*All images in the post copyright Bobbi of Bobbi + Mike*

NEXT WEEK: Sam Puc

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Bobbi,  you've been in business for four years and made huge strides in that time.  You have a very loyal blog following and your work is ful of energy and fun.  You are admired by many photographers.  You work together with your husband and you are great at being true to yourself.  Thanks so much for being here!

How long have you been in business?

A little over four years.

What brought you and Mike together? How did you decide to have a photography business together?

We’ve been dating since college… he’s my everything! When I decided to take on this idea of being a full time photographer he was a pilot (hot, huh?!). And for those that knew us back then… That’s why the business was originally named Photography by Bobbi.  However, as we were building the business, he still shot EVERYTHING with me… after a while, it became something that we BOTH loved.  Soon after, he quit flying and bobbi+mike was born.
 

What is it about you and Mike shooting together that makes your images so great?

Without Mike, I’m not confident in myself… I really do NOT like shooting alone.  I lean on him for everything…. Too much probably.  I know that if I’m struggling with something, he’s picking up my slack.   I’m SOOO incredibly lucky to have him in my life.

 
What’s the BEST thing about being a married couple and being in business together?

I can snuggle with him until 10am on a Monday if I’d like…. And often do!

What’s the WORST thing about being a married couple and being in business together?

That our lives are ruled by our careers…. And even when we ARE snuggling until 10a on a Monday… we’re probably talking about our business.
 

What does your workflow look like?  Do you outsource or keep everything in house?

We keep EVERYTHING in house… We once tried to outsource our editing and found out the hard way that I’m WAY too much of a control freak.  As far as our processing workflow: Mike edits through the images… checks for sharpness, I then do another round of edits… then process them all in Lightroom.  I write the blog entries and design albums, he handles emails and scheduling, wedding day logistics and all accounting.  See, told you I was lucky to have him!
 

What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a photo shoot?

To get genuine reactions… you have to be genuine.

 
What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry?

Don’t try to be anyone else.  Quit comparing yourself and your successes to other photographers… We all start somewhere!

What do you do for fun…that has nothing to do with photography?

Honestly, we’ve been so focused on our business for the last four years… I’ve sort of forgotten what I like to do for fun… We’re hoping to change all of that in our VERY near future.  Lately I’ve really enjoyed cooking.  In my past, I enjoyed painting. 

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

I’ve always been an incredibly determined and driven person. If I wanted something, I worked my butt off until I got it.  In this life, we are owed nothing, we have to make it happen.  It’s because of my drive that we have a flourishing business in an overly saturated market.
 

What do you do to keep your marriage fun?

Mike and I LOVE to make each other laugh. If I’m in a bad mood… he will stop at NOTHING to get me to smile.  Also, there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t dance, at least once.
 

How do you keep your marriage safe from the stresses of your business?

These last two years have been especially hard for me.  Stress and pressure have absolutely gotten the best of me too many times.  So, to answer your question, it’s not something that I’ve fully mastered. Luckily for me, I’m married to THE most patient man in the world.  Three things that ALLLLL husband+wife teams need: separate offices, headphones and instant messenger.

What is the best thing you’ve done to make your business successful?

We’ve always been focused on having a strong brand.  I come from a marketing and graphic design background… so that part was a no-brainer for me.  I think it’s a huge mistake when new photographers are more concerned with buying a new lens rather than investing in their brand… Just sayin’

What have you done to get clients that you really love that want what YOU do?

I recently read this quote shoot and it really encapsulates how we run our business, “Let your work determine your clients. Don’t let your clients determine your work.” -Marc Climie
 

You are such a fun person.  What keeps you going?

HA! I’ve always been hyper, happy and full of energy!  I also come from a happy/loud family… I suppose it’s “in my genes”.  Aunt Karen always told me that if you’re not happy, smile anyway… and eventually you’ll forget why you weren’t happy to begin with.

 
What have you done to have such a strong blog following and have so many people that comment?!?

I genuinely don’t know. It’s pretty fun, though. We do have the best blog readers around.  They motivate me.
 

What three products or things help you stay organized?

In no particular order: Entourage, Mike, my sketchbook
 

What do you do to get such great color in your images?

I get this question more than any other question… and it’s quite the easy formula: good light, a nailed exposure and good lenses.  People think they can take an awesome photo with a funky background and add a crazy action… but that’s SO far from the case.  I’d take good light over a fun background ANY day!  Anyway… I process all photos in Lightroom, then for photos that are printed/blogged, I apply a LIGHT dusting of Photoshop…  BADABOOM BADABING! 

To see more of Bobbi's work:

Website

Blog

*All images in the post copyright Bobbi of Bobbi + Mike*