Today we’d like to introduce you to Juliet Carey.
Hi Juliet, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a young girl, I collected as many notepads, coloring books, pens, crayons, and markers as an art teacher. I’ve always been drawn to art and anything creative. After having my children, my husband and I made the choice for me be at home. When my daughter was 1, I started making her hair clips and bows. By the time she was 2, I started a small business designing hair accessories, flower crowns, including wall decor and wreaths for the next 14 years. It afforded me the opportunity to work with many professional photographers and children’s clothing companies. Photographs have so much meaning and most often inspire a nostalgic feeling and tell a story that goes along with them. I bought my first DSLR camera about 10 years ago and started shooting my own products for my website. I absolutely loved photographing my kids and pets for fun as well. It was so enjoyable for me to look through photos from customers and photographers of pieces I had designed for them. I felt honored to be a part of clients’ special occasions through their photographs whether it was a flower crown I created for a bride, a newborn, or a clothing company launching a new line with my headpieces.
4 years ago, I lost by father to cancer. He loved taking candid photos anytime we were all together, especially once our phones became cameras. He was the “selfie king!’ The photos I took with and of my dad are such precious gifts. My episodic migraine disease became chronic shortly after his death. One thing that really helps me navigate the grief and daily pain is photographing flowers (all things in nature) and the joyful children I know. Photography helps me focus on little details that make me so happy. During a photoshoot, I forget about my migraine pain for a bit. After learning as much as I could about photography, I finally started my business 1.5 years ago when my son was a senior in high school. My first post to announce my business were his senior portraits. He is now finishing up his freshman year in college, my daughter is a high school junior, and my husband (of almost 23 years) works remotely. The two of us are always home hanging with our spoiled 1-year-old yellow lab.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not! Most things in life don’t come easily. I was ready to let go of my accessory business, but it wasn’t easy. I loved it very much, yet I knew it was time. Photography was bringing me more joy and was the direction I wanted to take. It has been very healing for me in many aspects of my life, especially living with Chronic Migraine. I think anytime you start a small business there are going to be challenges. I have struggled to find the time to finish my website. Being a perfectionist makes everything a bit challenging. I am excited to get it finished this Spring and also thankful that I get most of my clients through word of mouth.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I live for the smallest and tiniest details. I love photographing flowers, anything in nature, infants, children, and families. I enjoy working with high school seniors and will be taking my daughter’s senior pictures this summer, which I’m so emotional but excited about. I hope that when you see my work, you feel the story that is being told. I love the connection of a mother and her newborn, the joy of a toddler running and playing in their adventurous little world, and the instant nostalgia I feel capturing a flower in its raw beauty during golden hour right before sunset. I have been humbly honored to capture a family with their beloved pet who was at the end of its life as well as capturing a family whose father was just diagnosed with ALS. I absolutely love photo sessions that are a gift to Grandparents. All of these are moments in time that have been captured forever. It is so important to me to tell their stories. A sweet friend had a recurrence with stage 4 breast cancer during her last pregnancy. It made my heart so full to photograph her maternity session and their beautiful family session after their baby was 6 months old. Being a visual storyteller has been a gift in my life. I am so grateful for photography. I hope to get into brand work for Childrens Clothing and toy companies soon. Childhood is magical! I love capturing it!
How do you define success?
At this point in my life, I feel like success is finding the time to do what truly makes us happy. Photography brings me so much JOY and allows me the choice to be as busy or slow as I need to be. Success is about growth. No matter what our skill is as a professional, we need to continue to gain experiences and learn from others in our field. Furthering my knowledge and taking online workshops is something that I strive to do a few times a year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/julietcareyphoto
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/julietcareyphoto
Image Credits
Juliet Carey Photography
