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Discovering Your Passion Takes Many Turns
17 Plays5 years ago
Most of us can relate to the desire to do more with our lives… yet it can be scary to take the leap… and keep going. This is why we need to support each other.
In today’s podcast… I’m joined by Rebecca Bonner… a loving friend and incredible portrait and brand photographer who has built a successful business over the last 13 years. She openly shares how she started, what it takes to overcome doubt, her challenges, her wisdom, and her desire to give back. She shares one of the biggest reasons for her success… something we all need to do.
Some of Rebecca's Favorites...
⭐️Starter camera: Canon Rebel T6 or Canon 6D
⭐️Lens: Tamron 75-200mm for portraits and 24-70mm for group portraits
⭐️Fixed Lens: 50mm f1.4 USM Lens
⭐️Rebecca's Website: Rebecca Bonner Photography
⭐️Logo Branding: Photologo.com
Sending Love + Light to all!!
xo Shari
📌 PS... Links mentioned in the show are no longer available... effective 2024
🤍🤍🤍🤍
Shari and her brilliant guests… go beyond the surface... sharing decades of Organizing, Lifestyle + Business Brilliance... and the reality of living in the REAL WORLD. ✨
Brilliantista ® podcast is like having coffee or tea with your BESTIES… the ones who understand you, cheer you on… and aren't afraid to offer tough love when needed.
Real-life conversations and practical tips on everything from… organizing your home (hello, less clutter, more joy!), lifestyle (developing healthy habits), and business tips (work-life balance)… to navigating life's challenges. We laugh, we cry, we learn... and we embrace imperfection.
Are you ready to create the life you want to live… and elevate your brilliance?✨
Press play… make some new BESTIES… and let's make it happen... together!
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xo Shari Kuster 🤍
BRILLIANTISTA Instagram… https://www.instagram.com/brilliantista/
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Transcript
Introduction to Brilliantista Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, ladies and welcome to our Brilliantista podcast. I am so excited that you're here. And I just have to say, I am so excited you guys are reaching out to me. I have loved getting the messages. I've loved having an opportunity to actually talk with some of you and to get to know you and to hear your stories. And I've got lots of you who are going to be coming on to this podcast as well. And gosh, the world is just connecting us in ways that I never thought were possible.
00:00:27
Speaker
When I started this podcast, I had no idea all the brilliant women that I was going to have an opportunity to meet. So ladies, keep those messages coming. I cannot wait to get to know you better and invite your friends. I want to meet your friends and I want to hear all these brilliant things that you guys are doing because ladies, we are brilliant. That's what you are. You're a brilliantista making big things happen.
00:00:51
Speaker
So I want to dive in real quick on this podcast episode
Meet the Guest: Rebecca Bonner
00:00:55
Speaker
today. I have invited a friend of mine. Her name is Rebecca Bonner. She's a photographer. She's a mom. She's a wife, but she has been one of the best friends a girl could ever have. And in this journey of
00:01:07
Speaker
creating success in business and life and going through the ups and downs of what that all looks like we all need those people in our corners to just root us on and rebecca's been that person for me and i hope i have been that person for her as well but i asked her if she would come on and share her story and open up with us and it's not always easy i'll be honest and she'll even say it.
Rebecca's Personal Journey and Overcoming Fear
00:01:32
Speaker
She was scared. This was a girl who was scared. And I know what that's like. I have been there. I might sound like, Oh, gosh, I've got this. But let me tell you, it's not where I started. But that's not where most of us start when we start a journey in doing something we've never done before. But it tickles me to no end.
00:01:50
Speaker
to see the growth that just even this one podcast has done for her. But it was her opening up her story, which I can't wait for you to hear. And she's going to teach you so much and share so much wisdom and insights because that's what we do here. We're
00:02:05
Speaker
going to talk about being a photographer, but we're going to talk about being in business, the challenges of being a mom. And she's going to share with you some of her great tips that have helped her to work through some of the challenges of establishing yourself in business and really building a business from word of mouth advertising. I mean, come on, we got this. We can do this. So ladies, get ready. And I can't wait to dive in. This is going to be great.
00:02:33
Speaker
You're listening to the Brilliantista podcast, where women elevate women who desire success in business and life.
The Podcast's Mission and Host's Story
00:02:40
Speaker
Each week, I'll share valuable insights, actionable steps, and powerful interviews with brilliant women who open up to share the wisdom, tips, and strategies behind their success, helping you to elevate your own. I'm your host, Sherri Custer, a stay-at-home mom who built a seven-figure business with zero experience, but the willingness to figure it out.
00:03:04
Speaker
Welcome, ladies, to another episode of our Brilliantes podcast. Okay, girls, I have to say, first off, I'm excited about this episode. And it's because it's with one of my great friends. So, you know, that's kind of fun, right? But I'm also excited for you to learn from her. As we were just talking prior to me hitting this record button, I know that she has such an incredible heart. She has such a brightness about her.
00:03:33
Speaker
Rebecca is a photographer. And for those of you who have ever thought about becoming a photographer, you definitely want to listen in.
00:03:41
Speaker
But as a person who was out there looking for a photographer, I'm gonna share with you a quick story and we'll probably talk about some other stories as we go into this podcast. But I have been to weddings and probably like you, you've been to weddings, you've experienced a photographer, whether you hired them or whether you were observing them. There was kind of that make or break moment with a photographer, like it's either they're gonna make you feel amazing or they're gonna ruin the scene.
00:04:10
Speaker
And when my son decided to get married, I knew that we had to have a photographer. And it became that hunt for looking for just the right person. And it
Rebecca's Photography Career and Personal Connection
00:04:20
Speaker
wasn't just about the person who could create the most amazing photos. It was about the person who wasn't going to ruin the wedding, but actually make it amazing.
00:04:31
Speaker
And I cannot wait for you to meet my friend, Rebecca Bonner, because she was that person tenfold. She lit us all up. And not only has she been the photographer of my son's wedding, she has photographed us as families. She's even done boudoir sessions for us. And she's done our kids' high school graduation photos, baby photos, all of it.
00:04:57
Speaker
And she is that person we go to and I've recommended her hundreds of times. And she has created success because of who she is and how she shows up and the skill sets that she has. She has so much to offer you guys and so much to teach, not only as a photographer, but as a woman. And that is one of the reasons why I absolutely knew I wanted her on this podcast because
00:05:23
Speaker
I'm telling you, we all need to find more Rebecca's in our lives and we all need to become more like a Rebecca. So I introduced to you Miss Rebecca Bonner and a photographer extraordinaire, a friend to the deepest of levels.
00:05:40
Speaker
We cannot wait to dive into this interview. So Rebecca, welcome. And I want you to say hello to our audience and share with them anything that you feel like you want to share besides the fact she's scared to death of this recording. See, I'm going to make her laugh.
00:06:01
Speaker
And ladies, it's not easy, right? You know, stepping into doing something you're not comfortable with, but I want her to feel comfortable. So Rebecca, say hello and share something with our audience so they can get to know you.
00:06:14
Speaker
Thank you so much, Sherry. What a warm introduction. You made me feel so good. And thank you for asking me to speak with you today. It's really an honor. I watched you launch Brilliantista on social media and I saw your excitement and it got me excited. And now to have this opportunity to share what I do and kind of my journey getting into this business just makes me really excited. I just think this is an amazing platform that you have created
00:06:43
Speaker
for women in business to come together to share and learn. So again, thank you so much. We're lucky.
00:06:53
Speaker
a little bit about me. I grew up in New England and Vermont in a very tiny town called Charlotte, and I'm the youngest of three daughters. I just was raised by some really amazing people who really supported us each differently with our talents and abilities and really fostered in us what we were good at, made sure we had the lessons that we needed and the instruction. And for me, it was always the arts.
00:07:22
Speaker
I started playing the violin at age six in first grade. And my parents were reluctant at first to let me take these lessons. They said, oh, you'll play for a month and you'll quit. So I proved them wrong. I played all the way through college. And that was kind of the beginning of my creative journey, I guess, was a big part of my life. And sometime in high school, I began doing a lot of sketching and drawing and I was
00:07:46
Speaker
very interested in furthering that. So my mom got me some private lessons, and I started painting and drawing, which led me into an art degree in college, an art major. It all started there, and I did a little bit of photography in college, but I did not start my photography business and my career in photography until I was 35 years old, and the rest is history.
00:08:14
Speaker
Okay, so the rest is definitely history but it's continuing history is continuing and the amazing this is just every day first off I'm in love with the fact that you had parents that supported you because not everybody has that so that's a beautiful thing and I'm sure that that's something that you've carried on so you're also a mom you have two children and
00:08:35
Speaker
I do. High school and college. Yes. And you have that nurturing nature as well to your children and their passions and every conversation you and I have ever had, we always talk about our kids. We do. Right. And so I want to dive just a little bit first from the lessons that you learned and in your children, like seeing them and what did you see that you wanted to help and support them, kind of the lessons that you learned from your parents?
00:09:05
Speaker
My parents were always really proud of us. It didn't really matter what we were doing. As long as we did our best, they were proud. And that's something that I have always tried to say to my children, we don't have to be perfect. Nobody's going to be perfect. You know, get out there, do your best. And that's all that I can ask for.
00:09:26
Speaker
You've raised two beautiful children. And I know that, you know, they're never perfect, right? I mean, I know that they're never perfect. Like we step back and kind of in an awe. And I think as parents, that's one of the things we need to always remember.
00:09:42
Speaker
We need to be in awe of what they are able to do and what's in their heart and their passions, interest, and all of that. And just be in awe because it's their plan, not ours. We have to say to ourselves, like, their life is not our life. We were only in control of that. And I've watched you be that person to your children. And I've watched you lovingly hope and pray that they do follow their hearts just as you had the opportunity to do.
Family Influence and Career Choices
00:10:11
Speaker
Yes, for sure.
00:10:11
Speaker
And of course, I hoped that my kids might be somewhat creative. They have absolutely no interest in photography, and that's okay. You know, I thought maybe I'd have some assistance from them one day, but you know, a second shooter at a wedding, but it doesn't look like it's panning out. They're both very left brained. I'm very right brained all the way.
00:10:39
Speaker
Oh, that's so cute. Yeah. It's like family business. Yes, it's never gonna happen. No, you can't have the football team you wanted. You can't have the photography business you wanted, right?
00:10:49
Speaker
going back to you and having this nurturing-ness from your parents and then being able to go on. And when you said the words, I was like, oh my gosh, art degree. I remember the day with my daughter in high school, junior year, sitting down with her art teacher, also very creative, and her art teacher saying, I could see Chandler pursuing an art degree.
00:11:12
Speaker
And she starts listing off all of these colleges, such as Yale, Brown, Harvard. And I'm going, are you kidding me? I'm going to pay how much money for my daughter to get an art degree. But here's the thing, ladies, it's what you take from that. And Rebecca has built a very successful business with her art degree and her passion as a photographer.
00:11:37
Speaker
I have to tell you, I went in freshman year to college. I was either going to major in psychology or art. I knew those were my two strong points. In high school, I was the kid who was always listening. I was always the listener for my friends and, you know, the phone would ring after school, friend after friend after friend. And I was the listener and I was the sounding board and I was always
00:11:59
Speaker
there to give advice to my friends. It was just something that I was good at. I'm relational. I'm very social and I really love with all my heart. I love my friends and my family. But I went to college. I took Psych 101 and I took basic drawing and I got an A plus in basic drawing and I think a C plus in psychology and that was where the decision came in. But I remember my parents thinking,
00:12:26
Speaker
Goodness, here we are paying for college, paying for college out of state, private school, and what in the world is she going to do with this art degree? I think they were a little nervous about that. And to be honest, after college, I did not use my art degree. I ended up dental assisting. It was a
00:12:43
Speaker
a skill that I had learned from my father who was a dentist and I just, I didn't have direction. I thought I would go into advertising or something like that and it just wasn't panning out for me. So I was a dental assistant and then I got married and I stayed home with my kids for six years. That was a really pivotal time in my life when I decided I needed something more. I needed something for myself.
00:13:09
Speaker
I knew that I had skills that I wasn't using and I found myself in a place where I had lost my sense of self. I knew I was a good mom and I was loving staying home with my kids, but something was missing and I had an empty place in my heart. So I started to dig really deep.
00:13:28
Speaker
And I tried a lot of different things. I tried painting children's furniture. I was doing some wall murals for some friends and using my creative side. And it just wasn't fulfilling. And I started picking up my camera. My sweet husband had purchased a camera for me for Mother's Day.
00:13:50
Speaker
And I started picking up my camera more and taking photos of my kids and finding that I was really enjoying that. It was kind of filling that need in me to be using my skillset that I had learned in college. I decided one day, I think this is it. I think I might be able to make some money and do what I love by starting a photography business.
00:14:14
Speaker
Here's what I love. You, like so many of us, are exploring. We're exploring the things that we're looking for. We're trying to figure out who do I want to be when I grow up. But you try things, and that's such an important thing. So many people are afraid to try to get it wrong. They don't want to get it wrong and spend too much time.
00:14:37
Speaker
You didn't. You tried a couple of things and then found that moment where that camera just felt right. And so, and I love the fact that you instantly said like, I can make some money at that. The biggest part of my journey, especially when it comes to Brilliantista is really helping women find that way to earn the money. I say put the money in the pockets, right? Yes.
00:15:00
Speaker
Yes. And trust me, I was petrified to jump in with two feet. It really was. And I think that's what a lot of women are faced with and holds them back. It's that fear of taking the leap. So talk about that. Talk about how you felt. What was showing up for you at that time?
00:15:17
Speaker
I was at a point in my life where I just said, I have to do something. And photography was always a passion. I know that sounds so cliche. We all say that, but it's the truth. It was the thing that made me happy and fulfilled. I was creating. What I did was I went around the neighborhood to some of my female friends and I said, Hey,
00:15:36
Speaker
I've got this idea. I'm really scared about doing this, but I really need to give it a try. Could I photograph your children or your family for free? I said, you know, if you love the images, you can purchase them for like, I think I charged like $60, you know, for all the images on a CD. I just wanted to get out there and give it a try and see how it felt and to get some feedback.
00:16:01
Speaker
I guess I needed a little bit of validation that I was doing the right thing. My husband was really supportive and he said, Rebecca, if this is what you really, really want to do, we'll invest in it and we'll get the equipment and we'll get you set up with a beautiful website and we'll do it right. But I need to really know that this is what you want. And like I said, I was nervous. I was scared of failing. I was really afraid to fail.
00:16:25
Speaker
I know there's a lot of young women, women my age, who want to get into this industry. And I think a lot of people are held back by fear as well.
Starting a Photography Business
00:16:34
Speaker
And I just would want to tell them, don't be afraid, give it a try. There are certainly enough faces out there for all of us to photograph. And in Colorado, a lot of beauty
00:16:44
Speaker
if people are interested in even just doing landscape photography and that kind of thing. But don't let fear hold you back. If I could do it, anybody can do it. Okay, so first off, I love the approach of I caught pushing the honesty button when you went
00:16:59
Speaker
to your friends and you said, listen, I'm really scared. I'm nervous. But you made an offer to them and that shows vulnerability. And sometimes if you show up and you're not ready to say all those things that are in your head, you start to speak and words come out and they're not exactly what's in your head and what's in your heart.
00:17:21
Speaker
people don't receive it as well. But I think the fact that you opened up what was in your head and what was in your heart, that's where people open up. People say, Oh my God, don't be nervous. Don't be afraid. You know, absolutely. That sounds great. Sign me up for that, right? And they did. People really embraced it. I mean, hey,
00:17:38
Speaker
free photos, you know, they were excited. And they also, they knew me and they wanted to support me in this endeavor. So I had a lot of good support and I probably did four or five photo shoots in the first couple of weeks. And the feedback that came back was so positive and it really kind of lit a fire under me and got me even more excited and a little less nervous. And I went for it. I jumped in with two feet and I went for it.
00:18:07
Speaker
And within that first month, I had a couple of paying customers. So that was really exciting. And I'll tell you, it was a very slow build. It probably took me three or four years before I even felt kind of
00:18:22
Speaker
moderately busy. It takes a little while and I didn't put a lot of money into advertising. I just simply asked people, you know, if they had had a good experience with me, if they would just share that with their family and friends and they did. And on that note, the experience is a huge part of being a photographer. The experience that you give
00:18:45
Speaker
to your clients, how you make them feel is so important. Maybe not everybody has the personality to be a professional photographer, but I personally love people. And when I say that, it sounds funny in a way, but I truly, truly love people. There's few people that I meet that I don't care for. I hope that that translates through the experience and the photos that I take for my clients.
00:19:13
Speaker
Well, I being somebody who you have photographed, it's very obvious that you truly do care about people. You light up when you get around people and it makes them light up. So it's definitely there. I want to go back. One thing that you did that really is an important step in people's building confidence is
00:19:34
Speaker
feedback, right? You started off nervous. You flat out said, I'm scared, I'm nervous and so forth. But then you went and did it anyway and offering it for free. So I want to talk about value and your value and things like that and helping people to understand it's okay to give away your free services because it's giving you something in return. And what it gave you was your confidence. So if a dollar is a dollar,
00:20:00
Speaker
What else can we equate our time and energy and skill sets to? Well, building confidence, building relationships, those are things that have value too. And it's important to remember that and you decide, right? I mean, when you say to somebody, like you decide how much you want to do. And I guess when you, when you feel full and you feel confident in what it is that you're doing and you feel that there's true value in all of that, that's when you say like, this is who I am and I know I'm good.
00:20:30
Speaker
Yes. Yes. That's probably been one of the biggest struggles for me in my business is that dollar sign. Where do I price myself? And like you said, putting value on the product because well, and the experience it's hard and there's no magic potion. A lot of young photographers are asking that question. What do I charge for an eight by 10? What do I charge for a session fee?
00:20:56
Speaker
And Denver specifically has a pretty saturated market. There are a lot of photographers doing what I do, portraits and weddings. I guess one of the struggles is really almost educating the client. Some people really just see photographs as ink on a piece of paper. And why should I spend X amount on an 8x10 that's just ink on a paper, but that's not how I see it.
00:21:21
Speaker
For me, it's a photograph that is a memory. That's what I'm trying to do with my business is to create memories for people that will be cherished and kept forever and maybe passed down to their loved ones. It's easy to go to a restaurant and spend $75 to $100 on a meal and maybe a bottle of wine, and it's all consumable. You're never going to have that again. Yet people are resistant to spend money on
00:21:48
Speaker
photography. So I want to try to educate my clients about that, about the value. So Rebecca, as you're struggling to find your value, you're not alone, right? There's so many women that are out there as photographers who are trying to figure out like, how do I charge for this moment? First off, you love what you do, right? And when we love what we do, and it comes
00:22:14
Speaker
let's not say naturally, but it definitely comes a lot easier, especially the more you do it, the longer you do it, the more comfortable you get. It's almost like, you know, this camera, you mean this thing that I'm carrying around with me 24 seven, like, yeah, sure. The phone that I have in my hand that I can whip out and take a picture of, like, I love this, like, give me that opportunity.
00:22:35
Speaker
to do what I love, right? You can feel that. And at the same time, we do have bills to pay. We do have mouths to feed. We do have a sense of our own personal value and how much is that worth. And as we're going down this avenue of balancing, I love doing this, but I also love being a badass. I love building a successful business. I had a dream. I wanted to be able to provide. I wanted to be able to travel.
00:23:04
Speaker
and do things, bring my camera along. You are not a printer, a Canon printer machine. You're a storyteller. You're making memories. You're making magic happen for a person's life. You're bringing to life something that will bring up an emotion when people look back at moments, whether it's through the weddings or the baby pictures,
00:23:29
Speaker
or the engagement photos, any of these things. When you did my Boudoir session, she did a book. We had this beautiful book put together. And I look through that book and how I feel about myself when I look through that book. That's what you gave me. So as photographers, you're giving people something to make them feel a certain way. Exactly.
00:23:53
Speaker
So all of these things that we are out there grabbing ahold of, trying to make us feel better, a photographer can make you fall in love with yourself. If you're a mom and you have a baby and that photographer lays that baby down in a cozy little position, those little newborn photos
00:24:13
Speaker
and they capture that moment for you as a mom and dad, they're going to give you a lasting feeling. And how do you put the price on the feeling? Well, here's what I'm going to say. First off, Rebecca Bonner, a badass.
00:24:29
Speaker
And here's what it is. Here's how I see photographers need to see themselves is number one, is your calendar getting full? And if your calendar is getting full, then it's time to start looking at yourself and realizing I must be good, right? Especially if you're using word of mouth advertising. Right.
00:24:52
Speaker
The second thing that I want you guys to see is that deepness of what you're actually giving to them. Forget about the print. Forget about any of that stuff.
The Emotional Value of Photography
00:25:00
Speaker
But it's when their eyes hit that image.
00:25:05
Speaker
whether it's in a book, whether it's on the wall, whether it's on their phone screen, wherever it's at, you're giving these people a feeling. And then you have to step back, stare in front of the mirror, put on your Wonder Woman pose and stand there and say, I must.
00:25:23
Speaker
Be a badass. I am a brilliant t-stat because I have been able to do something that is impacting somebody's life and touching their heart for lasting feeling, not just memory, a lasting feeling. That's what you're giving these people. So when you hit that little shutter button, you are now giving somebody an opportunity to feel something for the rest of their life. That's what you need to tell your clients.
00:25:53
Speaker
Yeah, I think you just nailed it on the head. Yeah, for sure. You've walked many a step in the photography world. You've done beautiful pictures. So for a person who's just getting started out and they're trying to build up that portfolio and they're kind of just getting started, you definitely gave them that.
00:26:13
Speaker
wonderful insight to offer the free stuff. Once they started, once you got started and you had gone past the free stuff, and like you said, in the first month, you started getting paying clients. Talk to me about how that made you feel to actually be paid for something you love doing. How did that feel?
00:26:32
Speaker
It was amazing. It was amazing. I really was excited about being able to contribute financially. Like I said, I had stayed home for six years, so I wanted to take part in paying the bills and putting food on the table and closing my kids back. I needed some validation at that time in my life, and I think it fulfilled that for me.
00:26:53
Speaker
you just said something that I completely related with. And that was you had gotten to a point in your life where there was just something inside of you that was missing and whether you use the word validation or whether you use the word contribution, but there was just something missing. And as we go and we explore that missing component of who we are and what we have to offer to the world, I would say there's so many women. I've been there a couple of times. So
00:27:22
Speaker
there's definitely phases in our lives where we might be doing something specific. And then we find that we're just not feeling in alignment with what that might be. And I too remember the day my kids were at the time, my youngest was 10 and so I had 10 and 14 and then one that was in his twenties. I remember feeling that sense of come on, there has to be more. Like I surely could do more and be more and become more.
00:27:49
Speaker
You had tried a couple of things. You got your degree in art. You went on to think you're going to do different things, you know, jumped into dad's world, but you explored different aspects of who you are, lighting people up. You kept exploring. And I think that that's one of those things that I don't want people to miss. I don't want people to miss the exploration of figuring things out because some things, like I said before, may get you so far.
00:28:19
Speaker
And then you might have another moment of life where you're going to pause and you're going to say, now what else? Yes, I actually felt that I was kind of at a crossroads or a roadblock. I was almost getting a little bit burnt out on portraits and weddings. And of course, I always feel a little bit burnt out at the end of my busy season, which usually ends in November.
00:28:42
Speaker
Though I love what I do, and I never stop loving it, there is a little bit of a burnout because I may be running to the park three or four times a day with different clients day after day, and not to mention the hours and hours of editing that photographers do. I'm usually a little tired and ready for a break, which I do get. But I remember thinking, maybe I just want to hone in on one
00:29:07
Speaker
aspect of photography. Maybe I only want to photograph high school seniors or maybe I only want to photograph weddings. But then my season revs up again and I jump back in and I'm doing it all again. But I also been thinking about teaching. That's kind of been a new idea for me. Like I said, there's so many people that come to me and say, hey,
00:29:29
Speaker
I've been thinking about starting my own photography business as well and what do you think about that and what do I need to get started and what should I do and how did you do it? And so I've thought about maybe doing some workshops and maybe even pairing up with another photographer to work with these men and women who are thinking about doing what I did because I feel like I could really give them
00:29:54
Speaker
step-by-step instruction and give them my experiences and my successes and my fails to help them get there. So teaching could definitely be in my near future. Okay, this I so was not expecting. Really? So I am so in love with the fact that you just said that.
00:30:14
Speaker
Oh, good. Yes. You know, I'm very relational. I just remember being that student really wide eyed and wanting to learn everything that I possibly could. Besides the classroom time, I wanted to get out and shoot.
00:30:29
Speaker
The word photography means to paint with light, by the way, which I love. I would love to help people to really learn to see light because good light's good and bad light's pretty bad. And there are ways of positioning your subject to capture the best light. So I think it needs to be a hands-on experience. I would really love to do that. I have a feeling you'll see me doing this in the next year.
00:30:55
Speaker
Oh, yay. Anything I can do to help and promote, you know, I am all in for that. So I am always about helping people to fulfill that other level of passion that they have. So I think that's really cool. Okay. So totally just came to me this, when you first got started, the number of times you hit the trigger versus now,
00:31:20
Speaker
between the beginning and where you're at now, 13 years. Yes, that's so funny. With nerves comes overshooting. We call it overshooting. And it does happen. It even happens to me now.
00:31:35
Speaker
If I'm having a shoot where I have three to four children that are a little unruly and I'm trying to finagle the poses and make sure that everybody's cooperating, I'll tend to overshoot a little bit. But you're right. I remember in the beginning just being so nervous, like, did I get the exposure right? Are they all in focus? Is the light good in this photo? You know, all those things that you're thinking about, you're shooting in manual. There's a lot to think about behind the camera. And 13 years later,
00:32:01
Speaker
I just kind of pop in and do my thing. It's like my camera is an extension of my hand and I don't have to think as much about what I'm doing.
00:32:09
Speaker
As a photographer, you said that your husband, his name is Jim, bought you a camera and you took that camera and you began to take pictures. As a new photographer, we have to start somewhere, right?
Photography Skills and Business Success
00:32:22
Speaker
What are some recommendations that you would say to somebody if they're just getting started? And then also the expense of being a photographer and how people have to value that because
00:32:34
Speaker
It is you've got the great equipment that people are also paying for. It's requiring specific tools that help to elevate what does show up in that camera. So talk to our audience about how to get started and how you manage to decide when to purchase additional equipment.
00:32:53
Speaker
Yeah, well, you're right. Starting a photography business can be expensive. I have always shot Canon. There are a lot of really great cameras out there, Nikon, Sony, Canon. Right now, those are coming to mind as sort of the top brands. Well, first of all, I always recommend spending a little bit more on a camera body than you initially thought you would want.
00:33:18
Speaker
I just have found that I personally am always upgrading to the latest and greatest in equipment. I just feel like that's going to be giving me the best quality and I can have the most confidence in that and it's always worth the money. So starting out somewhere in the mid range for a DSLR camera and then probably just investing in one or two lenses where you can zoom in and have a lot of flexibility with exposure. So
00:33:48
Speaker
you could be spending a few thousand dollars on those items. And then once you start making money, that's the time to start investing in more lenses. I started out in portraits and then a friend asked me to shoot her wedding. And I thought, I'm not a wedding photographer. I've been only photographing children. Why would you want me to do this? I was afraid of messing it up. So again, I shot it for free. But then I realized that
00:34:17
Speaker
I was going to need more lenses and how was I going to afford this because I had just started out.
00:34:22
Speaker
So I called my parents and I asked for a loan and they were amazing. And they said, absolutely. You know, I needed a wide angle lens and I needed a fish eye lens and I needed a macro lens for the closeups of the rings. Like I really wanted to do it right. And if I loved this experience of photographing a wedding, I knew I was going to keep, I was going to continue. So my parents invested and I bought the lenses that I needed.
00:34:49
Speaker
So it can add up and I think the thing to know is that you can just do it slowly. You don't have to jump in and spend $20,000 on equipment. You can start with a few. It's going to be a few thousand for professional equipment, but it's so worth it. I've seen people
00:35:07
Speaker
start their businesses and go with the low-end equipment and then they're frustrated and they're not getting the quality that they want and their clients aren't as happy. So it's worth investing. Do it right the first time.
00:35:22
Speaker
Yeah, I know that when you do have a family and you are part of what provides the financial aspect of your family, but you're also part that provides another aspect of it, which is the love and the support and the kisses and the, you know, figuring out how to get from point A to point B in life and just all that other background stuff of running a family.
00:35:42
Speaker
What would you say are things that you could recommend to other women that have helped you to kind of bring everybody in on board to being excited for you about what you're doing? Or did you fail at that? Or what advice do you feel you have, good, bad, or, you know, whatever, to help somebody else?
00:36:01
Speaker
There's definitely times where I just say, okay, that's it. Let's shut it down. And I don't want to say force myself, but I do. I kind of, I force myself to shut down the business and carve out time with my family and my children and let's get out of the house because I office from home. So it's a blessing and a curse because it's easy that it's here, but it's also
00:36:23
Speaker
a distraction for me. And it's very easy for me to creep into my office and start editing on a weekend when I know that that's precious family time when the kids are out of school or they're not working now that
Balancing Family and Business
00:36:35
Speaker
they're older. I would say you have to force yourself to carve the time out to have those experiences and just time with family. So how old were your kids when you started? They were four and six. Okay.
00:36:49
Speaker
And I thought it was a good time to start because they were becoming more self-sufficient. Anna had started kindergarten and Aiden was doing a couple days in preschool. And of course, when I started out, it started slow. You know, I wasn't doing the volume that I'm doing now. And then it became kind of slow and steady, and then it picked up pace. But each year that they got older and a little more self-sufficient, it got a little bit easier. And there was times that I had to
00:37:17
Speaker
you know, pay a babysitter or ask my husband if he could, you know, cover during hours that he might have been needing to work as well. And then there was times that I just relied on friends and neighbors to watch my kids while I was gone. Luckily, if I'm just doing a portrait shoot, I might just be gone an hour or two. So it's not like being gone for a wedding where you're gone for an eight or 10 hour stretch.
00:37:42
Speaker
So it's doable. Yeah. And I'll tell you, I live in an incredible community and we all say it. We say that it takes a village and we've all supported each other. Most all of my female friends work and have careers. So we all help each other out. I am so glad you said that. Okay. You and I obviously subscribe to it takes a village. I literally have a, I don't have a whole lot of magnets on my refrigerator, but I have one and it says it takes a village.
00:38:12
Speaker
because I knew and I feel it. I feel it from the women that are around me who aren't subscribing to that belief is that it's an overwhelming responsibility to be in charge of it all. And like you said before, there's so many hats that we wear and we're trying to wear them all and juggle them all, kind of like a juggler who's juggling balls, like we're flipping on this hat and that hat. And the reality is, is there's actually a simpler solution and that's ask for help. So I'm glad that you said that. Yes.
00:38:41
Speaker
It took me a while to figure that out too. I didn't want to impose on anybody. And then I started to realize, wait, we're all doing the same thing. We all have careers. We all have things that are going to pull us away at certain times. I'll help you today. You help me tomorrow. And it works. I love that. Like, come on, ladies. Did we all just hear that? I've seen stories and documentaries and just kind of researching even in our health. So I do a lot of health research.
00:39:07
Speaker
And it talks about the health of women when we are in that kind of tribal situation where we are leaning on each other for support. So stress is reduced and all of that because you know you're not doing it alone and your kids actually get another perspective, which I realized when I started my business nine years ago, eight years ago, that women who are
00:39:27
Speaker
basically the sole providers for their children as far as attention and helping them to take care of. We're not giving our children that opportunity to experience others' ways. And I remember for myself as a kid, having different people who were helping to raise me, I learned. I kind of feel like I got like the potluck of child raising, which helped me to create who I am as a mom because it wasn't just one situation. I got so much variety out of it all.
00:39:54
Speaker
Absolutely. And it's also really important, I think, especially for our little girls, to see their mothers in a working position and to see that, you know, they hold a lot of weight in the family as well, you know, besides just the nurturing, but maybe the financial too.
00:40:11
Speaker
I can remember when my business started picking up and my kids would come into my home office and they say, mommy, are you done? Are you, is it time? Is it, are you done? Can we go to the zoo or whatever we were doing that day? And, and I would say, you know what, I'm not done yet. And I would tell them, you know, here's why I'm doing this because I was home with them for six years. So they were used to having all of my attention and I was pretty much at their beck and call for everything that they needed, which was wonderful.
00:40:38
Speaker
I felt fortunate that I could do that at the time, but even better, I thought it was just such a good thing for them to see me working. And my daughter today, she's studying business and she wrote me a letter a couple of years ago and said, I've seen how hard you and dad work and I want to be just like that. And that was really special. And I thought, okay, it was not, you know, for nothing. It all worked out. You know, she saw us and she saw what we were doing and she understood why.
00:41:07
Speaker
So I love that. Oh my gosh, I have goosebumps. Seriously, like my arm and I'm wearing a coat. I have a goosebumps, my hairs, because I know, you know, we want to do it for ourselves, but we also turn around and we say to ourselves like, what's the message I'm sending? And I had this other quote that I
00:41:25
Speaker
that was given to me when my first son was born 33 years ago, which says, children learn what they live. And that stuck with me, obviously. It's what they live, it's what they see, it's how they feel. And sometimes we think that children need us, but what they need us is to not need
00:41:45
Speaker
us right it's like they need to know that they can do this on their own and they don't need us and that's great but they also need to know that they can go and thrive and pursue things and and not feel that they have to be tethered to something all the time but to know that when they need to fall
00:42:05
Speaker
there's going to be somebody there, but it's going to be somebody who's strong and has filled their cup as opposed to somebody who's fragile and empty and has nothing to give to them. So I think what you did and watching women step up and do the same and not out of resentment of having to, but kind of feeling that sense of what is the message I'm sending to my daughters, to my sons and to the world around me. And how do I find a way to be able to love and to be that great example?
00:42:36
Speaker
Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm so glad that it worked out that way for me. I really am. I'm really grateful for that. So let's talk about this as women who are making the decision to be in business, to create that revenue streams, whether we're looking for a job or whether we're starting our own businesses. Let's talk about value because since we do make those leaps and those steps into stepping away from maybe something else that we might be doing,
00:43:05
Speaker
I did a Facebook Live recently about value because something came up for me, which was women don't get the value that they want because we're tied to loyalty. And what would be some of your thoughts that you would want to share with your audience? Because I know you mentioned a price increase for yourself. What are some of the things that you want to share with our audience about value?
00:43:28
Speaker
I am glad you're bringing it up. And it's such a complicated thing to talk about. It shouldn't be, but it is. And I think it's one of the most asked questions in photography is, what should I be charging for my work or my products? And there really is no one answer. And I think especially with portraiture, it's hard to put a price tag on a memory. So there's the aspect of pricing your time and pricing your products, your prints.
00:43:57
Speaker
And then the topic of value, like what, what is a memory worth to somebody when I think about it? And this has been a work in progress for me over the years. Earlier in our talk, we talked about when I first got started before I really, you know, got the website and got the equipment. I went out and practiced for free with my neighbors and my friends.
00:44:20
Speaker
I did that for a couple of months and then I had to put a quick halt to that because I realized I'm going to do this. I'm going to create a business and I'm going to need to make money. And it goes back to, you know, valuing your time. I knew that I needed to be paid for the time away from, from my family. And then, you know, the time that I was spending in my office and all the expenses that were going into starting this business.
00:44:48
Speaker
And there's a lot. I mean, we're paying second shooters for weddings, buying props for the studio, camera gear, there's gas mileage. I mean, the list goes on and on.
Understanding Value and Pricing in Photography
00:45:01
Speaker
And it took me a long time. And you said it earlier that we get in the trap of wanting to give and help people. And there was times that I was giving a lot away for free.
00:45:12
Speaker
And I think just in my experience over the years, I realized that I was leaving money on the table and I was having a lot of anxiety around naming a price. So I finally just kind of pulled up my bootstraps and said, you know what, I'm good at this and I deserve to be paid what other people are getting paid.
00:45:36
Speaker
And I just made the decision and I just kind of dug deep and I did it. And I got a little bit of help from a mentor and I jumped in and guess what? People kept coming and I was even getting new clients and I was getting some of the hiring clients and it was exciting and it felt really good and I felt compensated for the work that I was doing. That was really incredible. Why do you think you struggled with owning your value? You kind of nailed it on the head.
00:46:05
Speaker
where when you talked about experience and initially I felt like I didn't have the experience yet and I wasn't sure.
00:46:17
Speaker
If I was really good or not, yes, people were coming back and saying that they loved their work. And there was an emotional reaction, you know, coming back from a lot of my clients, which tells me that my work was looking good. You know, I was, I was moving them or touching them emotionally with photos of their children. It's just taken years for me to come to where I am now, where I do have a confidence in my work.
00:46:45
Speaker
and the experience that I'm giving my clients. And I know that it's worth paying for. This year I've just decided to go for the audience that I want. So in raising my prices, I'll probably serve less people and I'll probably lose some clients that I really love and have cherished serving over the years. But it's part of running a business, I guess.
00:47:11
Speaker
And that's the inevitable. But I have made a lot of friendships over the years doing photography. A lot of my clients have become my friends like you. Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, we deserve. We deserve to stand in our brilliance. I love that.
00:47:30
Speaker
This is what this whole thing is all about. Yes, yes, that was perfect. Yeah. One thing that I did, I just would want other women to hear this. No matter what kind of business they're starting, I had done film in college. So I really didn't have a whole lot of experience with digital outside of just playing around with it at home and photographing my own children. So I signed up for some workshops. And the first workshop that I signed up for was really just kind of a basic digital 101.
00:48:00
Speaker
I wanted to make sure that I really understood the settings of my camera. I wanted to really brush up on shooting manual. And I wanted to start this business with confidence and knowing that I was going to be heading out to these photo shoots and knowing that I knew what I was doing. So I just think that's important. And I continue to do workshops even now 13 years into my business. You never stop learning and you never stop seeing and seeing beauty and
00:48:29
Speaker
not only people, but the things that surround us. So what I love about business is the concept of going from just something you want to do to really treating it like a business, meaning you do need to invest in that business and you need to reinvest in that business and you need in part of that investing in that business is into yourself.
00:48:51
Speaker
And like you had talked about, you did workshops which invested in your skill sets, up leveling your skill sets, up leveling your equipment, which in turn up level what the product or services that you have to offer to people should also equate to the value that you charge. So if you're listening and you're interested in photography,
00:49:12
Speaker
It is part of the equation. It's part of the mathematics. But as the client on the other side, we don't know what you're bringing that somebody else isn't. And I, from a marketing standpoint, so what shows up on your website. So the information that shows up on your website, I would encourage you to let people know like, you know, using top of the line equipment.
00:49:35
Speaker
If I were a doctor and I had the latest and greatest surgical technology to use on my patients and I was charging an outrageous fortune because of that, they needed to know that. It wasn't just like, here's the results of my patient who I just did surgery. I would want to know that you provide the top of the line so that when somebody's making a decision, they're making a decision
00:50:00
Speaker
on you. They're saying yes to you. They're saying yes to the final result. And they're saying yes to the equipment that you have. That's such a great point. And I love the fact that the other thing that you talked about was asking people like, you know, let me know if you liked it, you know, and I want feedback. So asking for feedback, you have asked your clients, please share, you know, if you would mind sharing a testimonial.
00:50:23
Speaker
Those are important for marketing your business because it's what people have to say. I, being a video person, I know who you are as a person is why I said yes. And I know that a lot of photographers are starting to tell that story, that background story of who they are. And I know you and I talked about
00:50:44
Speaker
the power of what that's all about. Would you encourage photographers to be able to open themselves up and have a video done for themselves so that people can see what is it like to work with this person? Absolutely. In fact, Sherry, I'm going to be doing that at the beginning of May and we're going to be
00:51:05
Speaker
putting a video together for exactly that reason. Something that I can put on social media and my website that shows me in action working with my clients. I'll have a couple of testimonials on there as well. I'm really excited about that and I'm really excited about what that might bring.
00:51:22
Speaker
I think when somebody goes on a website, they can see your work and that's great. But to be able to see the person that they're hiring before they actually meet them goes a really long way. Absolutely. Which I think one of the things that you had said when you first told Jim, your husband, that you wanted to do this and he said, if this is something you really want to do, we want to make sure
00:51:43
Speaker
You have a website and right now it's you know websites and creating websites is accessible It's 13 years ago is a little bit different and there's ways to put yourself out there Is there something that you're using to put yourself out there that you would recommend to other people? yes, well, I use a company called live books calm and they're based in California and they are
00:52:09
Speaker
specifically made for photographers and they're template based. So I purchased the template that kind of sang to me and then added my logo, my branding, and then I upload the photos into the website. So it's really all me and I love my website. So live books, they are fabulous and I started with them in 2006 and I'm still with them.
00:52:33
Speaker
So I'm going to drop the link for that below. So I'll make sure I get that from you. So you have a website presence, you have a social media presence, you're going the next level and being able to allow people to see what is it like to work with me before, you know, they actually meet you, which is so important. I can't encourage you guys enough about that.
00:52:53
Speaker
If you're a client out there and you're listening to this podcast and you have ever wanted to hire somebody, wouldn't you want to be a fly on the wall and say to yourself, like, what is it really like to work with this person? So, so important to bring that into the equation of what you're offering to your people so they can, it's a marketing tool. It is, it is. And Sheri, I'm not a business person. I've never taken a business class in my life. Um, I am very, very right brained
00:53:20
Speaker
creative type. My husband, thank goodness, he's a mortgage banker. He's left brained. He's great with numbers. And he started his own business in the mortgage industry. So when I got started, he was very helpful. He actually found the website company and he did a lot of work on just setting up my business, the LLC, and all the paperwork and all the good stuff that goes with that. But I would recommend that
00:53:47
Speaker
somebody going into this business, go take a business class or two. I think in marketing and sales, all of that, it's not easy not having that in my background. And it's been a real struggle for me in a lot of different ways.
00:54:04
Speaker
I'm actually glad that you brought that up. As a business consultant, and I've done that pretty much my whole life, and it's always been, it's kind of like what my skill sets are. And I found out that I am equally balanced. It's a double-edged sword for me, for sure. That means on all levels, a huge creative side and a huge analytical side.
00:54:25
Speaker
So being very balanced and having that both creative side and analytical side, I've seen things throughout my entire life where I have seen people have incredible skill sets and have amazing ideas, but having no idea how to actually make that a business, how to market themselves
00:54:45
Speaker
and creating systems and structures and all of that. So you're so right that it's not just about being really good at something that you're good at, but if you want to start a business that you do need to have some business understanding. And if you don't have a husband or a friend or somebody, yeah, getting in and diving in and learning a little bit about it. And there's so many resources right now, which are so great. And I'm hoping that Brilliantista will be part of that resource for you and learning from other women.
00:55:15
Speaker
sharing the skills that we have and more and more podcast episodes coming up to share and go a little bit deeper in all of that because we want women to succeed in their businesses as well as in their lives. So let me just ask you right now, is there something that's kind of burning on your heart right now that you want to share?
00:55:32
Speaker
It's so funny you just said that I was just thinking something that I did want to share with other women who might be thinking about starting their own business is to not compare yourself to others. I think I fell into that slump early on when I was still feeling really nervous about getting started and what was this all gonna
00:55:50
Speaker
Look like it was I gonna succeed in this business and I would look at other people's work and I would compare and I even fell into almost wanting to copy sometimes and when I stopped and stepped back and And looked at my work. I said, you know what my clients are happy. I need to be me I need to photograph things the way that I see them and feel them and I
00:56:17
Speaker
in the moment, the way that they're coming to me. I don't need to be like any other photographer except myself. And I think that's true in any business. Stay true to yourself.
00:56:28
Speaker
great advice. And I like the fact that you said it wasn't easy to take that advice. That actually brings up something that's really important. And that is, as you're starting your business, one of the things that we all do is we're, we're seeking out that person who's doing something and they're doing it
Staying True to Your Style and Women Supporting Women
00:56:49
Speaker
well. So that becomes kind of our mentor, whether it's in person or from afar.
00:56:54
Speaker
as they say in life, find somebody who has what you want and do what they do. And then at the same time, now you're in comparison mode. This is a person who has already walked many steps ahead of you and they're already there and you're just getting started.
00:57:13
Speaker
And I love the fact that you took that moment. What did you do to yourself to step away from that comparison moment? Not just step away from it, but what did you do to step away? Well, I felt like I was beating myself up sometimes. Oh, that doesn't look the way that I envisioned it, or it doesn't look as good as this other photographer's work.
00:57:35
Speaker
And I just had to change my mindset and say, Rebecca, you're doing a good job. This is okay. Like what you are creating is great. I do tend to sometimes compare myself to others.
00:57:49
Speaker
I just had to shut that down in my head and know that I was doing it my way and that my clients liked what I was doing. And I had mentors. I still have mentors. There's a gal, she's a photographer in Denver, Katie Van Buren.
00:58:07
Speaker
I actually asked her before I shot that very first wedding, I asked her if I could shadow her. Did she have any weddings coming up where I could just come and be a fly in the wall and carry her equipment? And she said, are you kidding? Bring your equipment. I want you to shoot this with me. Let's jump in and do it. And I did. And she is one of my dearest friends to this day. I always looked up to her and she gave me a lot of advice and
00:58:34
Speaker
we actually shoot in a very similar fashion. So people need to have mentors in this industry and in every industry and that's who we learn from.
00:58:44
Speaker
I love that. And now I've carried that forward to new people coming into the industry who have asked me the same question. Hey, could I come? Could I tag along to a portrait or a wedding? And I've taken them along as well. And that's what we do in this industry is the seasoned people help the new people. And it's wonderful. That you can't get any better than that. That's right.
00:59:07
Speaker
Just again, I want people to remember, ask. You can always be told no, but you can also be told yes. And you'll never know if it's a yes or a no until you ask. And it's always a no if you don't ask. That's right. So now that we're getting to the end of our time here on the podcast, I have to ask since we started off this podcast and I knew that you were nervous and you had said, I've never done an interview like this. I've never done anything like this.
00:59:34
Speaker
And even when we had talked about it days ago, you were like, Oh my gosh, and emoji, you know, yeaking emojis and all that stuff back and forth, right? Yes. Terrified. Yes. Do you feel that it's on your heart right now that you want to share your story more? Do you feel more comfortable in sharing your story?
00:59:57
Speaker
100%. Absolutely. I knew that I was going to be nervous doing this because I don't love speaking and I don't really feel like I'm a great speaker, but I knew that I wanted to share and I'm so grateful, like I said, to have had this opportunity to share what I know and what I've learned
01:00:16
Speaker
and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I turned 49 this year and I decided as I approach 50, I've got a year to go, I'm gonna start pushing myself out of my comfort zone as much as possible. It's definitely time for me to do that. So this was a great opportunity to start me moving in that direction. So thank you, Sheri.
01:00:37
Speaker
Okay, I so wish there was a video right now. I am smiling from here. And I almost want to cry. And then I probably will. Excuse me if I do. Oh, you're so sweet. I just love you, Sheri. You're awesome.
01:00:52
Speaker
But I'm telling you, I remember the day I took that courage step and somebody had asked me to talk and from a person who was terrified at a PTO meeting to say my name and then getting to that point of, you know, somebody reaching over and saying, would you mind getting up and talking? And I looked over at them like, excuse me, no, I'm not getting talking.
01:01:15
Speaker
And are you out of your living mind? But the push and I would say I was pushed for sure. I hope that when I bring people on these journeys that I'm holding their hand through it.
01:01:27
Speaker
Well, Sherry, you said that to me when you asked me. And I said, I don't think so. I'm not good at this. And you said, Rebecca, it's just you and I having a conversation. And I'm going to hold your hand through that. And I know your heart. And when you said that to me, I said, OK, I can do this. If she has faith in me, I know that I can do this. And I just want you to know that you made this experience really fun for me.
01:01:53
Speaker
I just think you're incredible. I think you're an incredible speaker. So you've obviously had opportunity to speak in network marketing and look how far you've come with this. So anyway, thank you so much. This has just been awesome.
01:02:09
Speaker
Wow. I want women to understand your story is so important. And I know women have a gift that comes from within and we have to get it out. So we have to be able to help women do that. And this platform is just one way that I want women to have a voice.
01:02:30
Speaker
because it is through our voices and our abilities to open up that we do connect. And it's all I want more than anything else on the planet is for women to open up their hearts to other women, real, like really open up, stop the competition, stop thinking that somebody else is gonna take something from you. And I know there's a lot of things about who we are that we inherited in our genome, but the reality is a lot has changed.
01:03:00
Speaker
And I want women to know that. I want women to say like, I can change what's inside of me. I can change my perspective. I can change my belief system. And you can change that. And I want women to hold on to the fact that you are stronger together than you ever will be apart.
01:03:18
Speaker
There's no doubt in my mind that Brilliantista is already doing that and will continue to. Wow. So Rebecca, I want to talk about passion projects. I think that that seems to be something that all the women that I encountered just seem to have. There's like some underlying thing that's just pulling at their hearts and I want you to share
01:03:41
Speaker
I'm really excited about this and a little nervous too, but several years ago, I heard about a nonprofit in Denver called Now I Leave Me Down to Sleep.
Future Plans in Photography and Nonprofit Work
01:03:52
Speaker
It's an organization that started in Denver by a photographer named Sandy Putsch. They support families who have suffered a loss of a baby and they bring in advanced photographers to photograph
01:04:10
Speaker
the parents and the family with their baby, they call it remembrance photography. And I just think it's an incredible gift. And when I initially heard about it, I thought, Oh, I could never do that. I would go in, I'd start crying, I could never do the shoot, you know, and I really put it on the back burner. And a couple of years ago, one of my clients came to me and said, Have you ever heard about this foundation? You know, they're looking for good photographers. And I wondered if you might
01:04:38
Speaker
have the heart to do this. And I said, I do know about it. And I've heard about it. And I've even looked at their website and I just said, I don't know if I could do this. It's really, really, really hard. I'm just not sure if I'm the person for this. And again, I put it on the back burner and my busy season was upon me and I just didn't think I'd have time to do it. Well, this week it came to me again and it's been really heavy on my heart. And so
01:05:04
Speaker
within days of doing an application to be one of their photographers. I just can't think of a better gift to give and I have the skills and I have the equipment and I think I do have the heart to do this. It'll be hard if they accept me. I have to apply and be accepted. But if I am accepted, I think it might end up being one of the best things I ever do in my life. Wow. Try not to cry.
01:05:31
Speaker
Yeah, it makes me emotional just thinking about it. But I'm not telling you, I'm not crying. I'm telling myself to cry. You know what? You talk about what you're doing, right? Is memories. And for some of us, you know, we were capturing memories of our children. And of course, we're hoping that, you know, that's not the last moment. But for these families, like, that's gonna be the last moment. It'll be all that they have.
01:05:56
Speaker
but it's something that they'll have forever. And I went on the website and I was watching some of the testimonials from some of the families and they're just incredible. And you can feel it from these couples, how appreciative they are, how grateful and how special these memories are for them. And I personally know two people that have lost babies at birth. One is a good friend of mine who lost her pregnancy at six months.
01:06:24
Speaker
And I went through some of that with her. And when a friend of yours has a great suffering in their life, you want to fix it. You want to help. And in this kind of situation, only time is going to heal. They may never fully heal from this. But if I could give them a little bit of a sense of healing through photographs, through memories, I mean, I just can't even think of anything better.
01:06:54
Speaker
Wow. I also met a woman at my church who knew that I did photography and one day she just opened up and shared with me that they had lost a little girl. She was stillborn and she asked me if she could share her photos with me. This was probably about five years ago. I thought, gosh, I don't know her that well. That's really interesting that she wants to share this with me. So, you know, openly and
01:07:19
Speaker
So she brought her photo album to church the next week and showed me everything. And you know what? She was so excited and she was so happy. She didn't cry. She had looked at this album a thousand times and it could tell that it provided a lot of healing for her and just helped her get through that.
01:07:40
Speaker
These photos were such a cherished memory that now after all these years, she could be really proud of them and look at this beautiful baby of mine. They were hard to look at for me. This was the first time that I had ever seen this. It really touched me and it made me look at the whole situation in a different light.
01:08:01
Speaker
But that's what you want. You want to be able to have a gift and you do have a gift. You have a gift and that gift, whether it's through life and celebration or through sadness and sorrow, right? Like that's what you're here for. And if this does become something that is more of a calling for you than just a passion project on the side, that's what it is. And you won't know until you step into it and
01:08:27
Speaker
I just think it's beautiful. Yeah, I'm used to photographing all the happy events, weddings, high school seniors, newborn babies, children. It's all really fun and beautiful and happy. And this will be a different emotion for me. But I just really feel like it's time for me to give back. And this is the form in which I want to do it.
01:08:54
Speaker
Well, my saying that I love to hold on to those who have can give. And whether that's a talent, whether that's money, you know, whether that's an ear, whatever it is, it's, you know, and that's what you're doing, you know, you have and now you get to give and you've developed a skills. That's another reason I want women
01:09:14
Speaker
to build their skills, build their talents, build their hearts, build their pockets and their bank accounts. And so we have some of the biggest hearts. I know I have no discount to men at all. I have two boys and now I have a grandson.
01:09:31
Speaker
I know men give in a way that we can't even comprehend. Like we cannot have, we have no idea how they give. We seem to give and we make sure the whole world knows we've given, but men do it kind of in a silent way. And I just know that, you know, we are, we are supposed to be part of that equation and we can give more without giving up our value.
01:09:58
Speaker
Yes. So ladies, I am just going to just say to all of you, like, this has been a moment for me and having Rebecca on and hearing her share both, you know, the fun things and the touching things. And I hope, as always, that
01:10:17
Speaker
As you've listened to this, that you got something out of this. And whether that means that you've got pulled to step in and do something you've never done before, or owning your own value, or pouring into somebody else, whatever that might be, that you found something here.
01:10:35
Speaker
that really will help you to step into your brilliance and to help yourself to take it to the next level and to surround yourself by those who believe in you and never, ever, ever, ever feel that you're ever alone no matter what circumstance you're in because that's what community is. And whether it's a neighborhood like Rebecca has of women who are just really supporting each other or whether you find that through
01:11:02
Speaker
an online community, just know you're never, ever, ever alone. Is there anything that you want to leave our listeners with as we close out this beautiful episode of our Brilliantista podcast today? Yes, I would just like to say to everybody, listen to your heart, have faith that you can do it, and go for it. Follow your heart, follow your passions, because like I said, if I could do it, you can.
01:11:32
Speaker
Oh, I love that. I love that. And I'm just going to give one add on to that and surround yourself by those who believe in you. And that's what we're here for. Absolutely. We believe in you. We want to see you shine, connect with us in our communities, find another woman in our groups, make friends, step up, ask for help, and be a brilliantista day in and day out.
01:11:59
Speaker
That's all for now and I wish you all a wonderful day and I look forward to connecting with you again next week. And my heart right now just feels love, just so much love and I hope you all feel that as well. So bye for now, brilliantistas. We'll be back next week.
01:12:20
Speaker
Thanks for listening to the Brilliantista podcast. If you love the show and have a moment, please let us know by leaving a review or subscribe to the podcast. Truly, this would mean the world to me and my team. And remember, ladies, share this with your friends because that's what friends do. If you want to stay connected, go to brilliantista.com and join our Facebook group. You can also find me on social media at Sherry Custer or Brilliantista on all platforms.
01:12:47
Speaker
Most importantly, I hope you heard something today that inspires you to elevate your brilliance. Bye for now, Brilliantista. We'll be back next week.