Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to CAMILA MONTANHANI. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

CAMILA, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I was prompted by my husband actually to begin a photography business. So when I began to think about Living Notes in 2019, I didn’t want a photography business. I wanted to create impact. Making a photograph for me was more than just clicking a button or finding a pretty location or background. I began taking photographs and learning photography so I can document my children and our lives together. It already carried so much weight for me. Now that I was considering serving other families with photography, I wanted it to mean something for them as well.

Knowing all that I know now about starting and running a business, I would have waited. And it’s not because of the hustle only or the many moving parts of a business that need attention. It’s because of what I value, and all that I value more than my success as an entrepreneur and artist. I would have waited until my children were older because these very short years of their lives pass by too quickly. I let the stress of the hustle to grow my business steal my joy and peace and they paid a price for having a mother that was too frazzled and too tired to be present with them. I have guilted myself so much in the past 2-3 years for not having a bigger capacity to handle motherhood, homemaking and entrepreneurship, which has added to the weight on my shoulders. I am on my way to understanding and honoring the capacity I do have to juggle the many moving parts of my life and business, so that all that I value most are my top priority.

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?

Hi! I’m Camila. I am a family and branding photographer in Westchester county, serving the Tri-state area and beyond. I began my journey as a photographer, like many other mothers. I felt this urge to document my children growing up and all the little details of our lives together. Despite the challenges of being a new mom, I never wanted to forget what daily life was like with my child. As I fervently documented our every day, I began to notice that I myself was not in many of the photographs. It was this realization that, not only helped me get in front of the camera more, but that ignited in me a passion to give other mother’s new perspective into their lives and mothering. This passion grew into what it is today, Living Notes Photography. I want to give families “living notes”, physical documents/photographs that tell their real life story in a way that looked and felt like them. I want to help parents look back at their family photos and feel immense pride and gratitude for the life they are creating for themselves and future generations.

As I served family clients, many of the mother’s I photographed approached me about creating images for their businesses. This is how I began serving entrepreneurs. I took the same values and principals that drive Living Notes for families – authenticity, realness, meaning and purpose, into the branding space. The same passion I have for documenting each family’s unique story or season, I have to capturing entrepreneurs as their fullest selves and their behind the scenes of serving their own clients. Each arm of my business has its unique traits and workflow, but so much of what I believe and I want to serve my clients overlap.

My sessions with family are relaxed and in the comfort of home (for the most part). It is also centered around the family’s routines and rituals (every day or special one) and not just posing them at a location and directing them into games. I do a mix of all 3 allowing them to receive beautiful portraits that is all about their personalities but that also allows them to record their memories and every day routines so they can remember them for a lifetime.

With branding photography, I take the same storytelling approach. I focus not only on the lifestyle portraits, but also serve my clients with images that showcases their expertise, their client experience, behind the scenes workflow and also small details that make them and their brand what it is. For both family and branding, I love a holistic, whole person approach.

What I am most proud of is creating space for both families and entrepreneurs to be themselves. To give them an opportunity to shine. I’m proud of the collaborative nature of my work with both families and entrepreneurs. I am their both to guide them and to create a safe space for them to simply BE. I never want to center my work and the results around what I think it should be or what social media or Pinterest dictates. I want it to be unique to every one I serve. And I want their stories to be known. I have crafted a experience where people feel taken care of, they feel heard and they know they can trust that I am there for them and that I will deliver… what they hope for and what they didn’t even know they needed. I feel so proud to do what I do and give this experience to everyone who comes “through my door”.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Some of the books that have deeply impacted my entrepreneurial journey are Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon, Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller, Marketing made simple by Donald Miller, Finish by Jon Acuff and The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. This journey for me has been of learning who I am, what skills I have, and how to show up authentically. But, the most important I have found and learned from these books is the importance of showing with clarity and intention. So much of my work and my art is created by periods of rest and soul searching. And so much of my positioning and how I use the business knowledge I continue to acquire, relies on my vision and clarity.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I have not found some secret formula or tactic that works for getting new clients. However, my website, Instagram and referrals (word of mouth) have been the key areas that attract new people to me. Showing up consistently on social (which in my case does not mean every day) is definitely worth for me at the moment. As my clients return and share the wonderful experience and results they’ve had, they too influence the influx of new clients that come in. I am uber grateful for every single one who shares about me and my work!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.livingnotesphotography.com
• Instagram: @livingnotesphotography. @livingnotes_brands
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Livingnotesphotography

Image Credits
Portrait of me: Aline Mueller