Stockport Newborn and Family Photographers
How do I balance NC Hopes Photography vs real life? Do I balance work vs. life?? Having my own photography business in Cheadle, Stockport is challenging. I try to find a good balance but most weeks I probably don’t do so very well and my face probably looks just like my son’s above when I think the question over in my head. If you ask him he will say I am always on the computer or always on the phone. Mostly he is right and it breaks my heart he is old enough to recognise this. I put aside time to spend with him…even just this week as it’s half term….yet I still find myself getting drawn back to the computer, having to send emails, return enquiries or write a blog….and that’s whilst trying to have a week off whilst he is off school. BAD MUM I hear you say!
The balance with parenting, work life and home life feels impossible for most of us right?? Every day we muddle through and do the best we can, beating ourselves up in the process that we didn’t get it right…feeling guilty about what we could have done better or how we did or didn’t handle a situation. We should pat ourselves on the back more often though and tell ourselves that we are doing a good job and that it’s okay not to be a perfect person all the time or the perfect parent. After all, is there such a thing?
When I took a leap of faith to start up the business I was scared, petrified even that it wouldn’t take off or work out. I think I probably had my head in the clouds about how things would roll….I would advertise, I would get clients, I would earn money. Simples.
Simples not.
Hard work…if not obsession was required and hard work and obsession was what went and still goes in. But I feel like I’m finding that flow now. I’m starting to realise that it isn’t a race to an end point, but instead a journey I am on….and which I am learning on all the time, building knowledge and growing with every mistake I make.
I found this great diagram online today and I think it sums it up quite well what the reality of being a Photographer is vs. the perception.
What People think Photographers Do VS. What Photographers Actually Do
All those who are photographers will be well aware that photography is not your usual 9-5 job. You are always thinking about work….emailing in the evening or editing not to mention brainstorming and putting together ideas for your next session as well as trying to control your prop buying habits!! Your mind constantly wanders to work. The reality for a single person to manage all the above can be daunting. Some weeks I feel totally overwhelmed trying to cover every base, but then I meet the most amazing family who have come for a Newborn session and I totally realise why I love doing what I do.
I love everything about my photography business, the families I meet, the babies I get to cuddle, the flexibility that can come with having your own business. I think time and experience is teaching me that I need to now focus on time management, particularly with having young children of my own. Having time out and prioritising better to find that happy medium and to make things ‘flow’ a lot better at home! I’m not sure about you but my house often looks like it has been ransacked twice over and when you work from home that can be a huge distraction. It’s fine on the days when I am editing and don’t have shoots booked in, but my goodness I don’t half get myself in a flap when cleaning up after the kids in the morning whilst trying to get set up. However everyone with their own business will have their own way of managing their time and personal vs work life. Amanda from Amanda Haddow Photography is a newborn photographer in Victoria, BC. Please take a look at her site to find out how she manages her business and personal life. Click here for her blog. I will leave you with the following thought this evening guys, thanks for reading….
Recent Comments