We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Straw. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.
Christina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
Family photography has definitely moved from an overly posed family wearing perfectly matched clothes to capturing the emotion and connection between parent and child. Portrait photographers today want to see the giggles, the cheek smooches, the warm hug between mom and her toddler daughter. They want to capture the belly laugh as a father throws his son in the air or flips him over his shoulder. They want to see a couple dance together and steal a kiss between chasing their kids around a beautiful field.
While clothing has moved from every family member wearing white shirts and jeans, there still needs to be some guidance in clothing that is complimentary, not matchy matchy in colors that photograph well in the setting. There should be cohesion in the clothing among family members and it’s important to see movement in the fabrics. This enhances the overall look in the images. Portrait photographers today often offer clothing guidance or closets of items for clients to choose from.
Photographers want to get to know who they’re photographing. Whether it be through a questionnaire or a coffee meet up before the shoot, they want to get to know parents and kids personalities beforehand to ensure those fun character traits come through in the pictures.
You’re successful if you’ve captured that family’s personality in the candid connection. Family photography today is about the emotional storytelling of your clients.
Christina, 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 worked in corporate communications for 10+ years before realizing I needed something different in my life. I was feeling burnt out and not creatively challenged. I was ready for something new and decided to pursue a degree in photography. I had never taken photography in high school or college even though I had always loved it.
I studied full time at the Academy of Art in San Francisco before my husband and I welcomed our son in 2009. Having him made me realize I wanted to start my own business doing family and children photography. I started by photographing family and friends and my business grew word of mouth from there. I’m now starting my 15th year of photographing many returning clients and it’s always exciting meeting and capturing new ones!
I like to think of my approach as being “full service” – from the moment a client books with me, I set up a time to meet with them beforehand, get to know them and their family. I then provide guidance on clothing, have them select which one of my locations they like best, and send them info on the perfect timing (I like to shoot about an hour off the sunset) about a week before the shoot. I continuously shoot for about an hour and then deliver the best edited images a few weeks after the session.
I pride myself on being highly organized. Plus I want our shoots to be fun!!! It’s really important to me that my clients have a great time with me, with each other and forget that I’m there. I want to laugh and be silly. I want to capture so many special moments between family members and it’s such a compliment when clients ask me to photograph their families year after year.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
One of the most rewarding aspect of being a photographer is seeing magic take place in front of my lens. Even after all these years, I still get nervous before shoots. Sometimes when kids are melting down and parents are apologizing and worried, I can almost always pivot and get what I need. There are times when kids just need to run through the grass and feel the sunlight on their face and I make sure I’m there to get it. Sometimes a client wants to surprise her husband by wearing a t-rex costume and we do romantic poses and can’t stop laughing. I love to collaborate with my clients on ideas and make it fun for them. I love hearing how much they loved their photos and that’s the most rewarding thing!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think you have to have a level of professionalism and provide great quality images to your clients. I treat each shoot like it’s the first one I’m doing in terms of the level of service I provide my clients and I want them to be happy with the end result.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.christinastraw.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinastrawphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaStrawPhoto
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/christina-straw-photography-centennial-2?osq=christina+straw+photography
Image Credits
For the photo of me and my family, image by Sara Garcia