K

***All images in this post are copyright Kate Benson***

NEXT WEEK:  Angie Monson

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

Make sure to check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

KATE:

Kate, I have known you for a few years now.  You just had a baby, you now have three kids, you made the big switch from film to digital, and you have a successful business and happy life.   Every time I get to talk to you I always come away thinking, "I love that Kate Benson!" Thanks so much for being here on Women and Business.

How long have you been in business?Did you already have children when you decided to go into business?

I have always been interested in photography since I was a child but never considered it as a profession. In high school, I distinctly remember a friendwho wastaking a photography class and I thought it was so cool... I thought he was so cool for being a "photographer", ha ha. For some reason I thought photography was too elite for me... how silly is that? I finally stepped into the world of photographywhile attendingcollege in 1997. I took the three courses available at the time and was hooked. Up to that point nothing in my life felt as satisfying as taking pictures... I had found my calling.I transferred to BrighamYoung Universitywith a little scholarship they offered me for their photo program and almost got my bachelors degree in fine arts, minusa coupleleft brained math credits four months after having my first child in 2002.

I knew photography was what I was going to do for the rest of my life and had an epiphanyafterhavingElla thatphotography was the perfect fit for having the kind of profession I wantedwhile stillmaintainingmotherhood... bonus! Well actually I would have loved to have become a journalistic photographer but I knew family would always have been on the back burner so I had to choose something that would let me be creative yetgive us financial stability... WEDDING photography!... which was so taboo at the time.

Looking back, I am SO incredibly grateful I got my education in photography when digital was not yet mainstream. I HAD to know exposure, I HAD to know the relationship between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, I HAD to know light... If you didn't nail it in camera there wasn't much you could do about it. You would taketheshot and have to wait three days to getyour results then match your notes (what you were trying to accomplish) to the photograph to be able to improve. The thinking of shoot now, fix later was NEVER in our heads, we were taught to take 10 more seconds and make it right in camera or don't take the shot at all. For what I learned from my time at UVSC and BYU, I will forever be grateful.

What was the process you went through to get things running smoothly?

Oh boy... a whole lot of trial and error, and just when I thought I knew what I was doing, I switched to digital, then switched back to film, then back to digital... I went through the crazies quite a lot. The learning curve of digital photography nearly did me in, nothing that I was used to doing in a film camera looked "right" digitally, i.e..skin tones, focus, sharpness, exposure, etc.Finallyafter a LONG period of practice, practice, practice, I finally got my jive down, but it was a good2 yearsuntil I could saymy photography was acceptable.As for the business side of it... I'm still learning. It's really unfortunate that the "business" part isn't stressed more,especially in oureducation system. I went four years being taught how to take pictures but nothowto turn a profit. It was like they were saying"create, create, create", then leaving you to fail in the end. I still struggle with this, I'm just not good with numbers, or calculations... that's when CPA's come in handy.

You have two girls and just had a new baby. How did you juggle being pregnant and running your business, taking/turning down photo shoots, and maternity leave? How did you address your clients’ expectations through this process?

I planned my last pregnancy around my slow time (winter months), andmy girls being old enough to do some things for themselves. But believe meI had many days (still do) where my girls were/are pretty much neglected... Yay for the Disney channel and forour craft cupboard. Running a legit business can be tough when you're also afull time mom. You have to learnto say "no" to things you once thought wereso important, you have to learn to prioritize, you have to learn time management, you have to learn to be efficient, etc. Luckily my husband happily helps out when it's needed, that is when he's around... he works too.

Beck was due at the end of September 2008 so I stopped taking clients for that month. I was going to give myself a full 6 week recovery before going back but that was in the middle of October and that's my busiest time for family pictures, so it was more like 2.5 weeks. If anyone knows me, I'm a work horse when I'm hired to take pictures... if clients are going to pay me, I'm going to give them 110%. I let my clients knowI was pregnant but that it was not going to slow me down... I'd still lay down on my tummy, well side, if I had too.

What do you think are the most important things you do as a mom every day?

Remember that being a mom isthe most important job Ihave, especially right now since my kiddies are so young and I try everyday to have one on one time with each of my girls... unfortunatelyit sometimes doesn't happen though. With Claire it's through out day while Ella is at school... little snippets of time when she calls for me or when I can break away for 15 minutes or so. With Ella it's right when she comes home, I'll make her a snack and we'll chat about what she did at school, how she feels, if she's happy or sad, then we'll do homework together. I try to get the bulk of my work done during the day like e-mails, ordering, errands, etc. so I can spend quality time with my family in the evening. My house is NEVER picked up until I start around 4:00 p.m., nor am Ishowered before that time. Then you throw a breast feeding infant in the mix and let's just saythe baby get's lots of quality time with mom. It's also very important for me to prepare a healthy meal so that we may sit down as a family for dinner and bond at least 5 days a week. I also bathe and put my girls to bed every night with a song.Another thing I do every night and think is imperative for my relationship with my husband is put him to bed.We'll snuggle and chat until he falls asleep then I'll get back up to edit or design albums until about 2:00 a.m.,but not every night thank goodness... Mountain Dew to the rescue.

What do you think are the top three things you must do as a business woman every day?

1. Keep up on e-mails and voicemails.

2. Make a list for the day and STICK TO IT. It's SO hard for me to stay focused on one task, I get distracted way too easy.

3.Review my goals that I've made for myself and my business to see if I'm in check and if I need to make adjustments.

What three products or things help you stay organized?

1. My blackberry with unlimited data.

2. An 8x10physical calendar that has tabs for every month. It's fast, convenient and accessible.I can't schedule my appointments on my phone or computer, I'll forget to look.

3.Lists, lists, and more lists.

With so many things on your plate, what do you do to market your business? How does that fit into your busy schedule?

In the past Idumped a lot of money into advertising locally; phone books, magazines,local online wedding services, etc. I found that it didn't pull in the clientele like I thought it would, so I stopped. I am currently linked with a couple of clever, brilliant and sophisticated national wedding service websites like Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings and The Wedding Chicks.

It's definitely tuff to market your business when you're raising a young family. Sometimes I would LOVE to hire a nanny and take my business by the horns and go full time, but I have to remind myself that I chose to be a mother first and that I would be my kids mom. I have to tell you though, sometimes it's really hard to stick by that choice. I always think to myself "what would it be like to have 8 hours of uninterrupted work 5 days a week?"

What 5 tips do you have for women to help them maintain a balance in their lives between everything they have to do?

1.Gain perspective. In the long run, isit going to matter? If not,don't worry aboutit (like the dirty dishes).

2. Make room for yourself everyday.

3. RELAX and laugh... a lot.

4. Have a "go to" friend.

5. Don't have a competitive mind, there is enough for everyone.

Is there anything you wish you would have done differently over the years as a mom/business woman? If so, what? And what did you learn through those experiences?

Yes of course! Unfortunately it's all in hindsight, HA! For the business side it wasspending more than I was bringing in. I thought I needed the newest computer program, or the latest gadget. Money lost on advertising. Spending too much time trying to figure things out on my own. Not asking for help.Spending too much time on theinternet and checking my e-mails every ten minutes.Not being able to confront. Finishing what I started...how much time do you have?

I've learned that I have to stick to my gut and not let my head get carried away by the latest fad. There's a fine line in knowing what works and sticking toit,butat the same timebeing open and willing to try new things with in reason. I'm still learning.

Are there times that you feel overwhelmed? What do you do?

Are you kidding? Davina, what kind of question is this?Haha, no really, overwhelmed is my middle name, didn't you know? Yes, yes, yes I feel overwhelmed 90% if the time. I think mostly it's because the wheels in my head never slow down. I'm on "go mode" the moment I open my eyes until I fall asleep. I go through the day trying to consolidate as much as possible, but like I said before, I get sidetracked much too easy because there is ALWAYS something to do, or something I want to do.

I try to prioritize as much as possible, but gosh dang it, sometimes I have to stop what I'm doing and clean the dirty finger prints off the doors and walls, clean up the shredded, soggy toilet paper plastering the bathroom floors, sweep up the never ending dust bunnies collecting in the corners, fold a batch of laundry before my husband divorces me (kidding), finish my various projects laying around the house, pay the bills, dye my graying hair, think about planting a garden, and so on...

We live in an age where time is now more convenient than ever, we are so fortunate to have the world at our finger tips, literally. The problem is, I take advantage ofthese "time savers" and it consumes me. I have stopped my daily blog hopping and limit myself tosocial sites like facebook, twitter, and certain forums that used to take up so much of my valuable time. LIMITATION is the key for me.

To see more of Kate's work:

WEBSITE

BLOG

***All images in this post are copyright Kate Benson***

***All images in this post are copyright Wendy Whitacre***

NEXT WEEK: Kate Benson

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured.  They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

Make sure to check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

How long have you been in business? What was the process you went through to get things running smoothly?

I started Blue Lily 2 years ago. When I started I never planned to go full force- just sort of happened, and it happened fast. I started very small and focused on each individual customer and our relationship, which helped things run real smoothly. I absolutely wasn't worried about things to come... I was focused solely on the NOW and stayed very, very simple.

How many children do you have and what are their ages?

I have two kids, Isaac age 4, and Isabelle, almost 3. They are adorable in every way (except when they fight. Not adorable at all!)

What do you think are the most important things you do as a mom every day?

Saying "I love you" a lot is hands down the most important thing. I also think it's really important for me to get down on the ground at be at my kid's eye level. They also think it's pretty special to be picked up and placed up high so they are at my eye level. I'm not sure if other kids respond to this as well as mine, but my little ones just love to feel like I'm in their world. So no matter what we are doing, I try to be at eye level with them for the best communication. We love to read on the floor together, cook with them on the counter, or do play-doh at the table together.

What do you think are the top three things you must do as a business woman every day?

Number 1, be confident. Without confidence I'd have trouble coming up with new ideas and creativity.

Two, put the client first and treat them like you would your friends. They always end up being good friends in the end anyway! My husband always said, before I started this business, that the "Client is always right". He's a smart guy.

And three, I think it's important that I take time away from the business. Seems contradictory, but if my life was all business I wouldn't enjoy it anymore. By taking time off, it's a treat to go back and get busy.

What three products or things help you stay organized?

Google Calender is amazing. I can access it anywhere!

My iphone is a tremendous help to me too. It serves as a phone, internet, email, and SECURITY BLANKIE. I can't be without this thing for more than 30 minutes without panicking :)

Gmail. I know I've named three electronic things, but I'd be a major flunkie without electronics. I prefer to do business over email in case I forget a detail about a session- do a quick search and my memory is jogged!

You are traveling a lot this year. You have photo sessions scheduled across the country. How did you market this and create such demand for your work in so many different locations? Also, how does this schedule work into your family life? How do your children feel about you traveling so much and what do you do to connect with them while you are on the road? (Sorry for the barrage of questions on this! J I’m in awe at how you’ve set this up and how you execute it while being a mom. I’m intrigued by this schedule!)

The traveling sessions are quite interesting. I am even amazed at how it seems to just work out. I first started to travel because my wonderful clients always linked to me on their blogs, which first brought me to Utah, and then the Utah clients blogged about their sessions, which in turn brought me to Arizona and even across the country. Now the emails and requests come from all over the country and even other countries (which I'm hoping to get started on soon). So, I never really marketed it until it was already going strong. Now I've discovered how much I love to travel and meet new clients and I don't plan on stopping! The traveling works really well. My husband stays home with the kids unless the destination is close enough to drive- then we all pack into the car and go together. I have to say- I don't think my little kids even notice too much when I'm gone. Their daddy is one fun dude, and we spend SO much time together as a family to begin with. My husband now only goes to his office 2.5 days per week, so we're talking GOBS of family time. I do a lot of video chatting when I'm gone, which results in hilarious face making sessions into the cameras. I do get a lot of "how do you do it?" questions, but I like to assure people it's not hard- it's the opportunity of a lifetime.

With such a busy schedule, what do you do to stay inspired and creative?

I have really creative friends and family- which is where I find most, if not all, of my inspiration. I'm surrounded by colorful and interesting folks, and that sort of translates into my work. I also feel it's important to point out that I never know what to expect coming into a session- I like a blank slate so I can adapt to each family or each subject. That really helps the creative process- feeding off the family's personality and dynamics.

Are there times that you feel overwhelmed? What do you do?

The holiday season almost kills me every year. Everybody needs everything asap and it's hard not to overbook. I think this year I'll try and get it right: simplify and get somebody to help me in the office. So far, that's the only time I've felt like I was totally drowning and I'm already brainstorming ideas that will help me out this time around. Thinking ahead has to help, right?!

To see more of her work go to:

WEBSITE

BLOG

***All images in this post are copyright Wendy Whitacre***

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***All images in this post are copyright Carla Ten Eyck***

NEXT WEEK: Wendy Whitacre

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

Carla Ten Eyck:

How long have you been in business? I think you already had children when you decided to go into business, what was the process you went through to get things running smoothly?

I've been in business since about 2003. It started up in between havingmy children- Jackson in 2002 and Georgie in 2004. I say ‘about’ only because it kind of morphed into where I am today, kind of slowly and then all of a sudden it was like WHAM! I have a studio with four employees and two photographers, and I actually make a living shooting! Kind of surreal when I stop and think about it…

So basically it started much like if did for many people I know- I would go to my friend’s weddings and bring my camera, then take some pictures. My friends kept urging me to consider doing this as a living, because they always liked my pictures better than their professionals. But the pressure and stress of not only photographing a wedding (which you can’t do over!) but ON FILM! Was like, no WAY!

But I eventually gave in to the pressure, after realizing that I loved it and that I was good at it. I mean, I took the time to go to school for it (I went to RIT for photojournalism) what was I so scared of?

Flash forward to: me meeting clients in my home, with my toddlers! Then editing in the same room as they were, watching PBS kids, or playing- sometimes they were actually in the chair with me while I worked (Georgie still does this) and I just made it work. They didn’t know any different, to be honest- Mommy always took pictures and then worked on the computer, now it’s just in a prettier space!

We moved into the house I grew up in two years ago after my Mom died and renovated the entire house- turning our crazy big back deck area into my new studio space.

You’ve done a project that spotlights women. Will you tell me more about it? How did you get involved with the project?

I had my ‘A-HA!’ idea for this project back in 2005- I saw a photography project in something that had always intrigued and kind of bothered me my whole life. Why did the more ‘typically beautiful’ women not ever really feel beautiful? Was it that they had a warped idea of what beauty really was? So I thought about it more- what was everyone’s idea of beauty? I came to the question that I then asked women of all ages, shapes, sizes, creeds and colors:

How do you feel most beautiful?

The answers I got back were colorful, simple, funny, and sometimes sad. Some women said they never felt beautiful! I then realized that the project’s strength lay not just in how I photographed their answers, which was a fun photographic problem solving exercise- but in having their written answers be included with the photographs.

After putting the call out to practically every woman I knew, I had a woman respond that she thought there would be a grant for this! Turns out there was, I got it and two years later I had my show opening – ‘See Real Women: Really See Women’ in October 2007.

The whole project (so far, it is still a work in progress) can be seen on Asuka Books’ website –asukabook.com- under the book of the month for 2007.

What do you think are the most important things you do as a mom every day?

Honestly I think it’s to not lose yourself in being just a Mom. I use the word ‘just’ with great care, mind you. The one thing my Mom imparted to me before she died was to have an identity of my own, outside of my children and husband. She never did and while she loved us all fiercely, she really regretted it.

Whatever that is for you, find it and pursue it. It doesn’t have to be an entire career, but even something as small as taking an art class or joining a running group.

What do you think are the top three things you must do as a business woman every day?

Have a schedule, an organized to-do list with deadlines, and lastly- take a break! Go outside and get some fresh air!

What three products or things help you stay organized?

Surrounding myself with positive, organized, do-ers is A#1 on my list- whether they work for you or not is irrelevant! Having these people hold you accountable for what you say you are going to do is something that you can’t measure.

My studio uses ShootQ and we love how it helps us stay on top of our shoots and our new leads and our old leads…. It’s great!

Mobile Me is also the best thing ever- I can add stuff to my calendar remotely and Katie will see it in iCal without me having to tell her that I can’t book a shoot that day or whatever- it saves on a lot of back and forth communication!

OK, one last important thing: we have created Protocol Binders for everything! A general studio one; an Album Design one and an Editing Workflow one! Once we get our workflow down, we write it up and put it in the binder, that way everything is in one place and everyone can access the info to get their jobs done even if I am not in the studio!

With so many things on your plate, what do you do to market your business? How does that fit into your busy schedule?

I make it part of my workflow! Blogging regularly keeps people coming back to my blog.

The packages that I offer also take marketing into consideration. Last year I did guest books for every engagement shoot so that at the wedding reception every guest became familiar with my work.

Then during the reception I do a slide show of my favorite 100-200 images that I shot so far. Referrals from past clients are the number one way I get business.

The second biggest thing is other photographer referrals! In Connecticut we have a BIG, strong group of photographers that get together every month for our PUG meetings (Pictage User Groups) This way you get to know each other as friends in addition to seeing each others work and can refer people that you feel really strongly about.

What plans do you have for your business this year? How will your plans impact your family?

My monthly photography workshop- Ten Eyck Tuesday- has really taken off this year, and I couldn’t be happier! One of our goals this year is to reach a broader audience with it and really market it to everyone- from beginners to pros. Right now I have been getting people just from my blog (which is incredible) and so we are going to do a national push soon! I am also toying around with doing a destination workshop someplace warm…I will keep you posted.

Personally I am planning on branching out more with what I shoot this year. Before when I pretty much did it all I limited myself to only shooting weddings. Now that I have a staff to help, I am shooting more maternity, boudoir and families. I was always scared to do it, to be honest- because I felt like people expected these shoots to be shot a certain way…it was a way that I just did not want to do, and so I never got into it! But now, I shoot these new subjects the way I see them and I am having SO much fun and my clients really love them!

We also took a big business leap and hired an associate photographer, Erik Maziarz! Big only in the fact that I now feel responsible for another person’s work…but he is just such a natural fit for our studio. He is an incredible photographer and has this sense of composition that is just beautiful.

With the addition of Katie, Graham, Dominique and Robin I am hoping that this doesn’t affect my family too much! I decided that hiring people to help me was going to free me up for more time with my family, which is WAY important to me. So this year, even though I have more weddings than last year (we currently have 33 booked so far) I am hoping to have more quality time with my family.

What 5 tips do you have for women to help them maintain a balance in their lives between everything they have to do?

Again, it’s back to the schedule! It’s honestly the one thing that helps me maintain any type of sanity in the balance between work and personal life…

Monday and Tuesday are client meeting nights / shooting days

Wednesday is my night with the kids and Dave’s night out – this is also my networking day- if you want to go out to lunch then this is the day! The rest of the day I am off and the studio is closed.

Thursday is my night out for fun / I can shoot during the day as well

Friday is Date Night with Dave (unless I have a wedding)

Saturday is shooting day

Sunday is Family Day

So that’s basically my 5 things to maintain balance! And it seems to work so far

Are there times that you feel overwhelmed? What do you do?

HECK YES!! A lot of the time I feel overwhelmed but I know that is because that is who I am. Even thought I have all of this help I can’t stop thinking of the next project or new thing I want to work on. I am a very motivated and self driven person, I can’t seem to turn it off! It’s good and bad, but it’s me!

I am going to design and plan my gardens this year, which is something that I find incredibly relaxing.

I am also going to start running again- this was a great stress reliever for me.

Talking to others in the industry is another great way to get it out- I have a great network of people that I can turn to for this.

There’s a really strong community of photographers in Connecticut. How did that come about and develop and how does it help you and your business?

A few years back, Justin and Mary Marantz got the Connecticut PUG going. I attended the second meeting and haven’t looked back! The one downside of running your own business is that it can feel so lonely. Everyone we met up with was feeling the same way and so it just seemed like perfect timing. I made some life long friends in my PUG, and am incredibly thankful for everyone I have met.

I think the one thing that keeps us going is that we are not afraid to share information or to help each other out.

To see more of Carla's work:

Website

***All images in this post are copyright Carla Ten Eyck***

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***All images in this post are copyright Julia and Jeff Woods***

NEXT WEEK: Carla Ten Eyck

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

Davina, I am reading over these questions and am nearly moved to tears! Yes, I get stressed and yes, I get overwhelmed! I am currently working through both. I know that as wives, mothers, and business woman we all deal with similar things. So, I am happy to answer these questions and hopefully support my fellow friends.

You and your husband seem to be the perfect team. What top 5 things do you do to manage work and life together?

Jeff and I are the perfect team in so many ways, but we definitely have our weaknesses. Just like most people, we marry someone who is the opposite of us. That is good in a lot of ways, but we are finding the stress in how we enable each other in our weaknesses. We at times have to get professional help to assist us through our differences.

I understand that you homeschool your children. What led you to that decision? And how does that look on a daily basis for you and your schedule?

We decided to home school so that we could stay as a family unit and allow our children to work through their childhood andadolescence in the environment of loving parents and siblings, rather then the unpredictable and sometimes cruel peers of a school room setting.

We are currently working with a wonderful curriculum that makes the daily responsibilities of home schooling so much more manageable. Wehave a kindergartner, 3rd grader, 6th grader, and Freshman. I work with thekindergartner about 3 times a week for about 60-90 minutes a day as we work through learning to read. The other three are pretty well self maintained. I create their lesson plans at the beginning of the year, and that helps them know what to do each day. Their is grading and testing seems to work right into the days activities. I go to the office 3 days a week in the morning and the children come with me. They have aseparate school room to do their work and then they play in one of their two different play areas making up plays, doing cooking shows, and all the other crazy fun things kids do. In the late afternoons, two days a week a babysitter comes in and takes them to the park, library, or other fun places.

What do you think are the most important things you do as a mom every day?

1. Hugging my kids every morning and night.

2. Giving them love rubs, touches, and snuggles through out the day.

3. Trying to make opportunity for quality time with them. (Playing games, holding them on my lap, walking and talking, ect.)

What do you think are the top three things you must do as a business woman every day?

1. Try to see the big picture

2. Invest in our staff members

3. Make our clients feel special

You and your husband seem to have a wonderful sense of humor, creativity, and happiness. How do you keep that up when you’re feeling stressed out? Or do you just not get stressed out?

Date night has been very important to Jeff and I staying happy together. Because our relationship with each other is most important to us, we have a love and friendship that can weather the many stressful days of being business owners together. However, when we get stressed out as we are right now, (we are the unhappy owners of two houses - ouch!) we fight a bit and then realize no matter what happens we have each other and that is what is most important. We pray together about whatever is causing the stress and try to stop taking it out on each other.

What 5 tips do you have for women to help them maintain a balance in their lives between everything they have to do?

1. Make time for your faith

2. Make your spouse more important than anyone else

3. make you children more important than your business

4. take time to understand the business side of photography, so that you can make your business create the life you want for you and your family.

5. understand that without happy clients - you will have to work twice as hard to get more

How do you manage to keep up with all of the new projects, speaking engagements, children, soccer games, keeping it fresh with your husband, and so many other things?

Like I said, Jeff and I know we have to keep working at love, it doesn't just magically exist. We didn't magically fall in love and decide to get married, we worked at. After the wedding day, I think it takes even more work to stay in love. You have to schedule time for it. We have date night every other week. The babysitter is set and we just hang out. We didn't understand this for the first 8 years of our marriage, but once the kids and business came along, boy did we learn the hard way. Now that we take time for our relationship, it hasn't made everything perfect, but we both roll with the punched a lot easier, because their is a sense ofsecurity in the relationship.

Staying fresh in other things is somewhat effected by this as well. When you have your best friend walking through it with you, you just support each other and it usually works that when one is weak the other is strong and vice versa. We enjoy art, shopping, big cities, and fancy restaurants. These things help us get a fresh perspective.

Is there anything you wish you would have done differently over the years as a mom/business woman? If so, what? And what did you learn through those experiences?

There was about a two year period that I allowed our business to be my life. I put it above my faith, Jeff, and our children. I just put my head down and pushed forward trying to make the business successful in hopes that Jeff could quit his job and come full time into the business. I ran on about 3-4 hours of sleep a night and was going crazy trying with all my strength to make it work. I became miserable as a person and not much fun for anyone else to be around! What I didn't understand was no matter how hard I worked, it wasn't going to change much, because I did not understand how to run a business. I was so badly under priced that there was never enough money to make ends meet. I wish I could change that period of time in my life, but it did teach me a very important lesson that I still have to learn sometimes. This business will take everything I am willing to give it, and I am not willing to give it my family!!!

Are there times that you feel overwhelmed? What do you do?

When I feel really overwhelmed, I go for a walk. I see God's beautiful creation and I realize that in the bigscheme of things, what I am dealing with is not going to be the end of the world.

To see more of Julia's Work:

Wedding Website

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***All images in this post are copyright Julia and Jeff Woods***

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***All images in this post are copyright Elizabeth Messina***

NEXT WEEK: Julia Woods

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

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Elizabeth, I remember seeing your work years ago. I loved that you were shooting film and that your images had such a nostalgic feel to them. I just saw your presentation in Las Vegas at WPPI and was impressed by how simple you keep your business and life. Thanks so much for being here on Women and Business.

You have kids that are teens and younger, what does a typical day look like for you?

for us there is no typical day....certainly there is school & homework...dinner and baths....and photographs....lots

of photographs....mostly, my husband & i work together through the ever changing needs of our children....we

all spend alot of time together which is important to us....

What do you think are the most important things you do as a mom and every day?

kiss my children & tell them i love them....every day...all the time....

Your approach is simple and emotional, how do you keep it this way when everything in the industry moves so quickly?

there is no other way for me....all my time is devoted to my children and my love of photography....i don't often know

what else is going on....being a mother makes me a better photogapher....being a photographer makes me happy....and

being happy makes me a better mom....i always strive to make the best possible images i can....good work is always relevant....

How did photography find you? And why did you decide to go into business?

photography found me....my first camera was a gift from my mother when i was twelve years old....i fell

in love....the fact that i am business doing what i love is simply wonderful...

How do you keep from getting overwhelmed by business when you are at home and with your family?

i don't...there are days when i am overwhelmed...i am always on some kind of a deadline....but i am doing what i

love....and i have a wonderful family....so i am blessed, in so many ways....this is all i know.....

What does your business workflow look like? How long do you sit at the computer?

i photograph with film...it contributes alot to the look and feel of my work....i have all of my negatives scanned

after every job...so i do spend a good amount of time organizing and editing images on my computer....more

than you'd expect from a film shooter....

Do you have anyone that works for you/with you at your studio?

yes...i have several girls that work with me...both in the field & in my office....good assistants

are such an important asset.....

You have a studio that is at your home, are clients okay with this? Do you meet with clients in person?

my studio is in my home....in general i do not have any clients come here...this is my headquarters...but most of

my meetings are on location....i don't think its imperative to have a big fancy studio to be successful....for me its not

an option...when i decided to have children, i had to modify my ideas of running a business...that's the beauty of

being a photographer...you can make your business fit your life style....

You’ve created relationships with your clients that inspire them to come back to you year after year. What have you done to create this kind of loyalty?

the two most important aspects of photography for me are....

1. treat my clients with kindness & respect

2. make beautiful photographs....

treating people thoughtfully is important whatever situation you are in & giving

them beautiful images of themselves & their families is truly a wonderful gift....if

people feel good around you & like your images, chances are they will hire you

again....

To see more of Elizabeth Messina's work:

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***All images in this post are copyright Elizabeth Messina***

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