We were lucky to catch up with Amy Cole Bremser recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amy Cole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
Am I happier as a business owner? Absolutely! But do I also sometimes find myself wondering what it would be like to have a “regular” job? Occasionally. However, I find that building something for yourself is much more rewarding than being in an office and building something for somebody else. When I was at previous jobs, I would sit at my desk thinking of ways I could be building MY business and I just felt like my time was so wasted spending my efforts day in and day out to make someone else’s business grow. I felt like my passion was truly in photography so everything else that I did felt like I wasn’t living the life I was most passionate about. That was when I knew I needed to jump head first into really building my dreams with my photography business.
Being a business owner comes with a lot of things that nobody warns you about. Things like sleepless nights, so you can meet deadlines, answering emails and phone calls at the most inopportune times, sacrificing personal time to schedule things for the business, or waking up at 2am and wondering, “Hmm.. did I send that gallery out already or email that person back?” Owning your business is much more than a full time job. It’s not something you can just leave at an office and come back to the next day, it is something that sticks with you 24/7. You constantly have the business on an open tab in your mind.
I’ve also learned that everything is trial and error when you run your own business. What may work for one person and their business, may not fit the bill for your business. So sometimes I feel like I’ve taken seven wrong turns before I finally make the right one, but when that right one pushes you through a door that you thought you’d never pass, THAT is truly rewarding. You can’t let the little failures keep you from your big victories!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Amy Cole Bremser and I am the owner and photographer for Photography by Amy Cole! I’ve always had a love for photography and grew up with a camera in my hand almost at all times. I got into the fashion industry when I was 18 as a print and runway model and always found myself more interested in what was going on behind the camera while I was in front of it! I started getting more serious about my own photography and soon found myself photographing people and events more and more. After graduating college I couldn’t shake the feeling that photography was just something that I was born to do! So in 2017 I started my photography business (which was a totally different vision than where I am now, thankful for the growth over the years) and I’ve been photographing ever since!
Photography by Amy Cole is all about making people feel confident, beautiful and care free in front of the camera. My primary clientele is High School seniors (which I call my influencers), families, and other content creators (such as realtors, influencers and other brand/business owners)! A photoshoot with me is much more than just taking pictures. It’s an experience! I’m my clients biggest hype girl and best friend by the end of a session! I want the people in front of my camera to walk away feeling confident, empowered, and excited!
My brand is primarily natural light photography in fun, creative, and beautiful outdoor locations! I’ve shot all over the Houston and Galveston and am often running up and down Highway 59 and I-45 scouting new locations and working with clients all over the Houston area and beyond. I’ve photographed everything from my high school seniors, to top selling real estate agents for magazines and social media, and even Miss Texas contestants! Nothing makes me happier than seeing my awesome clients and my work on print, websites and on their social media accounts! Especially hearing later how happy my clients are when they see the final results of what we’ve created together.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The biggest goal I have with my creative journey is making people feel good about themselves and feel beautiful and confident in their own skin. I love creating images that are both creative and beautiful. When a client comes to me with a creative idea it is EASILY my favorite type of project. I especially love my high school seniors because they always come to me with a creative idea up their sleeves! I love creating new and exciting galleries for my clients to enjoy and share!
What do you find most rewarding about being creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative, for me, is when I’ve delivered a clients gallery and the reaction they have seeing what we’ve created together. Often times during a shoot I hear my clients say SUCH negative things about themselves (like they hate their hair, or they don’t think their makeup looks good, or clothes aren’t ironed, etc.) and then they see their pictures and they are just in absolute awe. That’s what just fills my heart with such joy. The joy that I’m able to bring to others and the confidence that my clients feel after a session with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.byamycole.com
- Instagram: @byamycole
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byamycole/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-bremser-911523157/
Image Credits
Photography by Amy Cole
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