We were lucky to catch up with Amy Stephens recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amy, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?
Being self-disciplined comes from years and years of working for myself. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid, simple as that. And of course, it helps greatly that I love what I do and am excited to work! I have the best job in the world, so putting in a hard day’s work is so worth it to me! But maybe self-discipline goes back even further to my childhood as an 80’s latchkey kid! 80’s kids got themselves to and from school, let themselves in the house, made their snack, and got their homework done! We had a rule of no TV until homework was done. My mom wasn’t home, she was a teacher and a single mom, but I honored that rule. I always got that work done before putting on the Facts of Life reruns! As I got older I was very into theater and got my college degree in it as well. Actors are some of the most disciplined people you’ll ever meet. Again, they’re promoting themselves, they are the commodity they are selling! So working hard, being on time, knowing your lines and your marks, that all went a long way in your dependability and your ability to be cast. As I entered the workforce I took so much of that do-it-yourself mentality with me, and that still stays with me today.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have THE best job in the world! I’m a baby photographer! It doesn’t get any better than that! With babies come families, baby milestones, maternity, and eventually high school seniors. I photograph them all! There is an art to documenting this time in a family’s life. Newborns themselves are pure art. Every little detail is worthy of framing. I have been specially trained and mentored in newborn portraiture and posing, and safety is so important. I pride myself in providing not just beautiful memories of this finite time, but art that will grace a family’s walls for generations.
While babies are a big part of what I photograph, those babies grow up! So family portraiture is a huge part of my work as well, especially during the fall and holiday season. Right now I have just wrapped up dozens of gorgeous fall sessions, and holiday sessions. It’s a whirlwind from September to November around here! Once the family portrait season wraps up, I always look forward to getting back into my cozy studio and photographing all those precious winter and spring babies!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Communication. Personalization. Training.
I see so many new photographers come on the scene excited about taking photographs, and that’s great, that’s key! But there’s so much to this business that goes beyond the camera. If you can’t communicate well with your client, what’s the point? Every year I get a handful of clients who reach out to me because their photographer stopped communicating, dropped off the radar, or just didn’t show up to a session. That’s no way to run a business and a really good way to lose your business. When you treat your client as a friend, there’s a whole different level of trust and personalization. Your clients will return to you year after year because not only do they love their photographs, but they like YOU and that makes the experience so much more enjoyable!
Lastly, I include training on this list but not so much by way of technical training, but hands-on training. Newborn photography is a skill that needs to be studied and practiced before you put hands on a delicate new life. Putting up a shingle and calling yourself a baby photographer without any training is dangerous. There’s an art to it, and safety is always, always the most important factor. Find a mentor, take a workshop, practice with a doll, shadow another professional newborn photographer. Get the training first, and then put up that shingle! And always keep learning!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I love collaborating with other businesses! In the year ahead I hope to work to promote some of my studio milestone sessions, and that includes the always fun Cake Smash session! This type of session typically includes a beautifully designed backdrop with a balloon garland and coordinating props, as well as the perfect cake for the little one to smash! I typically create the backdrop from scratch, but in the year ahead I plan to put together a styled ONE-YEAR CAKE SMASH SESSION workshop to help other photographers capture this fun session. I would love to work with a balloon artist and a custom baker to create this type of workshop. Reach out; let’s have some fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cribtalesphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cribtales/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cribtales
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-stephens-cribtalesphotography/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/crib-tales-photography-castle-rock
Image Credits
Crib Tales Photography
