We recently connected with Christie Colvin and have shared our conversation below.

Christie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Before I started my photography business, I did years and years of self taught training, conventions and workshops, and hiring of a master photographer to help me learn my lighting system in my space and how to execute different lighting techniques and find my style. After that I began photographing family and friends, and then initiating model calls to get more practice with people I didn’t already know and work with a range of children personalities and behaviors.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Those who know me know that the arts and being creative is my passion. I am an analytical person, with my bachelors in biological sciences, minor in chemistry and my masters in business; however, I have always had a love for the arts and have used crafts, beading and photography as my creative outlet since my fulltime career was very non-artsy or creative in nature.

I got into photography after I had children and wanted to capture more meaningful portraits of my children after many failed retail studio and school photos. Taking my children to people who didn’t want to let them be who they are, didn’t work with special needs situations, or had the patience or listened to what may help capture the best image. I decided to start them myself and make a better experience for parents and children that I had not experienced.

Offer a smile, fun experience, goofy behavior from me, the photographer, and just an overall enjoyable experience that resulted in amazing photographs.

I specialize in fine art photography and offer an old world “Mona Lisa” museum vibe to my work, where I showcase a child’s portrait and expression with a more natural sense of self. If they want to smile, they can smile, if they want to look away, they can look away, if they want to be curious, they can show me curious. I try to find the child’s most natural pose without forcing them to be this or that and allow them to be themselves and capture that! It’s not the traditional school picture or selfie capture, it’s one of pure innocence, with a little bit of kid curiosity and showing their personality in the still of a photograph.

Although this type of photography is not for everyone and is not the norm anymore, it’s the beautiful type of artwork you could get from a photography service. The type of artwork you will have on your walls for a lifetime and look back at those cherished memories of who they are and in the future who they were. Heirloom type of artwork for generations to enjoy just as they do in museums today. An image that tells a story.

That is what sets me apart from other photographers. I want to create art, art that is memorable and valued, art that is personable and cherished. It is not just another photo from school, where the hair is messy, dirt on the cheek, or crinkled shirts and disheveled pants, or a red face from recess. It is a portrait of them being soft, calm, innocent, curious, and in their own world one that embraces them, of which is your beautiful child.

I have been most proud when parents tell me I have captured their child beautifully and that certain looks I have captured are ones they love and want to remember their children as doing, but hardly can ever catch on camera.

I am also proud that I am internationally published in an array of magazines for children’s portraits, including couture gown publications, that feature couture and lavish gowns, which I personally own as part of my studio collection.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

This is something I am currently going through, and yes, it can be hard and mentally draining. This past six months I have stopped doing photography to take a mental break. I had to close my big studio because expenses were just too much to afford. I also have a full time career and family to provide for. I was spending every waking hour not working at my studio and sacrificing my rest, my health, and my family time for my creativity and studio. Although I get much enjoyment and mental reprieve, I am a luxury photographer that not everyone can afford, although I do flexible options, offer a variety of products for all budgets, or truly enjoy the artwork that comes from the sessions. I am located in a small area and getting my name and work known has been difficult. You would not expect to find a photographer like me in Moscow Mills area, you would expect the big city or hours away to find someone who specializes in this work. Due to this, it was difficult to maintain a client base to afford my studio and the overhead of a large studio space, plus maintain my equipment, gear, lighting, and constant revolving of new couture gowns. I decided to take a break and reassess what I can do, want to do, and need to do at this time for me and my mental health and my family.

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

A lesson I have had to unlearn is that sometimes passion and will can lead to burnout and exhaustion. That sometimes doing something that feels so right in your heart may not make logical sense or be the best decision for you at that point in time in your life. It is a hard realization to have when you love what you do and that’s what makes you happy; however, when that happiness leads to stress that you can’t cover bills or draining yourself in every capacity to keep up with it to make it work, then takes a major toll on your mental and physical self.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.christiecolvinphotography.com
• Facebook: Christie Colvin photography

Image Credits

Christie Colvin Photography
Crowe photography (headshot)