1. what has been the hardest thing about starting a photography business?

wow…oh where do i even begin!! what has NOT been hard! in all honesty i have been extremely lucky in that i have many mentors and friends that have supported me and helped me along the way. but if i had to choose, i would say the hardest things would be broken down into these categories: knowledge, money and time.

knowledge because how do you know what you are supposed to know if you don’t know you are supposed to know  it? i would discover something new and be like- uhhh was i supposed to be doing that??? how in the world is someone supposed to know to learn these things if no one tells them!

money because i made a commitment to myself and my husband that i would not go into debt over this. i know many photographers that put all their start up costs on a credit card and where able to pay it off over time. i was way too scared to do that because…lets face it…what if it didn’t work? so i started out with 1 camera and renting a lot of equipment (i still rent some!). everytime i do a session, i buy more. many people don’t realize how much money goes into it. i have probably already invested close to $15,000 and i am nowhere near done! now i feel more confident that the money will come,  but even today i still struggle with this one.

time because there is just not enough hours in a day. i have a “real” full time job, plus my “photography” full time job. oh yeah and i’m supposed to spend time with my husband, clean the house, workout, cook, have fun with my girlfriends, and look hot while doing it all? umm…WRONG! truth be told most days i am up at 6am and on the computer editing, go to my “other” job at 8am, get home by 6pm, eat dinner and am back on the computer by 8pm, and edit until it’s time for bed. weekends are spent shooting or editing, making slideshows, blogging…etc…the balance is overwhelming because (as previously mentioned) i am not in the position to quit my other job. there have literally been mornings where i ask myself….to shower? or to edit???..hahaha i wish i could say that was a lie but i promised i would be honest!

2. what are the best parts of your business?

not sure if this question is meant for the photography industry in general or specifically astridphotography so i’ll answer both.

i think the best part about the photography business is pretty obvious. you get to witness the most intimate, special, important days of people’s lives. or spend a day with a family knowing that one day…someday…they will look back and will not be able to believe how little their kids where…their funny faces…the clothes they wore….their old house with that ugly yellow couch. i just think that is the neatest thing to be able to give that gift.

i think the best thing  about my personal business is that i pour my heart into it and because of this my clients are confident that they are getting the best of me and my photography. though my crazy personality could surely scare some brides away, i have yet to have a bride and groom that i do not absolutely adore and love and want to take home with me in my pocket :)

3. have you done any projects for The Littlest Heroes yet?

the answer to that is no! i actually just got my application accepted into that organization a couple months ago so i have not been contacted yet for a session- i will be sure to post it on the blog when i do though :)

4. what are your favorite photoshop techniques and what website do you like best for tutorials?

actually…i am not much of a photoshop person.  i use it mostly for stamping my logo on images….or sometimes if i want to have a little more fun than usual i will play around. in general if i am using photoshop, i will work with the basic tools such as curves, contrast, saturation, white balance, and the clone/stamp tool.

as far as tutorials, i learn best from practicing and watching so i wish i had more to give you. however i will say that The Pioneer Woman has great tutorials on her blog that have great information for those wanting to learn more about photography.

5. what is your favorite kind of cheese?

oh god. this may be the hardest question so far. i don’t think i can do it….parmesan, cheddar, brie, feta, goat, gouda, mozzerella, blue…..i love them alll….okay i’m going to try….brie….goat….brie….goat….uhhhh….brie!! (i think?)

6. what is your favorite thing about photography?

one of my favorite memories, was when i was showing the slideshow i made of this little girl to her mom (who will remain nameless :-) ) a few seconds into the slideshow, i hear a sniffle.  i look over and tears are streaming down her cheeks and her face is all red. keep in mind that i have known this woman for many many years even before she had a little girl…and i have never, ever ever ever seen her cry. it totally caught me off guard but it’s moments like that that stick with me and remind me why i love it in the first place. the power of emotion that photography has is my favorite thing about it.

7. what has been your favorite session ever?

wow. that is a good question. i think i love different sessions for different reasons. i tried to narrow it down but i just couldn’t. so i would say i have 4 all time favorite sessions so far…

the first one is melissa + trey….this was my first experience attending a wedding as a vendor and not a guest. to this day, when i think of that wedding i smile. it was just so much fun- i remember thinking- i NEED this to be my job! it was a 12 hour day that felt like 1 hour…and the next day i could barely move any of my muscles out of soreness. but that wedding confirmed for me that i wanted to shoot weddings.

the second one is jaimie + chad. this wedding was many firsts for me, and i still get chills thinking about it. i actually started crying when jaimie walked down the aisle. my nerves and excitement get to me every time! there are no words to explain what was going through my mind the moment that music started playing.

the third one is my baby girl hayden. i consider this one of my favorites because i literally fell in love with her all over again going through the images when i got home. some of my absolute pictures of all time came from this session….and i look at her and just want to EAT her. i think part of the reason was because- i didn’t feel like i was working- i was literally just playing and spending time with her- and she was comfortable enough to just ignore the camera. love love love love love her.

and my last one is a very recent one- ruth + ken. this was a blizzard wedding in which uncontrollable circumstances caused these 2 to cancel all their previous wedding plans, and just get married…right there, right then. in the middle of a blizzard. how many people can say they said their vows during a blizzard? it was the most romantic ceremony i’ve seen with just the bride and groom plus one witness. kristi and i laughed till our stomachs hurt….LITERALLY running around with snow falling heavily all over us, and taking pictures in 3 ft of snow! we were the only crazy ones running around outside and i loved every minute of it.

well that is it! thanks to everyone who asked questions! i actually really enjoyed that- it’s nice to reflect back sometimes.

                                                                  “when you think that you have dreamed big….dream bigger.”