We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Bernhardt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

It was 2017, I had been in the community education field for 12+ years and I was at the point in my career where I either pursue the next step and become a director or I stay satisfied in the job I had. I didn’t like either of those options and I just wasn’t happy. I didn’t have enough time at home and I didn’t have enough time at work. It was a constant battle that I didn’t want to fight anymore.

So I took the massive risk of quitting my nice full-time job with all the benefits to spend more time with my family and be happier. What pushed me to make the change was my grandma was aging in place at her home and she needed extra help. I knew I wanted to help. So, I worked as a preschool assistant 30 hours a week at a school down the road from me and was a caretaker for my grandma 10+ hours a week. I loved being close to home and my lifestyle completely changed for the better.

Financially, this was a huge risk as I had 2 small children to help support and more of the financial burden would fall on my husband. However, I knew if I didn’t make a change my mental health would suffer and health was more important than money to me. I also learned something very valuable about how you actually spend the money you have. You really start to look at the unnecessary things you spent money on just because you had the money.

Since I took the risk of quitting my job, I was able to start my photography business. This was not my intention when I quit. It just sort of landed in my lap when more families started asking me to take their family photos. With my previous work knowledge I knew what it took to build a business. I learned so much those first few years about being a sole business owner while working several part time jobs. I knew this was the right path for me and the risk was going to be worth it.

It hasn’t been easy but it’s so rewarding to do what I love and have more time for my family and friends. I am so grateful that I was able to take this risk and no longer be stuck in a job where I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family! Of course there are days where I think it would be so much easier to just leave for work and not have to worry about doing it all. To have that consistent income would be so nice. Those feelings don’t last long once I think about the freedom and flexibility I have. Those far outweigh the ease of having a 9-5 job.

Without taking that risk, I wouldn’t be doing what I love as a photographer.

Andrea, 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?

My name is Andrea Bernhardt and I am a self taught portrait and landscape photographer. I’ve always been the one to have a camera with me and stop that moment in time that I can look back on in 5+ years. People would always say oh I’m so glad you are here because I know you will get a photo of that moment.

When I’m photographing portraits of people, I think about creating a stree free environment where I can capture who they truly are. Most people do not like getting their photo taken because they don’t like how they look in other images taken of them for some reason or another. If I can capture their true smile and the essence of who they really are at just the right angle they can’t believe that I get that shot of them. I truly care about the client being happy with the image I create of them.

For travel and landscape photos people tell me that they’ve been to that same location and the way I capture it is simply amazing that they couldn’t believe I got that shot. I am an educator at heart and I always share with people how I captured the image or how they can stand a certain way or in a certain light and the image will change completely. I like to empower people to create their own images and be proud of what they can do. I am constantly learning and love to teach others about photography.

I feel the most proud of my creative work when people value and appreciate the images I create for them. When people acknowledge the time and effort I put into what I create it makes me happy. When they are happy, I am happy!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In the world of photography where everyone has access to a camera, I believe society as a whole undervalues the craft of photography. You wouldn’t tell a chef that the meal he created must of been because of the pan he used so why do people say that you must have taken a great photo because you have a nice camera. The camera is just a tool. It’s the photographer using the tool that creates the image. The lighting, the composition, the years of practice to be able to take that shot is where the magic happens not the camera they use. I would love society to appreciate and value the photographer for their knowledge and creative abilities. Also, asking a photographer to just come and take photos at an event for exposure does not value the amount of time and money they have put in to their craft. The biggest thing society can do is value, recognize and appreciate what it takes to create that image.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building an audience on social media is hard. There’s no instant gratification and it comes in inconsistent waves. I started building a You Tube channel focusing on travel and photography. I was coming up on my one year anniversary of starting the channel and I barely had any views and hardly any subscribers. I decided to create one more video and then think about trying a different way to share my knowledge and creative work. This video was different because I was creating the video for a friend who was going to Ireland. She knew I had gone there and wanted some advice. I worked really hard on the video because I wanted her to have the best experience and if I could help even a couple people have a great Ireland travel experience then it was worth it. Well to my surprise this was the video that took off! I then created a couple more which also took off. I couldn’t believe it. Sometimes you just have to switch your mindset to serving others.

My advice to those starting to build a social media presence is to think about how you are serving others. It’s also important to do it because you love it NOT to try and make money. It takes a lot of patience, continued perseverance and passion for what you want to share. Stay true to who you are and don’t try to be someone you aren’t. People love authenticity and want to know who you are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.photoquesttraveler.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photoquesttraveler/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhotoQuestTraveler/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@andreabernhardt
• Other: https://www.bernhardtphotography.com/

Image Credits

Personal Image: Kayla Maring
Other Images: Andrea Bernhardt