It has officially been one week since I said “So long!” to the “day job” and began this journey as my own boss, a full time wedding photographer. Everything about this decision is such a wonderful feeling and, honestly, I haven’t been this happy in a long time. And there lies the reason why I am doing this….I was not happy. Yes, I have a great life. I have a beautiful home, a wonderful husband, a supportive family, the most amazing baby in the whole world and friends that love me. So what’s the problem then?!!
Easy. I couldn’t do it all anymore. The truth is, I wasn’t happy in my old job. I couldn’t commit to it and my photography, and my husband, and my home AND my baby.
I felt like I was failing as a wife and a mother. OK. Maybe that’s a tad dramatic, but you get the point. At some point, you get stretched too thin and you realize that you can’t do it all.
So what was the trigger? What was the impetus for going full time? I’ll never forget this day as long as I live. I came home from work one day, upset about that place (nothing new) and my husband looked me square in the eye and said, “That’s it. You need to do this. I’m tired of you coming home every day unhappy.” And bam. Just like that I was done. I gave my letter of resignation at the end of that week and told my boss that I’d be done at the end of July.
And I’ve never looked back.
Make no mistake, this was not some off the cuff, hasty decision. I have been dreaming of this day for years. I have been building this business, part time, for four years getting it to the point where I was ready to make this transition. I’ve accumulated equipment, built a brand and a portfolio, attended workshops to hone my craft, and have worked tirelessly at networking with some amazing colleagues who I am now happy to call friends. It has taken hard work and planning for sure. But it was the right time for me, and I couldn’t be happier.
So what did I do on my first day of self-employment? I celebrated of course!! Heck, I deserved it! So I took the day and spent it in Portland with my friend Brea, a fellow wedding photographer who said to me the day she found out I was quitting, “we need to celebrate!” And we did. We basically drank and ate our way through the Old Port with stops along the way for actual photog related business. Brea had some head shots to do, so I tagged along for that and we attended a professional networking meeting that night. We brought our cameras along for the day and documented our adventures. And this is what we did…..
These are a combination of Instagram and DSLR camera shots.
coffee and some window shopping.
Relaxing foot soaks and tea at Soakology……heaven!
Best. Mexican. Ever! And don’t even get me started on the corn! Holy cow…..and yes, photographers like to take pictures of their food….a lot.
The mothership. ;-)
Bringing in the days catch.
My favorite, new shop for lotions and all things pretty smelling. The lavender is to die for!! 2 Note Perfumery
More food. More drinks. Great friend.