I absolutely love being a Boss-Mom.
I answer to myself and get to spend time with my kiddos, as a result.
For me, it has always been this way. I don’t think I was made to be work under someone. I have always worked for family. I started at the age of 12 at my grandparents marina. Fast Forward 7 years and I was in charge of the place. When our oldest was born she acquired a little corner of the store where her playpen stayed. During the day when we made our rounds on the golf cart- she tagged along.
We knew we wanted something a little bigger for ourselves. We bought a house in Broken Arrow and began work for my in-laws.
Many people will tell you to never work for family. I don’t agree. Who has your best interest at heart more than your family?
I became pregnant with our second daughter in 2011 & found out that bringing her to work with me wasn’t going to be a possibility. I opted to stay home and find something that I enjoyed to do my part for income. I babysat for a while, but that was a test of patience. I barely want to be around my own kiddos when they throw tantrums- so why let some else’s spawns be the reason for my wrinkles?
More than a hobby
I have always loved taking photographs. I was the girl in school who spent every penny of her allowance and birthday money on disposable cameras or film for my little red fuji camera. My husband bought me my first digital camera for Mothers Day one year. Taking photos of our daughters was my favorite thing to do. I decided to give taking portraits for other families a shot and make a little side money while doing it.
As most women do, I compared myself to others and became my biggest critic. With my husband as my cheerleader and coach, I decided to branch off into the world of Weddings.
Our first Wedding
We booked our first wedding & will be eternally grateful to the bride and groom for giving us our start. For trusting in us enough to get it right. They are friends of ours, so it means even more that we were such a Special part of their day. It has been one of our most favorite weddings out of the dozens that we have photographed to date. Detail shots quickly became my favorite part of the day. I was able to go off solo and let my creativity flow into each shot. This wedding was full of personalized touches. If you want to check out the highlights from it—here is the link https://specialpixels.pixieset.com/kaylaandbarry/
Daughter #3
2016 brought us another daughter. We were so excited to do the journey all over. Older and more appreciative of how fast time flies. Determined to get the most out of every moment, we turned down weddings left and right.
Was it a set back? Absolutely. Not having the product to advertise with on social media platforms kind of put us out of the loop in the wedding community. I wasn’t going to give up on this. I was a girl with GOALS! A five year plan to allow my husband to quit his 8- 5 job outside of the home and be able to supplement his income with more Weddings and photography jobs.
We have brought our business game up significantly and have learned quite a bit in the process. I have had to learn things that I wish I didn’t. I thought life as a photographer would just be taking portraits, developing, delivering, repeat. Nope! There is a business end to it that I didn’t take into consideration. Man would I love to go back to school for Business and Marketing. I take every job as a learning experience & nothing for granted.
I am beyond blessed to have the support group that I do. From family, friends and repeat faces that grace the front of my lens. I am always meeting new people and learning new things about myself. I am a Boss Mom! Does that mean that my kiddos mind me all the time, not at all. I get to set my own hours and the world is my backdrop. I let my creativity flow freely & express myself through my work. Each job is different & there are never any dull moments.
