We recently connected with Candace Howe and have shared our conversation below.

Candace, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When Covid hit New York City, I worked in healthcare and had to close my photography business down while we got things under control. From both sides, I saw how devastating this time was for mothers who had to navigate delivering their babies during a global pandemic and how it affected their entire experience. Once we were allowed to reopen I launched a campaign, UMI Campaign, UMI is Arabic for “my mother” to help women celebrate becoming Mother’s during this dismal time with a special maternity session just for them to remind them of the magic in motherhood and it brought joy to them and me all the same.

Candace, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a scientist by training and worked in healthcare for the past 20 years (yikes! That makes me feel all kinda old) my father was a photographer in his homeland of Jamaica and I always stole away with his gear as a child to practice. I took my first in-studio, maternity workshop in 2017 and felt the spark that let me know this is what I was supposed to do. I took a year to get the technical side just right and the business launched soon after. My focus is Maternity and Family portraits and I built my business to be a full service studio where Moms could have just a few hours to not worry about anything and enjoy being pampered and celebrated then take these gorgeous images home to enjoy for years with their little ones. I am proud of doing just that and working with other creatives building their own brands and businesses while helping other photographers realize their own voice in this medium. I would most want potential clients to know we are in the business of celebrating and supporting Mothers and their families through portraiture, Candace Howe Studios is a soft and luxurious place to tell their family’s story.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I live in Brooklyn and began practicing studio lighting in my small ground level, living room with low ceilings, a photographer’s nightmare! As I started to branch out into maternity and wanted to do model calls I began renting studio time all over the city which meant packing all my equipment (gear, lights, wardrobe, and props) in suitcases and paying for a few hours to get things right. I found out there were studios that offered photographers membership packages and that changed my world! You had a set space to host your models and clients, lighting equipment to practice on, and storage so you weren’t packing everything you owned with you every time you had a shoot. Consistency definitely leads to efficiency. From that membership I built my portfolio until I was ready to open my first studio space.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Comparison is the thief of joy and creativity. When I was a lurker of photography there were some photographers that I was just in awe of. I would look at everything they posted and marveled at their skill because they were these INCREDIBLE artist. Once I became a working photographer although I was only 1 year into it I was constantly comparing my work to them and would always walk away deflated no matter how much I was improving I kept saying “But HIS work is so amazing!” or “She is just so much more creative” and I was not allowing myself to just be proud of my own strides. I had a talk with my brother and he put in perspective for me, they had been fine tuning their craft for DECADES and here I was just dipping my toe in the water wanting to have what they put in the work for. Brothers are here for a reason I guess… As I focused on my own work and allowed my own creativity to grow I found my voice and got comfortable celebrating that and then one day the main one I looked up to sent me a DM telling me they see me putting in the work! It was a big deal not just because he recognized it but because by that time it was just the cherry on top of how I already felt about my own progress and self value. The real work is inclusive of you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.candacehowestudios.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/candacehowe_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CandaceHoweStudio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-howe-aa9403194?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Image Credits
All images Candace Howe Studios