I rarely post anything on my blog that is personal, but I’ve been hearing more and more from many of you that you are enjoying the mix between my professional and personal projects.. You can follow more of both on Instragram here: http://www.instagram.com/reneemariephotography
In keeping with your feedback and Mother’s Day falling over the weekend I figured it was the perfect time to introduce you to my family and tell you a litte more about ME! I’m a happily married wife to my husband of 19 years (weve been together for 24…gasp); a mother to 3 gorgeous kids that range in age from 15, ,12 and 8; and the proud owner of this incredible photography business that I established in 2013. My prior career found me in quite an unexpected departure from this form of art and I was instead working a very high demmanding, travel heavy role in Silicone Valley for a leading internet marketplace company. I occupied various roles in leadership over the span of 15 years and while the pay was great and the titles impressive I was eventually found feeling very unfulfilled in my place. In that 15 year span I had been married and welcomed 3 kids and while I was happy I was STRESSED out. I went from being really great at 1 thing to pretty good at a lot of things but that was not going to cut it where my kids and family were concerned.
I had always had interest in photography and studied it briefly in college when I entertained the idea of getting involved in journalism as a career. Fast forward past my internship at my college newspaper and the local city paper and I quickly decided I needed my art (whether written or otherwise) to be my own and not an assignment. The concept of creating has always been a part of my story but I never would have invisioned this path if I am being honest.
Fast forward to 2003 and the birth of my first son. I purchased my first DSLR to take better photos of him but also made regular visits to The Picture People for ‘portraits’. Add a few kids to the mix and enter social media…aka Faccebook…where I could post photos of my growing family and all of our advdentures. I started to get some feedback on my photos and comments around ‘having an eye’ for capturing and composition. Hmmmm…. Now enter the curiosity of how I could transition a hobby into a career (isn’t that the dream), a ton of research, a lot of practice and finally a business plan that I wrote myself (that was the easy part in light of my existing job responsibilities). I volunteered to shoot for free for friends and family, started making connections with industry people and eventually worked up the nerve to create my first website.
I officially launched Renee Marie Photography in 2013 and simultaneously quit my job on January 3! I’ve now rounded out my 5th full year in business and am proud to say that I have helped to capture hundreds of amazing moments and milestones from maternity, birth, newborn, family, senior portraits to weddings and events. I continue to be in awe of the abundance of blessings that this business has brought me. I’ve created some of best friendships through clients that I never would have known in my previous life. I’ve been a part of people’s best days and shared their joy and triumph. I’m overwhelmed with what this role has GIVEN to me and so grateful that I get to give back in the form of photos.
So condensed but to the point, that is a bit of my story and how I came to be a photographer. And here is that beautiful family that inspired me to create and allows me to feel full on a daily basis:
First there was me:
Then came WE:
Then we added ONE:And TWO:And Finally THREE:And TOGETHER we create a FAMILY!