Exciting news!

My website is up!! You can view it here:

www.amberjohnsonphotog.com

I'm excited to launch it and add one more thing to my business. Things are really taking off and I've got clients lining up. I still love landscape/city scale photography and get to do a lot of that this week. It will be nice to go back to my beginnings.

I've been battling a little demon lately. I've put so much hard work into creating this business and doing something that I love. It's a slap in the face when others don't see what you've put in. 

I will be honest, prior to my first gig, I had no idea how exhausting the photography business could be. I work 55+ hours a week and come home to pour myself into my passion; my dream. Basically, I'm working two full time jobs. I stay up late to finish edits, eyes so dry I can barely see, just to get product back to my client faster. I put the money I do receive back into the business, because those kinds of things aren't handed to me. I work for all I've got. I work to provide for my family. I'm lucky that Mr. Ber has been so supportive. He's really pushed me to follow my dream. 

It's always been hard to accept compliments, kind words, etc; but you know what? I'm really damn good at what I do. That's what matters. I am good at what I do. I feel good about what I do. I make others happy. 

I'm proud of where I've been. I'm proud if where I am. I'm proud of where I'm going. I have an amazing support structure and so many people that believe in what I'm doing. 

This is in my blood. It's what I'm supposed to be doing. 

Tomorrow, we're taking off on a road trip and I get to start my 67 project. I'm so excited!! I can't wait to go and I can't wait to get back and edit. 

I hope you all have a great week!

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." - Herman Melville

Go. Do. Create and enjoy!

Tis the season!

Wedding season, that is! 

Hola! Como esta? I apologize in advance for the lack of posts. I'm a busy lady. Actually, family, home life, and work have consumed me. Let's catch up a little...

I shot my very first wedding today. I realized that I still have a lot to learn (that's a great thing), I am grossly under paying myself, and that I really love doing it! Now that the wedding is out of the way, I can start editing! 

Here's a rough edit of one of my favorite shots of the day.

Until next time...

Go. Do. Create and enjoy! 

 

New toys!

I got a couple of new "toys" in to play with prior to the April wedding I'm shooting. I can't wait to spend the weekend snapping away!

After we received our bonuses, I decided to go ahead and buy a new lens and a 5-in-1 reflector. I can't wait to use them! I also bought some new fabric scraps to make a cover for my existing camera strap.

Mr. Ber, y'all!

I want to introduce to you guys, Mr. Ber. He wanted a couple of new pictures of himself, probably for a profile picture change, and of course I was up to it. Practice is practice, right? It was SO cold today, so we didn't stay out long. Mr. Ber is a big fan of cemeteries and it seemed fitting for me to set the tone there. I didn't get many shots, but these two I am so proud of. I'm so lucky to call this man mine!

I can't decide which shot I love more.

So there's the man that stands behind me and grounds this family. He pushes me to do whatever my heart desires and reels me in when my dreams get a little too big for their own britches. 

Until next time, guys...

Go. Do. Create and Enjoy!

The art of self portraits...

Ok, ok, I'm still learning and I don't know if there is any right way, honestly. I spent some time last night practicing the art of self photography. Setting up the shot is a lot more difficult than I imagined, BUT I got this... This is the only shot I really loved and, after editing, thought it held so much emotion. I love it and that's all that really matters.

I didn't use any reflective surfaces like many blog posts suggest. I chose to set up my umbrella and light, my tripod, and sit in the floor and shoot. Mr. Ber doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to make him do it with me. Haha.

Well, hello there!

I hope you and yours are doing well. We've been battling all kind of sickness over here. As soon as one kid is better, the next get sick, and the cycle continues again.

Big news to share! Mr. Ber was accepted to college and he declared his major and minor today. I'm so incredibly proud of him. We're slowly laying the paths that we want to follow.

We finally bought a new sewing machine, too! I'm super excited to get it out and break it in. I'm trying a different brand this time, Singer. My grandmother's would have sworn by the brand, so I'm giving it a go. Also, I'm working on breaking into the photography business. At this point, I'm doing photos of the kids, my nieces, my friends, etc. I'm trying to build a small portfolio and see what exactly I would like to do within the field. I love portraits of my kids, but I also love photographing things that I find. Below are some pictures that I took while we were on vacation last year. I just recently edited them. 

All of these were taken along the back roads of Tennessee and Kentucky. I can't wait to get them on my walls!

Until next time...

Go. Do. Create and enjoy!

Photo Project

I am starting a year long photography project inspired by a book that my husband and I love; A Journey Through Arkansas: Historic U.S. Highway 67.

I'll be taking a photographic journey through the state, following the old highway (where possible). It's going to be exciting and challenging. I can't wait to get started!

The book that inspired me.

Where my husband grew up.

Photos from a little town to our north.

They like me. They really like me!

Ok, so it isn't everyone, but...

Yesterday, a friend of Bran's messaged me and told me she loved my photos and would like me to do her wedding in April. I was incredibly hesitant about saying yes, but in the end I agreed. It's a great opportunity. I'll get the chance to see if portrait/wedding photography is something I'm into or if I want to continue taking photos for the family and doing what I know I love, landscapes.

Now comes the hard part for me, pricing. I read a lot about this yesterday and saw many different opinions. Some said that if you've never done it before, do it for free. Others said to think about the time you're putting into it. A good friend, and more experienced photographer, told me that for every hour I shoot, there will be at least an hour of post production. I'm still not sure what to tell this girl that I will charge. I won't be doing it for free, but I won't charge something that I'm not yet worth.

Either way, I'm really excited (and nervous) about the opportunity!