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There are many differing opinions out there on what is appropriate for “my type” of photographers. Should they charge? Should they have a website? Are they ruining the industry? Should they just go away? Should they define and label themselves publicly as “hobbyist” photographers so as not to lead potential clients on?
And I of course, have my own opinion.
There are many reasons why I don’t own a photography business.
The short answer = Running a photography business completely ruined my love of photography. I didn’t have the time. I didn’t have the desire. I have four kids, a husband in school and a brain that leans completely to the right. (see image below)
I had to come to terms that right now, in my life, is not the right time for me to be trying to run a business. Maybe someday. But not now. It has been over two years since I stopped my business and the last two years have been bliss!
That however, has no bearing on my love of photography. On my desire to take pictures every day of my life. And not only to take pictures, but to SHARE them with everyone.
I want to share my work in the simplest, but most professional way I can.
Why does it matter? Why do I need a fanpage? Why do I NEED a professional website? Why do I need a photography blog?
Photography is not just something to pass the time or hobby for me. It is a passion. It is completely 100% a part of who I am.
Whether I run a business or not. And if this offends you…..ummmm sorry?
BUT there is a reason for this post. And that is, today I am sharing my new online portfolio.
It is simple and basic. Exactly what I wanted my portfolio to be.
And, I want to share it with YOU!
Introducing….
And to celebrate I am giving away 1 BLOG YOUR ART TEMPLATE SETS to 5 lucky readers.
Simply comment below and tell me why photography is special to you and I will pick my favorite 5 answers ♥
Thanks for looking!
♥ be
**I also want to say I am not opposed to charging money and lots of it for photography. I honestly DO think if you are going to run a business, make it worth your while. There are many costs including TIME and charging a good amount is not wrong!!!**
Kim - Sometimes I forget you don’t ‘work’ anymore. I love you. I love your art. You inspire me greatly. Thank you for being you and never backing down.
Jess - Love your portfolio Becky! I LOVE your theory and your thoughts on how you do things. I need to share you on my blog soon. I’ll be emailing you
hugs!!!
Ginger - Oh Film. I adore film. I MISS film. SO much. Fantastic portfolio! And your babies. just lovely. I love bellies and those little peeks make my heart go pitter patter. I have so many shots similar of my own babies. Thanks, i really enjoyed seeing your work today!!
-Ginger
Julie Rivera - I can’t seem to stop the tears. I am constantly amazed at the Lord’s perfect timing, bringing your post to me, just a I ask myself the same questions about maintaining a business. You are a beautiful woman, an inspiration and you do indeed create art, whether for sale or self fulfillment. I shall always be impressed.
Megan - I am definitely one of those photographers that other “real” photographers hate. I sell digital images, I refuse to make people pay for prints they can get for 10 cents at Target. I’d rather they walk away with images they love and will share and will cherish than an empty wallet. The expression is “A picture is worth a thousand words” not “…a thousand dollars.” Ok, I think this was off topic, but it’s been on my mind.
Rich Demanowski - Just because you don’t charge, or make your living at photography, doesn’t mean it’s not work.
Making personal art is the most excruciating work of all. Sometimes it just doesn’t feel that way, because we love it so much.
I’m very blessed to have found the right balance. I’m managing to get the bills paid and put food on the table, doing that which I most love to do, making the art I most want to make.
Sure, I could make more by shooting weddings, shooting in color, or doing “traditional” studio portraits. I tried that. It didn’t work for me, for much the same reasons it didn’t work for you, Becky.
If you’re happy where you are, that’s all that matters. Don’t sacrifice who you are, just because someone else has a problem with it.
Dawn Shiree - Wow. You have no idea how liberating it is to read this post. I love photography because I love life. To be more exact, I love my life. And I want to remember it. Seriously… I have a terrible memory. Every childhood memory I cherish is connected to a still image that someone captured for me. When I see a picture, the details come flooding back but without the pictures to help my mind navigate to the memories… I have nothing. So I am desperately trying to preserve all that is precious about today. So that tomorrow I can remember. If someday I am good enough to help others preserve their memories too… well, we’ll see. But until then I am Dawn… a non business, shoot what I hold dear, shoot what inspires me, shoot for fun, and share it with others online photographer. Nice to meet you.
Oana Adriana - Photography is life at its greatest and at it’s worst. It’s not just about catching the beautiful images when a child is born, or of a couple getting married, or even a family shoot, it’s about all that and all the in between. Dads tears as he watches his little girl grow right before his eyes, the gap toothed grins of a one year old learning to walk, an eight year old showing off his first A proudly or learning to tie his shoes. Life is magic! Life is art! Art is photography and I love it so!! <3
Julie Gayler - Photography is special to me because it is the way I focus on the positives in my life. There have been so many challenges, and so many negative things in my life, including abuse and getting caught up in the wrong things… Photography is a way to freeze the beautiful, the amazing, the meaningful, and the highlights of life worth holding onto. Later, when I glimpse those things I am wrapped in God’s love once again and I remember how blessed I am to have held those moments. My art is a perfect picture of a feeling and an emotion…and I’m so thankful for you asking that question because I have not had to really answer before! Blessings, Julie.
Anna-Leigh - I admire your film work so much. I love to shoot film for my personal work, but shoot digital for the few clients I have. I think photography has been a part of my existence for as long as I can remember. I started a blog this year to document our family and to use as motivation for the projects I undertake. And of course photography is a huge part of that…I got to thinking the other day that I must be a neurotic picture taker because I’m afraid there will come a time I will forget it all. But the pictures will always be there
tracey - I love this. I love your words and I love your heart. It is soooooo refreshing to see someone do this. I did this over this last year. After two years of struggling to be what I thought I should be (professional photog–bc, you know, I take pretty pictures…) I finally did what I knew in my heart all along I wanted to do–and that was just create a space to be ME and display my ART and CREATE. People still ask me to take pictures of their family and kids and I still take a client here and there (for a good amount of money) but it’s not my passion to be some famous photog with lots of FB fans and a webcast, etc. I know it’s not “good business” to do what I ‘m doing, but I don’t care. Being and doing exactly what I want to be gives me the most peace. So, kuddos to you! And so glad I stumbled upon your site. You rock!
T
heidi - business or not, I love your work which is why your blog is in my feeder
thanks for sharing.
Aileen - Dear Becky Earl, Though I have only recently been introduced to your work via Yan, I love you. Great post, and even after weeks now, I had no idea you didn’t have a business. And I love your reason for not having a business. And I completely relate as I struggle with this on a daily basis. So, I’ve decided (since just before the summer) to run my business like I don’t have a business. Say what? I shoot what I want. I book clients only if I feel like it. If I don’t like you (you know, you’re pushy), I don’t become your photographer. I’ll lower my prices for really kind people. I want more kind people in my life. People who write me a “Thank you, but we can’t afford you” note get a complete reduction in price just for being NICE. I love photography and don’t ever want to hate it or cringe when I pick up my camera or go begrudgingly to a shoot. I want to smile always behind my camera; I want to search for THAT shot and feel it inside when I get it; I want to talk to the people I’m shooting and have my camera down more than it’s up, so that when it is up, I know exactly what I’m going for and I.get.it. I am not great in business, and sometimes I suck so bad that I probably shouldn’t even have a business (oh, the images took too long to get to you, I’m sorry, I have 4 kids, and life overwhelms me sometimes, here’s a CD of all the images), but I’m doing what I want, when I want, and I’m smiling. And I’m nice too.
Maryanne Gobble Photography - Yes! I just moved to a new state and dropped the portrait business side of photography. Now I’m in love again with art and light and my family always surrounding me. I am convinced there is a season for everything under the sun and to cultivate a passion will never be in vain.
Photos are how I write love letters to my spouse, how I highlight the handiwork of our creator to my kids. We hike, explore, push the limits, delight in details and it’s become this inclusive group experience.
A few days ago we listened to the wind while the sun set and the bats came out from the trees. Everyone wanted to know why I came without the camera! My heart sang to realize photography is not longer a burden but a treasured part of my family’s life.
Jacalyn Anderson - I love photography because it can capture a moment in a single “click”. I have pictures of my boys on my kitchen wall and I love to look at all the pictures because it reminds me how fast time flies and of days gone by.
Stephanie gallagher - I love this post. I’ve always taken pictures and have always enjoyed. I just recently started editing my photos and bring more life to them (I feel like they have always had some life to them). The minute everyone (my family) seen what I can do they have been sucking the fun right out of it for me! For awhile they were really stressing me out, “get a website” “charge more” “bussiness cards” “promote promote!l” I even got “you need to name your business something more generic like the other studios”. Finally I had enough, I told them I’ll do this my way on my own time line. I’m not a studio tht sits your kid down and shoots a picture. I like to photograph the things studios don’t! How many pictures do people have of their kids sitting there and smiling? How many do you have of your children looking up a hill with determination and motivation. I want to capture that look and when you look at that photograph 20 years from now you’ll remember that look, that personality, that character, and you’ll be amazed at the grown adult they have become in a blink of an eye! Maybe you’ll even see that same look in thier children! That’s why photography is important to me! It’s not about websites and business cards it’s about life and art.
Bobbie Brown - I take pictures because I love the satisfaction of capturing the moment, the light, the shot. I love to hear the click of my camera, and the feeling that I got it. It is rewarding
Love your art and your new portfolio!
take a look. « Heather Whitten Photography | {the blog} - [...] this post from Becky [...]
Misty - I’ve always loved your work it’s so nice to see such beautiful film images these days! Photography is special to me because it’s always been my way to be completely happy, if I was ever upset about something or had a lot of my mind I would get in my car and take a ride down some road I’ve never driven on before and find things to photograph and before I knew it I was in a good mood and felt better about whatever was bothering me. I really miss being able to do that but hopefully once we move I’ll be able to once again
Beth - How do I put it into words? Praise the Lord you’re out there, doing what you do and saying what you say. I’m more inspired by your outlook on all this than anyone else I can name right now. For the love of art, keep on keepin’ on.
sandra bludau - You are so freakin cool. ; ) LOOVE your portfolio!
bonnie - love this post. i am completely right brained as well. i love that image of left vr. right brained. before i ever picked up a camera, i was a painter. i have always loved art and creating. now that i am a mom (of 4, like you) things are pretty busy around here. no more time to make art, i thought. then i realized my kids are my “art” right now. and then i discovered lifestyle photography and just fell in love. i could photograph and capture the art of my family. i have been following your blog since you were doing photography as a business and you are such an inspiration. your passion is so honest, your photos are so honest. they are most certainly art and some of the most beautiful art i have seen. thanks so much for sharing. keep the photos coming!
stephanie T - I don’t know that this is really answering your question, but I just want to say thank you for not being afraid to embrace the passion without feeling like you have to fit into a mold. I have yet to figure it all out. I love photography, I can’t get away from it, I think about it all the time. Yet somehow I feel like I am lost in that “safe” space, that place where I give clients what the want and don’t take chances and try new things, things that produce those pictures that stop you in your tracks and make you want to look again. Those small moments captured that scream “this is real life and it is beautiful” so thank you for inspiring me every time I come to your blog. Maybe stepping away from it for a while is the answer or perhaps maybe it’s taking a chance and trying something new, I have yet to figure out what the answer for me is, but I am grateful you embrace yours and aren’t afraid to share it.
Erika Newhouse - I feel the same way. I have always loved photography and have done it as a hobby forever. So many people tell me I should do it professionally, but I’m scared it will take the joy away from it. I originally shot pictures of kids playing sports and I would share the images with the families and give them something to enjoy. It was wonderful to see them excited about the “real” images I had caught of their children. Once I started shooting as a business, it soon felt like work, instead of something I was willfully creating with love. I am an observer and I can find beauty and creativity in almost anything. I constantly see my world in snapshots. My gift that I can offer to people is a chance to capture moments that they never knew existed. I’m offering them a look back into time of a moment they missed. That is why I love photography. I love the simple art of it’s surprise and true emotion.
jhoanna - I love photography because it let’s me remember a time that can never be relieved and sometimes forgotten.
Nancy - Oh my gosh Becky. LOVED this post. It is exactly where I think I am. Not ready for business but I HAVE to have my camera in my hands. Photography is my little yellow pill. My happy place. It fills my soul and completes me!
Hannah - I love your website, your art, and this post- because there is truly no wrong way to be a photographer or an artist. Photography is special to me because it allows me to express the unique way I see the world, and gives me a freedom to be completely who I am while I’m shooting. A piece of my soul is in every frame- I am my art; it is me.
Danielle - First, thanks for this refreshing post. I have sooo much to learn about photography but get asked why I don’t charge money. There are so many answers to that, but mostly it comes down to: I don’t want to. So it is always nice to hear a true artist share her opinion on why she chooses to just enjoy the craft.
This is turning into a very long comment.
I have two reasons photography is special to me. The first reason is I have a TERRIBLE memory. Terrible. But if I have a picture from some past event, the smells and sounds and little details of that event come back to me clearly. For this reason, photography is a vital part of my existence. My memories hinge on these still frames of my past. The second reason is even harder to explain. I feel like sometimes my everyday inside is just small. Happy, but small. But when I see a photograph that I truly consider art, it is honestly like my inside, my soul… whatever you want to call it… expands. It touches some part of me that few things reach.
And that’s the end of my novel.
Annie - Couldn’t have agreed with you more
Rebecca Robson - When I pick up a camera “I” turn on. There’s no real awesome way to describe it – I feel totally alive, totally in the moment and incredibly free. Seriously…I’m a different person when I have a camera up to my face – and I feel at ‘peace’ about what I’m doing when I’m taking photos. I would like to make photography my ‘job’, but I just keep doing it for free because I just want to shoot! I was only introduced to photography at the beginning of this year and am so hungry to learn everything about it – minus all the rules! I love to capture truth – and to do it with the voice that God has given ME. So many people inspire me, but I do not want to be them. We all have to do what is ‘right’ for us and it is not for anyone else to decide what that is. Your post is testament to that – you don’t have to be making money to be able to bless and encourage and inspire and teach others.
Jessica - For the last year, I have been building my portfolio and working to build my own photography business. And what I came to realize, just yesterday actually, is that thinking about charging people seems to have taken the joy away for me. Because, charging people makes me worry about whether they will “like” what I have made for them. Will they be happy? Will they not like them enough? The stress has taken the fun away. I wanted to start a photography business so that I could make money doing something I love. Now I feel like I would rather do something I love and give it away free. Then, if they like it great, but if they don’t, there is no stress or hard feelings either way. Thank you so much for this post. Maybe just doing what I love and sharing it with the people I love is what I should be doing.
Nicki - I started my “maternity leave” from photography around this time last year. My daughter is now 10 months old and although I have slowly got back into shooting for clients again, I still feel like my heart isn’t in it. And that’s not fair to my clients. Maternity leave was a welcome break for me. I was incredibly burned out and thought a year off would do my soul good. But I don’t think it was long enough. I feel frustrated that I don’t have time to getting my own images organized, printed, and shared with my family. My children are my most beautiful subjects and I want to share them with the world, but I don’t have time. I was first introduced to your blog following your decision to stop doing photography as a business and I remember being so inspired by your decision. Thank you for inspiring me once again. I think more time off is just what I need. And if I never get back to shooting professionally, that’s okay, too.
Keilah Engstrom - Oh wow… what an awesome post! Thank you, Becky!
I have been following your work for a while, and I must say you are my favorite photographer. Your work is amazing. Love. Love. Love.
But, I have to talk about me? *whine*
Well, if it means I can get my hands on some of your gorgeous templates? Then heck yeah!
(Smile)
I have never thought of myself as an artist. That is, until I picked up my family’s P&S camera when I was 15. Since then, I have gone through my share of cameras, but one thing has stayed the same: My love for the art. Yes, the art. I am an artist!
But why do I love it? Why is it special to me?
Because it is how I see life. I see something beautiful, and I photograph it. I see something though my lens, and I live it.
Being a photographer is not easy, but then again, it is not a choice. I must live in this beautiful world! And thank God that I can!
<3
Aubrey P - I didn’t even know you were feeling this way. Your work has always inspired me. I LOVE that you do it for you. I take pictures for me. It feels impossible to give somebody else something that’s not yours. I’ve always felt that your work is all yours. You’re inspiring. You do hard things. and you make me want to be better. I love photography because I feel like I’m creating (a god given attribute) with the things that are most precious to me, my children. (also God given.) Simple is better. Their expressions are what count in my book and I want to cherish them forever.
Linda Whitaker - Just checked out your portfolio! It’s BEAUTIFUL! Love it all.
Saralyn - Photography is about pausing a moment in time and saving it forever. It’s a way of telling stories and capturing emotions and storing memories. Photography, to me, is about looking through a different lens than I normally do so that I can appreciate the beauty I too often miss as I fly on by through life. I take picture so that I can always have tangible evidence to look at of God’s creativity and art all around me. But I don’t just want to take pictures. I want to give pictures, because the joy of a photo is only fully experienced when it’s shared with another. Thank you for sharing your joy with us!
Julie - I don’t know how I stumbled across your blog today, but WOW did I need it! Thank you!! You hit it right on the head, the way I feel about business and how doing what I love is more important, than trying to please someone else. I LOVE, yes absolutely LOVE photography. It can capture in an instant, what will soon be forgotten in a busy world. A photograph takes you right back to the memory of that instant, the smells and smiles, the warm sun or the cold rain. It lets you remember your life.
Laura Stiller - I love your honesty because I feel like this “trying to start a business” thing is killing my love of photography – or at least making it very sterile. I LOVE photography because it captures those everyday, normal, even mundane moments with my family that I want to treasure FOREVER!
Jessica - What a beautiful way to share your art. I love your portfolio, and all your images. Your art has always stood out to me and I am so glad that you share it with everyone around you. Thank you for inspiring me!
rychelle - i, for one, am thrilled you continue to share your talent here. what you have done with photography, is what i want to do with phototgraphy – allow it to capture moments in my life that are meaningful. photography should be personal. and, i think that’s what makes yours so intriguing and inspiring. thank you for what you do.
Courtney - photography is special to me because it preserves my favorite little moments. i constantly surprise myself with how much i love those imperfect images that just show emotion and love, especially love. those photos are some of the most treasured memories and keepsakes. priceless.
Amanda @ Click. The Good News - Just wanted to say I share the same feelings! I adore my camera and am borderline obsessive about documenting life and making people feel beautiful on the other side of the lens.. That graphic is gorgeous- thanks for sharing. Congrats on the new portfolio
Nicole - Photography has not only become a creative outlet, or the one thing (besides all the important stuff) that alma and I have in common, it is about preservation. In that, when all is said & done in this life, very few things are kept and reminisced upon. But photographs literally stand the test of time. Having had some of my family pass, photographs are invaluable. Good photographs are priceless. There have been times in my life that were hard. But being able to look back at the memories in a palpable form (photos) is what it’s all about for me. I will cherish the pictures I have of my sweet boys in the NICU because of the life’s lessons that come along with them. Plus, they’re just great pictures
Kelly Robison - As a photographer, I tend to see the world and life differently than others. To me, even the most normal objects can be beautiful and unique. When life is seen through the lens of a camera, it becomes something intimate and special. Photography captures moments, emotions and memories. It helps us to actually see the world and all of the amazing things in it, rather than just looking and seeing nothing.
When I am taking photographs, I become absorbed in the present, in that moment. I no longer think about everything that needs to be done that day or worry about life. For just a moment, I become one with what I am photographing. We seem to speak a secret language that no one else can hear.
To me, there are endless possibilities and the world is my canvas. I shoot with both digital and vintage film cameras. Shooting with a vintage camera takes you into an entirely different realm. You create images that are dreamy, soft and framed with vignetting. I enjoy shooting both 35mm and medium format. I like to use new and expired film. Shooting the frame on the sprockets of the film is one of my favorites.
For as long as I can remember, I have loved anything that has to do with photography. It is my passion and a huge part of my life.
Jeanette Verster - I take my hat off to you. I really do. And LOVE that last statement btw about charging lots for it!
I love love love your photography. Please don’t stop sharing
Stephanie Snyder - Photography is also my life and passion! It allows me to be vulnerable. It allows me to share my life with others, and help others share their lives. It preserves the most beautiful moments of our life beyond a fleeting memory.
toni raper - I’m a little late with commenting but had to say Becky Earl Dot Com is simplistic understated beauty! As for the rest, I’m like you (well not as good as you of course hehe) and I say it’s our Art and we’ll blog if we want to!x
Laura Reaux - The site looks great, Becky! And I’m such a fan of your… art!
xoxo
Holly - Couldn’t love this more. Really. When someone knows who they are and lives that out fully (like you), it is an inspiring thing to see. Thanks for lighting the path.
heidi - How did I miss this?!!! You said so perfectly what I feel in re to the hobbyist sharing her work online…love how you put it…totally agree, right there with ya.
LOVE your work-what a pity it would be to NOT share it. TFS!!! :heart
Sonja Dyck - For starters, I love this post. I’m a pure hobbyist, and when I picked up the camera last year and started diving into a love with photography, I can literally say that part of me came awake again that had been asleep for so long. I think I’d been ignoring my right brain strength and I started feeling less like the real me. I’m so glad to be back and feeling the creative side of me again.
However, as a hobbyist, I somehow feel this irrational need to constantly tell people “oh, I JUST do photography for fun. Part of me thinks it’s a defense mechanism for myself. If I put that out there, then nobody should feel the need to criticize my photos. But that “JUST a hobby” fact right now is what’s fueling my creativity. If I love it enough to obsess over it for ME, I know that’s true love of the art form.
I love your work. I love the pure emotion you capture, your creative composition, and your post-processing; especially black and white! Thanks for this post!
Julie - I feel the same way! I just don’t want a photography business right now but I still love to take photos and share them.
Kari - Photography is important to me because I want to capture the day to day life of my son, husband and family—to preserve memories that will last a life time and one day be passed to my children and theirs!