Helloooo friends!!! It’s me, Malia here:)
Ahh I’m SO excited to finally write my first blog post- it’s been a long time coming. I’ve been wanting to start a blog for over two years, but I never knew where to start! Which sessions do I share? What content would people want to see from me? I decided to just do the dang thing and write whatever I want, whenever I want haha. That way the itch to write might finally leave me;)
I do want to structure my posts in one particular way- every one will have a piece of advice/a fun tip to photographers or clients. I hope that this blog can be a place where people can learn and take something away. Click HERE to skip to the advice I have to share in this blog post.
For this first post, I wanted to share my story of how Malia Rose Photography came to be. It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I’ve been very blessed throughout my journey, and I’m so grateful!
I’ve loved photography since I was really young. I remember forcing my baby sister and her cousins to model for me so I could take pictures on our family’s really old digital camera. Fast forward a couple years, when I was around 13- I had saved up enough money to go halfsies with my dad on a Nikon DSLR, the Nikon D3300. Such a good starter camera. I took photos with my friends, family, you name it. I loved it.
I would get so extremely excited about a photoshoot idea, I couldn’t sleep. I remember spending lots of free time in choir and other periods at school scouring Pinterest for pins linked to blogs and other sites where I could learn something about taking photos. I would write down everything I learned in a big, yellow notebook (highly recommend a notebook when you’re learning, digital notes are good, too;) I was doing free sessions with friends and for family and acquiring people to help me with whatever ideas I dreamed up. I ate, slept, and breathed photography.
THEN:
Around the age of 15, I got my first job as a hostess at a local restaurant. I was grateful for the job and learned a lot, but it made me realize how much I would rather be taking pictures. This job was the catalyst that caused me to truly pour my heart and soul into Malia Rose Photography. It helped me see a different vision for my future and gave me the motivation to work for it.
From this I learned that there are many seasons in our lives- full of growth and learning, but also struggle, confusion, and even stagnancy. Seasons are part of our story. They can be the reason we re-think the way we are living our lives. I'd challenge all of you to take a minute to ponder and just write down the goals you have for yourself, your business, your life. What do you need to start doing today to make those goals happen?
My own journey has not been without struggles and mistakes. After I'd decided to start doing photography full time, I agreed to do a large extended family session at my house. We were planning to do it outside, but it started raining right as they arrived. I moved everyone down to the basement of our house to take photos there until the rain cleared up (if I was doing this over now, I would either reschedule the shoot earlier in the day if I saw rain in the forecast, or wait inside until we could take photos outside again) my camera was not made to handle darker lighting scenarios, and the basement didn’t have much light.
The photos were… terrible. Grainy, fuzzy, dark, and to top it all off- I was sooo nervous I had been shooting in manual focus mode for the first half of the session- so almost all of the group photos were out of focus!!! I was too scared to admit my mistake to my client, so I just continued the session like normal- not even attempting to get more group photos because that would expose my mistake.
Afterwards, I had a complete breakdown to my parents and felt so terrible about everything. The session was only supposed to be $50, but she had tipped me extra, so I felt even more awful. I called and explained the situation, and my client was so gracious about it. I learned how to own up to my mistakes that day.
This session left me in the depths of despair- feeling inadequate, insecure, and unwilling to take on any other sessions ever again. I was ready to quit. But that spark of excitement about photography wouldn’t leave, so instead I did free sessions for a while until I felt more comfortable changing the settings on my camera, working with different lighting scenarios, and confident in how to run a session and interact with clients.
From there, I continued to grow and be more open to making mistakes and learning from them. I continued to push myself to improve my style and the experience i provided for my clients.
NOW:
This introduces my main point of what I wanted to share with this post: lessons I’ve learned throughout my journey that have helped me to get where I am today.
4 lessons learned:
Free sessions are key
The fastest way to improve your skills is practice. Shoot often- everyday if you can. For me, free sessions were essential to my growth. They gave me a low-stress environment to learn what a session looks like and find more of my style while expanding my client base and opening the doorway to word of mouth marketing.
Never give up, believe in yourself!
There have been so. many. times. When I’ve wanted to give up, throw in the towel, never shoot again. Imposter syndrome is real!! Social media doesn’t help. No matter how often you may feel your work doesn’t compare, remember that YOU, uniquely, individually, have something to offer to your clients- and it takes time to find out what that is. Mistakes happen. Picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and moving forward can be the best thing you do for yourself.
Invest in education
You can only learn so much on your own. All the significant changes in my workflow or editing style came from education I sought out. This education can come from workshops, conversations with other photographers, classes, ect- constant learning has been so important to my growth as a photographer.
Care about your clients love them!!
In the end, your clients are the ones who keep you in business. I am SO GRATEFUL for each and every one of my clients. They deserve the world, and I believe that treating your clients like royalty can be the greatest thing you do in your business. It will take you far, because everyone will remember how you made them feel and want to come back to you for that.
My path will look different from every one of yours, but I believe the principles shared can benefit everyone. Mistakes are an essential part of every journey, they help you grow. You don't have to be perfect, what matters is that you're trying!
Love you all MUCHO, and please reach out if you ever have questions about anything!!
FUN PHOTOGRAPHY FACT: The first EVER color photograph was taken during the U.S. Civil War! In 1861, a Scottish physicist revealed the first color photograph to the Royal Institution of Great Britain, combining three photographs of a tartan ribbon using red, yellow & blue filters. How cool is that?!!!
<3 Malia
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