being the popular kid in the class, choosing quantity over quality & skimping on the details may make you money now but in the long run will leave you hurting. So take the time to be the best & set the standard for those around you. 

playing catch up ...

So it's been a while ... i suppose i have a pretty good excuse but i've kinda missed you guys. I like blogging, sharing my world with you & introducing you to all kinds of pretties. But first we need play catch up ... share with you some of the goings on. & yes i'm totally starting with some new pictures of my son ... he's now almost 3 months old & growing & changing & developing & it's amazing to see. Anyways for those who haven't met him here is my pride & joy ... best thing i've ever done (& if you want to see more from the beginning you can click on the link)! 

the many faces of Jacob ...

I'm sure as the weeks go by you will become a little tired of seeing photos of my son but well i'm not & i like to share so "suck it up"!! 

love ...

capturing people in 2010 ...

in 2010 ... 

i ...

shot my first wedding ...

discovered boudoir ...

& had all kinds of fun with my portraits. 

the lovely Nelou ...

So my saturday was free from plans ... husband was working & i had no errands to run. Back in April i took part in a wonderful workshop put together by the Boudoir Divas. I learnt so much & got a chance to do some Boudoir of my own. Well since then i haven't done anything, mainly because i was scared of taking the risk. Sounds stupid but i was. The stupid thing is i love boudoir more than i do some other kinds of portraiture, i feel like it allows me more freedom to experiment & have fun. So a wonderful friend of mine willing let me "experiment" with her (& she had some wonderful ideas herself, not to mention a stunning house). So here's a few of the photos from our shoot ... a big thank you Nelou for being a willing victim in my quest to discover what i love. 

nelou & grace (the teaser) ...

petit four ...

because i can ...

leave part five: first night in edinburgh

So Tuesday lunch time we made the long (ish) drive from Cambridge up to Edinburgh. Now i have been to Edinburgh once before but being as i was knee high to a grass hopper at the time my memory of this is a little cloudy ... ok i have no memory of this. & Edinburgh has been on our list of things to do for a while, although this was Kevin's forth visit. & for a non city loving girl, i loved Edinburgh ... especially the old town where we spent most of our time.

This photo was taken on the "Royal Mile", looking down towards the sea. The Royal Mile is a series of streets that runs from Edinburgh castle down to Holyrood Abbey, it is one "Scot's mile" long which is actually 1.1 (regular) miles long (or 1.8km).

Who can resist such stunning architecture, you don't feel like you're in a city ... no sky scrapers, & whilst it was full of people (oh yeah tourist heaven) it didn't feel dirty & stuffy & leave me running away as cities generally do.

So whilst we were sitting down to dinner outside a restaurant along the Royal Mile (great for people watching) it started to get a little cooler. Now it's June, & admittedly we've had a long cold winter here in Germany but when you vacation in June you don't think you need a wooly hat to keep your ears warm ... well this evening we did. So one moment Kevin disappears off into a souvenir shop across the way & returns we two hats ...

this is his ...

& this is mine (photo courtesy of one Kevin Evans) ...

& whilst we cannot doubt my wonderful husband's photographic skills i couldn't resist taking a couple of myself!

it's the simple things in life that make me happy ...

getting in some vacation time ...

photographing a wonderful family (over & over & over) ...

reliving childhood experiences ...

nandos ...

knowing i will see my cats again tomorrow night!

i had to post this ...

Nadia & TJ

The Boudoir Divas Workshop

So i've been putting off writing this blog ... not because i don't want to write it but because there is so much i want to write about & i'm not sure where to start but the beginning is usually a good place. I was lucky enough to take part in a workshop put together by the fabulous (& we are talking seriously fabulous here) Boudoir Divas. Now first i should probably explain who these wonderful ladies are ... well they are a group of girls based in San Diego who brought "back" boudoir photography & made it something new & pretty & shiny.

Marissa & Kimberlee the owners put on these workshops to help teach other photographers everything they know about the business (& we're talking literally everything) & wow did i learn a lot! I mean seriously i have learnt more than i ever thought i would. I knew the workshop would be a wonderful experience for me but i forgot how much i missed having people to talk with about the small, stupid & random stuff of photography. People who could answer questions & help show me the way.

We started out day one by talking through shooting boudoir photography, looking at the various poses, lighting & simple basic tricks that help bring out the most in the client. The Boudoir Divas strive to give their client's the ultimate super model experience, allowing them to feel glamourous & confident in themselves. Small things such as by slightly over exposing the subject it will help clean up their skin, examples of affordable lighting equipment that you or i could buy & the knowledge that you don't need a fancy studio to start out.

For the shooting we had 3 stunning models, all very different but equally gorgeous & as photographers it was our job to bring out the best in them. I'm trying to find the words to describe how hard the actual shooting was. From the perspective of an on looker everything appeared so easy but these are things that come from practice & time & more learning. We had two fast one on one shoots & one longer more continuous shoot. It took me a while to find me feet, so i found the one on one shoots incredible difficult, i couldn't get into them because i was so unsure of what i was doing. Not good but being as we only had half an hour & it was my first time i will let myself off. But in the continuous shooting i found myself getting more into it, understanding & seeing more as i went along & actually feeling comfortable directing. Ok i will admit it ... i'm pretty proud of the outcome!

Well i can honestly say, compared to day one day two was a breeze ... all business. But they provided us with so much information, everything from starting out & working out of a home based studio to creating a studio based business. From lightroom & editing, to money, pricing & marketing. & it was all things that could be applied to any photographic or even arts based business. & they were so open about it all, no holding back which is what made everything that bit more special. These are two successful business ladies willing to share everything they've learnt with us a small group of photographers from around the globe, from all warps of life & ranging in levels. I felt priveledged to be amongst them.

So what can i say i've walked away with ...

a much greater knowledge of all things photographic ...

a larger understanding on how i need to go about setting up my own business ...

equipment suggestions within my price range ...

the idea that it can be something small, & unique to me ...

there is no set way to go about all this but an idea to start from & a direction to head.

The workshop gave me so much, was worth every little penny & has left me more secure in the knowledge that photography is my future & that i can succeed. It won't be easy or especially pretty at times but it's what i want & what i love. Oh & i met some wonderful people a long the way who made the whole experience just a little more special! & there is so much more i want to write but really i don't know how to go about it but i imagine there may be another couple of posts out there about my experience.