Branching Out⭐️

So, when I logged into my blog it took me a minute to realize that it HAD actually been since April that I have blogged. The summer time is crazy, y'all. I feel like school just got out and I have turned around twice and summer is half OVER. It's insanity. But, here I am. Blogging again. :) 

I have decided to branch out a little, and offer some other cool things that I am pretty excited out. Let's talk....

WORKSHOPS.

I have been toying around with the idea of offering workshops for some time, but I have always been apprehensive. Photography is a very difficult profession. There are so many photographers in this area. So many really great photographers, and sometimes it is very easy for myself to feel inadequate. Not good enough. Not creative enough. Not this enough, not that enough. And, has also made me want to keep everything I do under wraps. Themes, ideas, locations...sometimes you feel like you work so hard to be original for someone to come right along and do exactly the same thing. And maybe they even cost less than you. And some people will sacrifice quality for price, and it really just is what it is. It's hard to feel like you stay relevant, and honestly, just adequate. Worth it. Whatever.

So, first and foremost I had to find my worth. What I felt like my time was worth. What it cost for me to do business and have a profitable business at that. And, I will be the first to tell you....I am absolutely not a cheap photographer. But, I am also not the most expensive photographer either. I had to find my worth, and realize that my time, my work, my experience is worth it. I have said it before and I will 100% say it again, I don't want people to come to me for photos of their kids....I want them come to me for BRYNNE OWEN photos of their kids. That is a huge goal for me. However...here I am getting off track again. Back to the topic at hand....

I myself have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars over just the last 6 months or so on education. It is so important to further myself, and continue to push my boundaries as a photographer and an artist. And as a result of those workshops I have finally reached a place in my business that I had decided around the end of last year was completely unattainable....but here I am, living it and loving every single minute. And after a long time of contemplation, I have decided to offer some workshops of my own. Simple and easy at first, just to test the waters. So, ready or not here they come. 

Momtography. This will be a great course for Mom's who've bought a shiny new DSLR, and it has ended up collecting dust because they can't figure out how to work it. We will be going though settings, light, composition, and capturing the magic of your kids childhood. We will spend the first part of the day in instruction and then will end the day with a fun shoot so you can practice what you have learned! Professional photographers, or anyone wanting to make it a business won't be accepted for this one, just for the Moms! 

The Photographer's Workshop. This will be a much more in depth workshop for profressional, or want to be professional, photographers that want to really learn to fine tune their craft. We will talk about cameras, equipment, lenses, VISION, marketing, Facebook, just about anything and everything you can think of. You will get a whole day to pick my brain and learn the ins and outs of how I run my business. I will also have a whole editing portion for this workshop, as well as a fun shoot at the end of the day to show off your skills and see how you have improved. 

I am so very excited about these workshops, and getting to spread the love of what I have learned over the years with new and learning Momtogs and Photographers. If you are interested, email me at brynneowenphotography@gmail.com or visit my Facebook page and read the pinned post for more details. 

I can't wait to show you that you don't need fancy locations OR equipment to create magic...all you need is a little vision. Below are pictures taken at the same spot, at the same time, one with my iPhone and one with my camera. Magic is where you make it guys, Let me teach you. 😘

Why I took the word "Cheese" out of my vocabulary...

Good afternoon you guys! It's been a couple of weeks since I dropped the Price lecture on you, so I took a little break. Actually, let's be honest, I am not sure if anyone even reads my blogs...however, I love being able to use this as an outlet and a way for you to get to know me better. It also helps you understand some of the business practices I have, why I do them a certain way, and maybe why I have changed things recently. My shift in branding threw everyone off a little, including myself, and I am finally finding my feet again on solid ground. Going from trying to be an exclusive wedding photographer to exclusively a children's photographer is a HUGE leap. It's a big difference in money, it's a huge difference in shooting....it's just different. But kids are my happy place, and capturing a magical childhood feeds my soul, and makes all of the time and effort worth it to me. That passion that I have truly shines through when I am shooting things I love.

So, what does the title of this blog have to do with all of this you ask? I am about to tell you! <3

As long as I can remember, I have said, whispered, screamed, and chanted the word "Cheese" during my sessions. "Say Cheese baby!" "Cheeeeese" "Cheeseburgerrrrr".....because everyone wants that perfect smiling picture of their kiddo looking at the camera and sitting just right, RIGHT? Maybe. Or maybe they just think they do. But, let me tell you what they really need, and they don't even really know it. They need pictures of their kiddo being THEIR kiddo. Playing, rolling around in the grass, exploring, doing that precious little face that they make when they are thinking too hard, crying, and yes, laughing. But, saying cheese, or trying to force a smile out of a kid definitely doesn't accomplish that. I cannot believe that it took me 9 long years to really realize it. Kids are kids. They are really gonna do what they want to do, and if you try to force them to do what YOU want them to do, all while forcing a camera in their face and screaming at them.....inevitably they are going to cry. And then it starts all over, with a red blotchy face, and tear stained cheeks, and tear filled eyes. And that causes frustration in parents, and anxiety in babies. They don't understand, and they are SO overstimulated and they have NO idea who to look at or what to do. So, they cry. And understandably. 

So I decided it was time to try a new approach. Let them be little. Talk to them, interact with them, play with them....and magic happened. Since I have started that, I try to start every session by telling Mom, Dad and kiddo..."I am NOT going to ask you to smile." Sure, I get some weird looks, but I tell them to trust me. If I get smiles, I want them to be genuine. I want them to be real. I want them to emulate childhood joy and laughter. Because when you tell a kid to smile, that is NOT what you get. When they are older, grown, in college and you look back at the pictures on the wall of them looking curious, or running, or rolling around, or even CRYING...you are going to feel your heart clench up a little bit. And I promise you won't be upset that they weren't sitting perfectly, with the perfect outfit, in the perfect position, with the perfect smile. Because childhood is anything but perfect. It's messy, and crazy , and chaotic, and happy, and perfectly IMPERFECT. And those memories that I get for you, will be the ones that you look back on and smile and say...."Do you remember that time...?" Parents, relax and enjoy the ride. Childhood is gone in an instant, and the next thing they are grown with children of their own. Enjoy each season of their lives. Because you only have so many days with them. 

I have also tried my best, and WILL continue to enforce a "50 foot rule" for my parents. This simply means, stay back, observe from a little ways back, and let me interact with your baby! Sit back and relax. Take it all in. I promise I have a method to my madness, but when there is 4 people standing at all angles behind me all screaming "SMILE!!!", they really have no idea who to look at, and they get frustrated. I will give you amazing memories. Trust me to do that for you. Let me be the one to give direction, and don't worry if they are running all over God's green creation....it's part of the job description being a baby/kid wrangler. It's my favorite part actually. 😍 

As we move into summer...I find my calendar more full than it has been in a very long time. It makes me humbled and blessed that so many people trust me with their memories. I cannot wait to see what comes of each one. Also, there are LOTS of fun themed sessions coming in the Summertime, so be on the look out. 

I would love to hear from you what you think about this blog, leave a comment to let me know! Maybe I will realize that I am not speaking into the great vast unknown with no one listening! 😂😂😂

As usual, I love you guys! And I will leave you with some pictures that I didn't say Cheese on....

Writing from Neverland...

Y'all. For the last several weeks I have wondered if this is my real life. Have I really been having as much fun shooting as I have? Or was I going to wake up and it was all a dream?

Words cannot really express how I feel these days. Joyous. Excited. Passionate. Enthralled. They all seem to fall short of how I feel. Since the beginning of the year, and the time that I decided to start making my own destiny again....life has been so much brighter. 

"Stop doing things that don't make you happy."

Seriously. It really is that easy. And it is also really that hard. It's hard to turn down money when you know you are trying to pay for your big shiny new house, and your kids extracurricular activities, and all that extra mess. But, at the same time it is absolutely LIBERATING. There is so much power in the word "No." Not a malicious no...a no which really means yes. Yes to spending more time at home. Yes to being able to make ALL practices and games for my kids. Yes to going out of town for a competition and not having to worry about having to miss for a wedding. Yes to being present in my kids lives. My husband's life. Heck, even my dog's life. It's saying YES to being able to go to Sunday lunch at my Grandmother's to spend time with my family and not having to rush off. Sometimes these yes's are so much more important than the one that would be agreeing to do something that I didn't really want to. And, for once in about 5 years...I am finally in such a happy place. I am ridiculously enamored. 

It has and IS somewhat scary making a leap of faith. Taking your business into a whole new realm...deciding to do something that really isn't offered in this neck of the woods. Something different, and out of the box of the photographers in the area. Not better, or worse, just different. The photography community here in East Texas is strong, lots of amazing photographers, lots of beautiful artists. And every single one of them is different in one way or another. But, when you kinda lean in a whole new way....ie darker more moody edits, more colorful and rich than your peers....you worry people will not like what you have to offer. Worried that they will not book, and they will not like your work. Because, as much as we all preach that we don't care what people think about it, we still do...somewhere deep down. I love making art that speaks to me and makes me happy, but there's also an air of worry that people will not understand, or think it's terrible. All my photog friends know what I am talking about when we don't get validation through comments on our stuff! Don't lie, you know you feel the same way! 😂

I used to be a "prop snob". And I hid behind the "I think they cheapen the photograph" and "I think they take away from my subject" excuses for a long time. Well, those excuses are both valid...and they can both happen...however, props done RIGHT can make magic. In the best way. Don't get me wrong, I do still love a simple portrait. I love capturing those. But, I am glad I decided that because some photographers in the world think it's stupid to do themed minis, or use props, or edit like I have been, that I don't HAVE to follow their rules. They are meant to be broken, and sometimes they completely hold you back. Sometimes being crazy is way more fun.

So, I have spent a lot of time photographing my girls, my friends kids, and some people willing to take a chance lately. This time of year is kinda slow, and I am hoping that is the reason people don't want to do my fun Minis 😂 But, I have even ventured out into trying a lens that I said I would NEVER use for portrait photography, and called anyone who did CRAZY. And, I am literally obsessed. It has taken my shooting to the next level. And I am so glad I decided to do something that might not work, and let it work it's magic on me. Cheers to growing and learning as a photographer and an artist for the rest of 2018....I can't wait to see where I am in a year. 

And for making it that far....here are a few of my recent faves with my new fave lens....😍😍👍🏻