
Your website? BOWES PHOTOGRAPHY
How long have you been in business?
Since June of 1997
What made you take the leap from being someone who takes photos, to being a Professional Photographer?
Its hard to say, I have been doing photography all my life, as far back as I can remember. My grandfather was a photographer and my first job was working for him. It seemed a natural step to leave high school, go to photography school and pursue photography as a career.
It is the only thing I have ever really wanted to do.
Any suggestions for those JSO?
Don’t try to be everything to everyone, if you do you risk becoming of NO VALUE to anyone, you then only compete on two things:
1) price
2) convenience
-Tim Walden
What was your biggest “Ah-ha” moment?
When I realized that newborns are what I am meant to be photographing, that I don’t have to photograph everything and it is ok to focus only on what I love the most.
What is your “must have” piece of equipment and why?
Aside from my camera I would have to say my light meter, it saves so much time in post processing, always better to get things right in camera than try to fix them after.
What inspires you and where do you find your own inspiration?
Every baby I work with inspires me in some way or another, each one is different and I aim to make each session reflect that. The love that the new parents feel for their baby is incredibly inspiring and pushes me to capture that emotion for them.
What do you think sets you apart from other photographers?
I think there are far too many photographers out there these days who go into this business for the wrong reasons. Photography is and always has been a passion for me, its not something I do just for fun or for
a few extra bucks, or because it is cool. Photography is a huge part of who I am. I think (or hope anyway) that shows up in my images.
How do you continue to create your own style/presence in the market?
I work really hard at maintaining my style. There are so many photographers out there that do a little of this and a little of that, I think if you want to be noticed and stand out your work needs to be recognizable and consistant.
Name one special thing that you do for your clients…….
I treat them in such a way that they know how special they are to me. Extraordinary customer service is so important to a great client relationship.
Name one phrase that you use all the time with your clients when you are photographing them……
hmmm, probably when I tell the new mom that during the session she gets to just sit, watch and let me do everything, that she is not going to have the opportunity to do that often so just sit down and relax.
How do you get babies to sleep and relax so well?
Lots and lots of patience. Turn up the heat a few degrees, work slowly and talk to then in a low soothing voice. Thats pretty much all I do.
What is the one thing you want to be remembered for? (business related or not)
This is something I have thought a lot about over the last year. For a long time I was so focused on my business and making it a success. I then realized that at the end of my life it won’t matter how
successful I was in business, the only thing that will REALLY matter will be how successful I was in raising my family. So I guess I want my family to remember me for how much I loved them. So…I want to be remembered for being a good mother, a good wife and a good person.
How do you balance your successful business with your family/personal life?
I realized I can’t do everything and I need to say no. Simple as that, I figured out what I could handle while maintaining a healthy and balanced life at home and set my limits and I work very hard to stick to them.
What Boundaries have you learnt to set as your business has grown?
I have policies in place that apply to everyone. I learnt the hard way that when you bend for 1 person it will likely come back to bite you.
If you were laying in bed late at night “brain-storming” about your business, what would be the one aspect of it you would think about most? (other than proofing, or the pile of work on your desk!)
I do a lot of brainstorming about how to keep myself noticed as a photographer of quality in my community.
What is your favourite blog/flickr stream or place to go just to ”hang out”, have fun or find inspiration?
Oh I could never pick a favorite…..so many people inspire me in many different ways. The only forums I participate on are Beyond and ILP, I love flickr as well, but it would be impossible to pick just 1
and finally….. dogs, trees, babies or structure? (take that question ANY way you want!)
babies, always babies…they make the world a much better place.
