Really for me being pregnant is the HARDEST thing ever. (I know...you are like...then why do you keep getting pregnant!) Luckily,for sure these are the last babies! I can't wait till they day they get here, not only to see them, but to get back to my normal self. So this post really isn't about me whining (well, ok...it is)...but I am often asked for advice on the business side or how I do it (whatever that is).
For the most part my job is the most fulfilling thing I do besides raise the kids. But there is another side to it...that isn't always so pretty and that is the business side. All working mommies, especially those who own a business feel my pain. Torn in two different directions and each can equally be important at any given time.
For me it becomes harder because we don't have family here. So I could be on an all day commercial shoot, someone gets sick or hurt and my husband is busy at his job...it then becomes a struggle to figure out, who is going to take over.
I have always hated being labeled a "mom" photographer by some. Because like others I know...we are far from that, we are 100% business owners/photographers. But on the flip side I do get to make my own schedule most of the time, which lets me be flexible for the kids. That is definitely a PRO!
I have worked very had to be respected by those in the commercial community and although I have mostly ventured in the Portrait world the past few years, I continually try to uphold the standards of whatever industry I am in. Which in this case means...not giving away your work
A CON, would be the legal and accounting aspects. Yes I should have consistent bookkepper besides myself. But usually I am so anal, that I have already prepared the documents in such a way that I've done the bookkeepers job. NOTE TO SELF: let go of the small stuff!
Then there is legal/Ins/Tax crap. Do you have adequate insurance...well you better b/c you can get sued at any given time. ITs not just about having hazard insurance. Do you have access to an attorney for business matters? Because I now realize first hand all the I's and all the T's must be crossed and dotted. PEOPLE will try and take advantage of you. THIS is the part of the business I don't like. Plus, there are some really crazy people out there that will do or say anything.
So, if you are reading this and consider yourself or are considering being "professional," consider this, are you really a legit business? I almost Question what it is to be considered, "professional," anymore. I barely call myself professional. My mentors and counterparts that I respect are in some ways light years ahead of me. Maybe not in the "baby" world, but in overall photography...Lets just say I still have a ways to go to be where I want to be.
So all that said...although my job may look uber glamourous at times, and for the most part it is super great...there is a whole other side that aspiring photographers need to consider.
So what really was the point of this whole "poor me" rant!? Well, just to say, that I 100% admit that my life is not easy. Would I trade it? Somedays yes, most days...no?
Hi there! Can I just say that I love your blog and your work? LOVE it! Been following for a while.
I'm a San Antonio portrait photog in my 3rd year of business. Sometimes I think about my level of professionalism and wonder what I could be doing more of. But as far as this "mom photographer" thing goes, in the very beginning, I felt very defensive of it. But one day, I thought, who cares if I'm a mom photographer? I am a mom. I love my kids. I am a photographer and I love my work.
For an industry that used to be dominated by men, but is slowly being infiltrated by women - this "mom photographer" stigma has got to go. Women are the ones who have babies. Men simply can not. But who ever hears about "dad photographers". Surely lots of male professional photographers have children. I'm certain many of them are good, attentive dads. Yet, it's a bad thing to be a mom photographer.
Where did this stem from? Is it from men who are trying to edge out some female competition? Or is it (and this is just a horrible thought) the women who are perpetuating the "mom photographer" bc they are the kinds of women who show their insecurity through insults. To those women I say, I also throw like a girl. Competition, in this very competitive business, should make us BETTER photographers and better people. And belittling a photographer bc she is a mom is not being a better person.
After reading this insanely long comment (which should probably just be a blog post in itself), I think that whomever it is that is making "mom photographer" a bad thing deserves to be responded to with love. Obviously that person (male or female) has some security issue and responding negatively would only stoke the fire. Besides, that's really what it means to love thy neighbor - loving the people who are difficult to love.
Hugs to you - and best of luck with your pregnancy. I'm sure you are going to rock with these babies just like you rock everything else! :-)
Posted by: bex | January 13, 2012 at 06:00 PM