We recently connected with Heather Faber and have shared our conversation below.
Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I started photography as a hobby. I worked a full time job for the first 4-5 years of starting this business. After I had my daughter, I decided it was time to take a risk and make my full time career my photography business. It was the best decision I’ve ever made! I now make more than I did at those full time 9-5 jobs and I get to spend much more of my time with my family.
Heather, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always had a love for design, gardening and home projects. I am a holiday enthusiast and I will almost always say yes to a holiday-themed party or movie marathon. If there is one thing in this world I could not live without, it would be my daughter. She is my favorite person and my best friend. I met my husband when I was in high school and we got married when we were 21. He joined the USMC and our first duty station was in North Carolina. We met so many amazing people throughout that time. After 4 years, we got stationed back in Michigan. While we were back, we had our daughter and we were then hooked on being close to family. We decided to settle down in a tiny little village just outside of where we grew up.
When we moved out of the city, bought an old farmhouse and our farm grew quickly! We are huge animal people and we do plan on continuing to add on as the years come.
My love for photography grew while I was in North Carolina. I decided to buy my first “big girl camera” and photograph friends and family to practice. I worked in real estate while in North Carolina and my hobby expanded a little more. I began photographing homes, taking headshots and photographing my friends families. I eventually started taking on clients and my circle grew. That “little hobby” grew into my career once my daughter was born. I have been a professional photographer for 11+ years now and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon! From commercial/product photography to photographing a fresh babies first few hours in the world, I have been so incredibly fortunate over the years. I adore capturing true, authentic emotions AND even pretending to be a dinosaur to get a child to smirk in the direction of my camera. LOL! I truly have been blessed and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I truly believe that word-of-mouth is the best marketing strategy in this field. I do not do any marketing, but I believe my clientele has grown so much over the years due to how amazing my clients are. Almost every single one of my clients are referrals from other clients/ friends/ family that I have photographed. I absolutely adore all of my clients and I am beyond grateful for their continued referrals and business!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There are two main reasons why I believe starting photography has been so rewarding .I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people throughout my career. This has delivered so many opportunities for me, from trading services with other business owners to being able to take work-vacations with my family.
Another rewarding aspect is spending most of my time with my family. I have always wanted to homeschool and be able to stay home with my daughter, and I am fortunate to be able to do it all while still pursuing my own business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heatherfaberphotography.com
- Instagram: @heatherfaberphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherfaberphoto
Image Credits
Heather Faber Photography