Hey, I'm Brittani. I'm a St. Louis area portrait photographer. I specialize in newborns, but I also love to photograph babies throughout their first year and the toddler years. I'll be honest though, after 14 years of being a photographer, I've done many things from weddings to families and business headshots. I love mixing it up every once in a while, so I do say yes to those types of things occasionally.
Running your own photography business is more than just clicking a button. I'm writing this on a Monday so let me tell you what a typical Monday looks like for me!
My day will start with getting my son up and ready for school and getting him there. I make myself a cup of decaf coffee when I get home with hazelnut creamer. I have a sweet little Zuchon dog that's got to go pee a million times throughout the day and loves her walks. Depending on my energy level I may take her for a walk after my son is at school.
When it's time to get down to business, I check my emails and social media messages first and go from there. Sometimes I'm responding to inquiries questions, and we are getting to know each other. Sometimes I'm dealing with current clients that are receiving their galleries or placing orders. Sometimes an email inquiry is ready to book me, so I then need to write up their contract and send their invoice. What is in my emails and messages is what helps to lead the way for how my day starts.
After current emails and messages are taken care of, that's when I head over to my website and google page to do any necessary updates (what I'm doing currently as I write this). I then schedule my social media posts. This isn't a strictly Monday activity but is most commonly done on Mondays. If I have a session to edit, then I may not schedule many social media posts. I have a session to edit today, so I'm going to schedule just a couple posts and then get to editing because my current clients are my priority.
I'm typically ready for brunch around editing time so I eat first and then I can focus on getting as much editing done as possible. I'm typically listening to music, or I'll have TikTok live on. I can't have something on that I've never seen and am really interested in because then that would take me longer to edit. By the 2 hr mark of editing I stop so my eyes don't get too tired, and I also start to get overly critical of my work and that's not good either.
At that point it's getting close to time to pick up my son for therapy. I'll either relax and watch some tiktok or take my dog for a walk if I haven't yet. After his therapy I focus on him so I'm not typically responding to clients in the evening unless he is preoccupied with something. If he is having some alone time or playing with a friend, then I may take the time to do a little more editing, but I don't give myself a goal of how long to edit or how many images because like I said, evenings are about him so if he needs/wants my attention then it's all his and I shut the computer down.
This was just a glimpse of the many things I do throughout the week. I think I'll make a series and write about each day so you all can see what a typical week is like! I put my heart and soul into this business, but my son is the most important thing. Being a mom and business owner can be tough but if you set times to do specific things and set attainable goals then it becomes easier.
If you are in or around the St. Louis area (I don't mind an hour drive), then reach out to set up your session! You can reach me at - momentstocherishportraits@yahoo.com
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