We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Bordeau a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

This has been huge for me! When I first transitioned into a full time photographer, I received a ton of help from friends/family. The first photoshoot I did was engagement photos for my sister and brother in law. Once I started to promote my business on social media and within my circles, a lot of friends and family that needed photos started to reach out to me, and I am so grateful for that. This helped build my portfolio and confidence in my skills in my first year of business. Still to this day I work with friends & family and it means the world to me. Getting to capture special moments like a proposal, engagements, wedding, maternity or headshots for friends & family is so special.

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 background and context?

I’m Melissa, an Austin-based wedding & lifestyle photographer. I’m passionate about capturing life’s special moments and delivering high quality beautiful images for you & your loved ones to treasure.

If you’re looking for photos that truly showcase the authentic you, you’ve come to the right place! My goal as a photographer is to make you feel at ease, enjoy the moment, and leave the session feeling like a total badass!

Working as a full time photographer has taught me so much. It’s taught me to slow down, to take a deep breath, & fully take in my surroundings. It’s allowed me to experience such unique and unforgettable moments & be able to create art for others to treasure for years to come. No matter what the subject is (whether that be a wedding, a maternity session, concert, or headshots) I can promise you, I’ll be passionate about the experience. Being behind the camera has given me a whole new appreciation and lust for life. I am fully present each and every time I have my camera in my hand.

It’s safe to say, photography isn’t just my job, it’s my passion!

Photography services offered by Bordeau Photo:
– Proposal
– Engagement
– Weddings
– Headshots/Branding
– Portraits (Seniors, Maternity, Family)

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Ever since I remember I have been creating. I was very artistic as a child and always took art extracurriculars in high school and college. Being a full time artist/creative is so rewarding because it’s truly how I show up as my best self.

I love finding the beauty in each and every moment and person I interact with and then to show them the photos, it really is so powerful. I have started a session with a client that is super camera shy, for example, and by the end of the session they’re in awe of how they look and I witness this sense of confidence come over them. The most rewarding part of my creative career is being able to show others how beautiful they truly are. My goal in each session is to connect with my subjects and get them to come out of their shell, show their genuine smile and laughter and allow them the space to truly be themselves. That’s where the magic happens and that is what I find so rewarding.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I use Honeybook so I can easily answer that question as every time I get a new client I add that information into Honeybook and can pull data of where I am getting my leads from. My number 1 lead source is repeat clients which I am so proud of! Number 2 is Instagram.

Contact Info:

• Website: bordeauphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bordeauphoto/