Success is… Austin, TX Family and Birth Photographer

2012 is coming to a close and just as I have done the last 3 years I have been in business, I sit here and reflect on how things are going and what I can improve.  (All the photographers in the house are nodding.)  What’s gone well and what has not?  What changes need to be made?  Am I on target with my goals?  Do I need to refocus?  And most importantly – do I feel successful?  Which leans to other questions, such as what determines success?  Is it xxxx number of fans on my facebook page?  Is it xxx number of sessions I did this year?  Is it xxxxx number of dollars I made this year?  Is it how many pages my contract is?  Whether or not I’ve been published?  What my google ranking is or who I rub shoulders with?

I have no degree in photography.  I didn’t serve any internships.  I didn’t have any mentors (just a few great friends).   I am what they call “self taught”.  I am what some may call a “momographer”.  Proud member of the “mamarazzi” right here.  There are so many negative connotations to how I got where I am and how many times I’ve tripped along the way, as well as how far I have to go.   There’s only one way to become a successful photographer, didn’t you know?

But I don’t want this to be a whiny post, or vent session.  I want to relish in what I have discovered about myself this year.  Because it’s been good.  I feel GOOD about where I am right now and where my work stands.  I have perhaps the most important component to a successful photography business, and that’s passion.  And by successful, I’m not considering any of the above mentioned benchmarks.

Ok – so now I’m going to turn inward a bit and speak from the heart so as to not sound soapboxy.  A mentor I am not, just a girl who’s got a lot of heart invested in this little hobby of mine.  I’ve realized that *my* moments of success have nothing to do with what’s going on “out there”.  In other words, what you see on paper OR twitter (and the like).  It’s the feeling I get when I’m inspired to try something new.  Something I’ve never seen before.   It’s the feeling I get when a client/friend tells me “You, my dear, capture memories in such a natural yet spectacular way……you have an eye.”  (Thanks, Grace.)  I’ve received so many lovely verbal affirmations this year that have touched my heart.  You see, I feel success on the inside.  Nothing external has ever replicated the feeling I get when I capture a photo of a new baby, just seconds old.  Or a spontaneous belly laugh captured from Mom and Dad when I whisper into their children’s ears to run and tickle them.  Or when I seize the 2 second opportunity to capture a child peering curiously over his brother’s shoulder into the book he’s reading, his arm naturally draped over his shoulder, neither of them noticing me with my camera just a few feet away.

It would be nice to be making more money.  It would be nice to have a broader fan base.  It would be nice to come up on the first page search for  photographers in Austin.  It would be nice for a large publication to call and ask to interview me!   But the small validation I receive is enough.  And I don’t have to walk too far from home to receive it, which is pretty convenient, right? 😉

I want to thank all my 2012 clients for helping me be successful, in the most meaningful ways.  I look forward to 2013 – to igniting some new ideas, to meeting more people, and to sharing what I love, love, love to do with others.  I may have one or 2 more client sessions to share before January, but in case I forget – happy holidays to all of you. <3