We recently connected with Heather Bush and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?
One of my very first clients was a wonderful set of twins! They were 1 years old and ADORABLE! I met their mom and dad at the Dallas Arboretum. Like any small children, we did a lot of singing, clapping, anything to get their attention. Oh and a lot of chasing, running around and doing everything we could for them to both look towards me at the same time. We left the session and I felt like I had captured some fun shots! As many photographers know, sometimes parents can leave a session and think…how did we get anything? The twins dad questioned what the heck I was doing and what I could have captured during our hour together. Now….over 12 years later, I see them throughout the year and we have a blast with whatever shoot we are doing. They have def become my family and some of my biggest Chunky Monkey supporters out there!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Like most photographers, my main push to quit my full time job and become a professional photographer was my daughter. But before her, the main reason for having a camera in my hand was my late grandmothers influence. Ever since I could remember, she always had a camera in her hand. As a little kids, it drove us crazy but as I got older and realized the importance of a photo. Now that she is done and the memories are documented for us, I could not be more grateful for photography and of course my grandmother doing what she did best.

I would hope that my clients see that I am passionate about what I do. It’s not just a job. It’s something that fills my heart. My love for babies, children and families is crazy! Being able to meet them, watch them grow up and capture all the little things as we go, is just amazing!

If you ask me what I am most proud of with my work is that it’s people can know that it’s not just a quick shoot and send it over type of business. I put 100% in everything that I do.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
99% of the time, my business is pretty easy! I have amazing families and clients who I adore. The biggest story that I had to come back from in my own way was when I had a family book, receive and share their images online with tons of love. For them to only go back and tell the bank that they paid for a service that they did not enjoy and never received the images. They left some horrible reviews about me and every word was untrue and miserable. It really got me down. After a few months of going back and forth with the bank and showing my signed contract, the emails between the customer and myself and the proof of downloading and sharing the images…I learned that certain banks will just refund so that it is a completed process. I had to remember to keep going, keep my head held high and do my job with respect for myself and my clients.

Have you ever had to pivot?
The biggest time in my career that I had to pivot in what I was doing was when I realized that I was missing out on my kiddos lives! Working around the clock all the time was not a good thing for me. So I made the changes that were necessary and put myself on a schedule. Learned that it was okay to say no when I needed to be there with my family. I learned that if I am the photographer for that family, it will work out the way it should for everyone. Now, I don’t miss a single thing for my kids and I continue to do my job and love it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chunkymonkeyphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chunkymonkeyphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100040303344904