My job is exciting! I click a button on my camera and then poof the magic happens and everything is done—NOT!!

The truth is, being a photographer is incredibly interesting and brings great joy and value to my life, but there is much more to this job than just clicking the shutter. Want to know what really happens behind the scenes, then keep reading!

EDITING

Duh- this one is pretty obvious. Okay, maybe it’s not obvious—I have no idea what non-photogs think of being a photographer. I strive to get my images as perfect as possible in camera, but the truth is that when you are working with little munchkins there isn’t always time for me to change my camera settings. Other times I have the perfect picture in camera but someone has a boogie coming out of their nose. I don’t want to miss a perfect shot because a kid needs their nose wiped for the 1,000^th time, as it is simply easier to make that boogie go bye-bye in post processing.

 

And checkout my blog post where I show you how I edit a newborn image! 

EMAILS/ADMIN WORK

This takes up SO MUCH TIME!! You would think the majority of my time is spent actually taking photographs, but in reality I devote an hour and a half each day to various administrative tasks like answering emails, creating blog posts, sending invoices, etc. Boring stuff.

PINTEREST

Why yes, I get to Pinterest as part of my job! It’s my job to take amazing photographs of my clients, but in order to do that I want my clients to be looking their best. Thus, I like to keep a current Pinterest account with “What to Wear” inspiration for all my clients. I also like to pin ideas for cake smashes and newborn sessions.

LOCATION SCOUTING

One of the most excruciating parts of the job. You might think driving around and checking out new locations is super fun times, but truthfully it is something I don’t especially enjoy. I always bring my model in residence to check out locations so that I can take his photo as an example to show future clients a particular local. My three year old model isn’t always so cooperative during the session, thus my opinion on this activity. When location scouting goes well though, it’s awesome and I love it. So I have a love/hate relationship with location scouting because I hate doing it but I LOVE when I spy a new locale.

IMAGE REVEALS

This is the fun part where I visit my clients after their session so they can view their full gallery of images for the first time! I get to do a show and tell of the different prints and products I offer and help families decide how they want to use their images in their own homes. I get giddy when families make their final selections because I love seeing my work printed and I love knowing their pictures aren’t going to die a digital death. I really love doing newborn session image reveals because I get to see the little munchkins again and usually they are already noticeably larger and more alert than during the newborn session. It is so cool to see how quickly and dramatically those newborn blobbies turn into babies.

MUSIC AND SNACKAGE

Picking out tunes on Spotify is a necessary and vital part of getting my proper editing groove on. My favorite playlist—“Now That’s What I Call Music” compilation. All the pop songs I grew up with in the 90s and early 2000s. Equally important to the tunes is my snackage. My favorite is Indulgent Trail mix (the one that’s basically 90% chocolate pieces and the remaining 10% is divided between raisins and nuts).

SHOOTING

The fun stuff! Me and my camera making it happen. Here’s a look at my gear, or you can check out my “What’s in My Camera Bag” for a better explanation of the goodies below.

H. Parker Photography specializes in newborn, baby and child photography in Trophy Club, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Ft Worth and Roanoke.