We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angelina Mitschke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angelina below.
Angelina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.
I offer a very personable, connection / relationship oriented, full-service photoshoot experience. I believe that a photo session should be fun, not added stress, so I do it all for my clients – I plan, organize and gather everything needed for their session based on their preferences and vision discussed during the discovery call and / or design consultation. This includes colors, backdrops, dresses (maternity clients only), poses, and props so they don’t have to do or worry about anything. Before the session, mom will get pampered by a professional hair and make-up artist to get camera-ready. During the session I pose and direct mom so she feels comfortable, and I make sure that she gets enough breaks to drink and rest as standing for an extended period of time can take a toll on pregnant moms. To show mom how stunning she looks, I intentionally shoot tethered, meaning the pictures I take go straight to my laptop so that I can show them to her as we go. After the session, I soft-proof the images and then invite mom (plus any guests she wants to bring) back for the big reveal. During this appointment mom gets to choose the images and print products she wants to display in her home, and eventually pass on to her child(ren) turning them into family heirlooms. Once the portraits are selected, I fully edit them before sending them off to a professional lab for printing. As soon as the order is delivered, I thoroughly check the products for any issues like dents or scratches but also for colors, brightness, and sharpness. If they pass my inspection, they are ready to go to their new home to be enjoyed by mom and her family.
During this whole process I try to be as personable and communicative as possible as I believe that having a connection with your photographer hugely impacts the quality of your portraits. It can be very intimidating standing in front of a camera, having lights pointed at you, standing there all alone, especially when you don’t quite feel like your normal self because of all the changes that pregnancy brings. So making mom comfortable and getting her to relax is crucial for memorable pictures and a great experience. I also want to empower moms, show them their beauty, and boost their self-esteem which is only possible if I have a connection with them that let’s me understand who they are, what they love (about themselves), and what they value so I can incorporate and highlight that in their images.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Angelina, wife to an Army veteran and mother of a son. I am originally from Germany, where I picked up a camera while studying law over a decade ago.
When we ‘retired’ from the military in Tampa, FL, I opened my studio, Big Pixel Creations, determined to learn from the mistakes I made the first time back in Colorado. I wanted to niche down and find a genre that excites and motivates me to give 110% every time so I posted a maternity model call. When mom came in for that session, she was friendly and open but I could tell she was nervous and shy. She got ready, and after putting on a dress specifically made for maternity pictures by a designer that specializes in maternity dresses, I could tell she was getting excited – she came out of the bathroom with a huge smile saying “I look like a princess!” With every pose that she nailed, and stunning image that we took, I could see her self-confidence rise, and I just loved that I could give her that experience. That is what I love most about my job, when moms look at their image and say “I look like a model” or when other people compliment them saying they look like movie stars or such because it makes an impact. I constantly educate myself, test new setups, attend workshops, and mentor with the best in the maternity photography industry to make sure I can deliver the best service, experience, and pictures.
Pregnancy and (early) motherhood is a special time in your life that will pass by in a blink of an eye. Maternity and motherhood photo sessions are the perfect way to preserve these memories, showcase the special bond between you and your baby, and give your children a glimpse into a time of your life they will never be able to see for themselves. As moms, we tend to shy away from the camera, thinking we don’t look good enough, or someday when we had time to work out, get our hair done, found the right outfit – but that needs to change. We need to create these memories and pictures for our children, and ourselves because time won’t stop just because we are waiting for the perfect moment.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
My mentor in one session said that my “superpower” is to see and highlight the strength and beauty in every mom I photograph, and while I don’t know if I have that superpower, hello imposter syndrome!, I’ve seen my clients cry tears of joy during their reveal because they loved themselves and the images so much. And that is a huge motivator and the most rewarding aspect of my line of photography. Being given the chance to make a lasting impact on someone’s self-esteem and make them see themselves in a different light and angle (quite literally).
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I don’t think you can unlearn imposter syndrome but instead learn how to manage it. Creatives tend to take their work very personally and are quick to criticize themselves or their work. While that can drive you to improve your workmanship, it can also wreak havoc on your self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Having a mentor or partner that reminds you of what you have already accomplished, positive reviews and regular self-reflection can help when those thoughts of “not good enough” creep in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bigpixelcreations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigpixelcreations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigpixelcreationsllc