Finding The Studio
When I first started photography, I had no idea you could rent studios, or that there were fellow photogs who owned studios and had it set up to rent to you. I had always wanted to do a studio session, but never thought much about it since I had no plans of opening a Studio anytime soon.
When I moved to Florida, though, a studio followed me on Instagram. (Hi Studio St. Pete) Their studio was filled with colorful props, bright walls, and the cutest green chair. Renting the studio was still just a dream, though. I was barely charging anything for photos, had no idea how to realize my worth, and thought, how am I supposed to charge my rate, well also charging for a studio fee? Welp, a year since I moved to Florida, and I still can't find my self worth! I posted a model call and asked that whoever wanted photos done, to please, please, please pay the studio fee (I also just had a baby, so like, please! They are expensive!)
Can I be a branding photographer?
There are so many different types of photography I want to do. I want to so badly be a branding photographer, I also want to be a senior portraits photographer, and I definitely want to be a wedding photographer. Here's your reminder you can do it all, I promise! Kelsey (@blondebykels) reached out with inspo for the cutest branding session. It could have been the worst idea I've ever heard, either way, I said yes. I am definitely not scared to do free shoots, I am always offering discounted sessions and am also open to creative ideas any day of the week. I definitely think this is the mindset you need to have, especially when starting out in photography. Even a few years in, I still am open to everything. I have no idea if I will like branding photography until I do it! I had no idea if I even liked wedding photography until I did it, for free, three times. Yes, I like it.
Let me get back on track.
I booked the session with kelsey, then booked the studio, then stayed up at night counting down the seconds until I got to do it. Long story short, I love it. I LOVE IT. I had so much fun, it was also so easy! There is so much room for creative freedom, probs to work with, furniture to move around. Don't get me wrong I love a good field, but now, I also love a good studio. We won't talk about the fact that I could not figure out how to use the flash, but in my opinion, I prefer natural light anyways ;).
Post Production
Kelsey and I spent an hour in the studio, and finally said our goodbyes before I got locked in there after my session time. I got home, immediately uploaded the photos, and realized I took over a thousand pictures. Spray and pray!
I will be honest, I did not cull through the photos to pic the best one. I looked at every single photo, and attempted to edit it (mainly because I actually loved every single one). I got the gallery done and proofed in a day. ONE SINGULAR DAY. It is important to note here that the same day I had this shoot, my family, including my 2 month old, hit the road to spend the afternoon at Disney, so I did have some quite time in the backseat. Just me, my baby, and my MacBook (adding this in so there is not an expectation that all gallery's will now be delivered in one singular day, these circumstances were magical, haha, get it, because I was driving to Disney). At the end of the day, literally, I sent the Gallery, Kelsey loved them, and I proceeded to add them to my portfolio, make a million tiktoks with them (kay.newton.photog), and post a reel on insta with behind then scenes footage. Less than a week later and here I am! Writing this blog post, and having a hard time getting to the bottom line-which is- I now offer branding sessions, and I will slay your pictures!
