From Beth To Bethadilly : My Photography Journey

many fellow photographer friends have recently been asking me if i would be willing to share my photography journey.  and even though my journey as a photographer only started 9 short months ago, it has been one heck of a beautiful ride.  i have learned a lot about photography.  i have learned a lot about business.  and i have learned a lot about myself.  so grab a cup of coffee and get comfy.  i am going to tell you a little story.

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From Beth to Bethadilly : My Photography Journey

From Beth to Bethadilly : My Photography Journey | Bethadilly Photography

if you were to meet me one year ago, i would just be beth…without the bethadilly.  i would be a book reading, shopping addict who took photos with a point and shoot camera.  there i said it, last year at this time i was taking photos with a point and shoot camera, and i thought the photos i took were awesome!  they weren’t.  oh boy.  how i laugh at myself now.

to be honest, i have always liked to take pictures.  but i started clicking my camera like crazy after i got married to my mr.  after the “i do’s” i went into memory-making mode.  i wanted to document everything about our new life together.  our first home, our first puppy, our first holidays, our travels, our second puppy, our little moments, our big moments, and everything in between.  i took pictures of it all.  and i still do.  i have over 1,700 sleeping puppy pictures on my laptop.  and i cannot delete a single one.  once i organized my photos, i would print them and perfectly place them on elaborate scrapbook pages in countless albums that tell the story of our life so far.

one day, i got to thinking.  and that can be dangerous.  i started thinking about how happy photography made me and how much i genuinely enjoyed taking photos and capturing my everyday within the frame.  i had one of those moments where i blurted out, “i think i want to be a photographer…like, for real.”  and instead of laughing, my husband replied, “that is an awesome idea.”  and about a week later, my first dslr was in my hands.  the nikon d3200 + 2 pretty lenses.

i started a blog.  because that’s what you do.  you buy a camera and start a blog.  i became passionate not only about photographing things, but sharing my images with others.  starting a blog, even though it was only a personal one, was a very inspirational step in my photography journey.

it was after i took only 5 pictures with my new dslr that i thought, “how the heck did i ever survive with that point and shoot!?”  my first dslr truly made me a whole new girl, and i liked her.  i started taking my camera everywhere.  i took hundreds of photos a minute and learned the magic behind all the little buttons.  some of the pictures i took were amazing, some of them not so amazing.  but i learned from every picture i took and my passion grew even more.  even more importantly, i finally felt like i was where god wanted me to be.  and that was, and still is, an amazing feeling.

six months later, i got to thinking again.  and that’s when i blurted out, “i think i want to start my own photography business.”  and my hubby, being the most supportive person i know, said, “you would be awesome at that!”  before i knew it, the long list of business prep began.  portfolio building, business license, photography website, business cards, trade name, business plan, fb page, new nikon d600…  and after a lot of hard and fun work, bethadilly photography was born in september 2013.  for many photographers, they had a journey with photography for awhile before becoming business owners, but for me my photography journey was just beginning.

want to know more about going into business?  check out my post on how to start a photography business.

sure there have been tough times.  it isn’t always easy being a business owner.  but the good times are the times to remember.  the times when you walk into a client’s home and your photography is beautifully displayed on their walls.  the times when a client texts you right as you are leaving their session, saying they want to hire you again because you worked so well with their children.  the times when a client pulls you aside and tells you how much happiness your photography has brought to them.  the times when other photographers refer their clients to you because they know that you will take care of them.  the holiday times when every other holiday card you receive in the mail has your photography on it.  the times when someone calls you their inspiration.  those are the times that keep me clicking.  and inspire me more than ever.

and the hard times.  well, we can’t grow and become even better people without them, can we?  the hard times taught me a lot about myself and became pivotal learning milestones in my photography journey.  i have learned that i am easily stressed out…and i am still learning how to deal with that stress.  i am learning to be confident in my pricing.  even though sessions are over for the client in 45 minutes, they still entail over 8 hours of work for the photographer.  these are hours that are taken away from my family, so fairly charging is very necessary and well deserved.

and there are a lot of things that i still need to learn, including:  it is okay to say no.  it is okay to not run to the computer when the email dings, the email will always be there tomorrow.  it is okay to take the day off and put the camera away.  little breaks are well deserved and only make me an even better photographer when it is time for me to pick up the camera again.

and that is my photography journey story so far.  it really is only just beginning. next year, i will look back on this post and probably laugh at how much i have grown…just as i have laughed today about the thought of using a point and shoot camera last year at this time.  my goals and dreams are always changing, but the most important thing is that i keep dreaming and keep pushing myself to do even better.

if you want to see my daily story, follow me on instagram at @bethadilly.  and if you would like to follow me along on my business journey, please like my fb page to see more of me + my photography in your newsfeed.

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5 comments
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  • Whitney Bilodeau - What a wonderfully inspiring journey! Your work is amazing and I so admire that you just took that leap and went out there and did what brought you joy!ReplyCancel

  • Sharon Leeper - I like…ReplyCancel

  • Kelly Walsh Loss - Can’t wait to see what’s in store for you the next year! Thanks for sharing! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Melissa Septien - Reading your story reminds me so much of my own except I have had a dslr longer and haven’t fully started a business. I own an event planning, and interior design business currently but am under way to starting my own photography business. I have been building my portfolio for months and learning as much as I can. I even took on a part time job working for a local company taking children’s photos at school and for their sports teams. This has been an amazing experience cause I have been able to learn, network and save up for new equipment, business costs. I got the Nikon D3200 too with two lenses from my hubby then got a 50mm and 70-200mm lens over the summer. Finally ended up winning a Nikon D610 and 24-85mm lens in Dec and wow have my photos improved. I am also still bad at saying no and I get stressed sometimes when I have to work, edit, take care of two kids and I always spread myself so thin, volunteering at the school and for events with my kids. I have an amazing supportive hubby who backs every passion or dream I have without him I would never be where I am today. I have grown so much the passed two years and believe that God has brought me to this cross roads cause it all feels so meant to be:). Thank you for sharing your story and love your blog, ig feed and more. You have been very inspiring and I have never been more motivated then I am presently. Everything just feels so right and I’m ready to give it my all. Keep up the amazing work and you will continue to grow:). Have a great weekend. ReplyCancel

  • Sarah Pogorzelski - I think I started following you on instagram after you liked one of my photos. And I was so happy to find you! Your photos are so beautiful and show what a beautiful spirit you truly are. Thank you for sharing your journey…so far. 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Margie - Your story along with your amazing photography skills is very inspiring. I love your following your Instagram feed. Such a crisp clan simple look. I have the Nikon d600 and love it. But I in all honestly, I don’t shoot completely manual. Usually I shoot aperture but when I panic I switch to scene mode ;( . And I don’t post the pictures online! I give them to the “clients” typically that is my family! They love them. And when I go into their homes they are hanging on the walls. They print them for Christmas cards. But when I look at them I always think, well they’re good not great. Are you self taught?
    What advise would you give some one starting out? I would love to have a photography business.
    Thank you for sharing your life with us. 🙂ReplyCancel

    • {beth} a-dilly - Hello Margie! Thank you so much for the lovely compliments! I am actually self taught and I also do not shoot in manual yet! Eeeek! It is so intimidating! But someday I will be confident in manual mode…baby steps! My advice to someone who is just beginning would be to focus on one thing at a time…choose one thing to master and focus on mastering it! Then move onto the next thing. It makes it a lot easier to learn and manage all that you will need to know. Also, do a project 365! You will be amazed at how much you will grow and your skills will develop as well!ReplyCancel

  • how to learn lightroom + photoshop » beth a-dilly - […] to learn more about my story, be sure to read about my photography journey. […]ReplyCancel

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