Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily LaPorte.
Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always loved being outside in nature. Growing up, my family went to at least one National Park a year, and once I got my first early 2000s digital camera in high school, I began taking pictures on our hikes and could not stop. I would take hundreds of pictures each hike, trying to capture just a little bit of the peace and beauty around me.
Fast forward to 2023, I had just had my second baby and was ready to find something to connect with myself again. On a whim, I purchased a second-hand DSLR camera and it was immediate. I fell in love with photography all over again. Very quickly I found myself enamored with photographing nature and in particular, flowers. I watched YouTube videos, read blogs, took an online remote photography course, and practiced constantly. I began taking clients for family photography, and from there found that I adore maternity and newborn photography as well.
I now work 3 days as a preschool teacher, I’m a mom to my 2 kids, and make time for my now-established photography business. I have a hard time limiting myself to just people or just nature-I love photographing them both! I take clients for family, newborn, and maternity photography when my schedule allows, and I sell my nature photos at several art shows a year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
While many parts of my journey as a photographer have been fairly smooth, it certainly hasn’t always been easy! I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced is creating balance in my life to allow for the time it takes to be successful. As a teacher, mom, and wife, I have many obligations to the people around me. I want to be present for my students, my kids, and my husband, as well as my other family members and friends. But I also want to be a successful photographer for myself, and that is important too. It’s taken a lot of patience, communication, support, and learning to figure out how to find time for sessions, editing, marketing, show prep, and all the other little parts of this business. It is really hard and can get overwhelming, but knowing when to step back and regroup has helped me as I continue to work through those challenges.
As an artist and small business owner, I also definitely deal with a bit of imposter syndrome! I know that family photography is an extremely saturated market, and there are so many talented photographers in my area. It can be hard to market myself as a self-taught photographer. I also see other nature photographers share their work and it’s very easy to compare myself to them and their work. Every time I’m faced with one of these situations, I stop and go back through my own work and remind myself of a few things. First, I am good at this. I am a good photographer. Second, I remind myself of my why-I take pictures because I love to do it. I love capturing little moments of beauty to share with others, and that is good and important.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For my nature photography, I am most commonly photographing flowers in macro-extremely close up photos of flowers. I love this type of photography because I am drawn to the delicate details of each flower. Every flower I photograph is so unique, even when side by side with another flower of the same type. The perfect patterns and details that this type of photography allows for really emphasizes the beauty and wonder of the natural world. I think it’s my ability to capture these small details that sets me apart from others.
I have one photograph of these in particular that I am particularly proud of. It is a close up of a daisy about to bloom, and when I first showed it to my husband he told me it didn’t even look real. When you look at the photo, it looks like someone took tiny pink ribbons and tucked them all together very neatly in a circular pattern. It’s so incredible to see that moment right before that flower bursts forth in bloom-it’s just a miraculous moment.
When it comes to my family photography, my best photos end up being similar to my favorite flower photos, at least in concept. My best photos are always the ones that capture that tiny moment of beauty, love, and joy between family members. I particularly love these moments between a mother and her new baby-as a mom, these moments just resonate so deeply with me. They are so fleeting and precious! I love being able to capture them for a family to look back on and remember.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I think the best advice I would give to someone just starting out would be to just play with your camera. Learn the different settings (not on Auto), learn what your camera can do, and just take pictures of anything and everything! There are so many resources available to teach you the basics. Just look around and take advantage of them!
I would also say to remember that photography is an art! Your art will be unique to you-don’t compare yourself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy, and sharing your view of the world through photography is a beautiful gift. We need art in our world, and don’t let the successes of others stop you from sharing your own unique perspective.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://roseandlilyphotography.shootproof.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roseandlilyphotography
