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

Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I’ve always loved photography. I was always the friend at every party in high school that had my little point and shoot digital camera. It just never occurred to me that I could actually take pictures for a living. Fast forward a few years when I was at a 1st birthday party for one of my friend’s kids, and I was there taking some photos of the family and party. Someone there asked me, “Would you ever be a photographer?” And when I replied, “I wish I could,” his simple questions of, “well, why can’t you?” really got me thinking. And I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I was home with my son at the time so this was the perfect chance for me to try to turn my hobby into a real business. I ended up throwing myself into YouTube videos trying to learn more about lighting, camera settings and poses. I asked some family and friends if they could be my models for some sessions so I could practice. I even made a new Instagram page just for my photography. After a few months of that, I launched my first website and somehow ended up getting 2 bookings within the week of launching! And as cliche as it sounds, the rest is really history.

Since launching my website back in August of 2021, my business has just been growing and succeeding more than I could’ve ever dreamed it would. I am so extremely grateful every single day that I actually love what I get to do, because I know it’s really so rare.

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 back background and context?

So I’m Steph of Steph G. Photography! I’m a New Jersey lifestyle photographer that specializes in maternity, newborn and family photography. I really got into photography all thanks to my son. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time and having already loved photography, I just couldn’t stop taking photos of him. I also knew I didn’t want to go back to my job as a court reporter so I had to figure out a way to be home as much as possible with him. And photography was the answer!

Like I stated above, I photograph families, newborns and expecting mamas! I love capturing motherhood the most because as a mom of 2, I know how it is to never be in the photos with your kids. We’re always the ones behind the camera whether we’re taking pictures of just the kids or of our husbands with the kids. So being there to capture the natural laughs and real connection is what means the absolute most to me.

Something that helps me stand out in my field is that I offer a client closet for all of my clients. I have a good amount of dresses for mom and clothes for babies or toddlers. My clients always tell me how grateful they are for this little extra perk because thinking of outfits can honestly be one of the most stressful parts of a photoshoot. I know this to be true because I’ve been there, and even as a photographer, I always have a hard time dressing myself and my kids! So I’m always offering a helping hand when it comes to styling for my clients.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

There are 2 main ways that I’ve been able to get clients for the past few years and that’s social media and word of mouth! Social media has played a huge role in my business, especially in the beginning. The way I would get clients would be by posting regularly on Instagram and by making posts in Facebook mom and town groups. So that really helped me start to grow and even now most of my clients find me through Instagram.

When it’s not social media helping me out though, my clients are really my biggest supporters. I love when I get the chance to meet every friend in a friend group because I get to photograph all of their newborns. Or when I get to photograph a cousin or sibling of a past client simply because they told them about the experience they had with me. I will forever be grateful for each and every one of my clients.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Honestly, the reaction that I get from clients once I deliver their gallery has to be the most rewarding part of the job. Yes, I LOVE actually having the session and laughing with my clients. But when someone says that they have tears in their eyes because of the photos that I took… there’s just nothing better than that.

A photograph preserves a moment in time and brings you right back to all the feelings you were going through in that moment every time you look at it. A photograph might also be the only thing you have left of a loved one that’s passed, which is why to me, a photoshoot might be one of the most important things you do. I will also always be in awe of the fact that the pictures that I take will be in my clients’ homes for generations to come. Now that’s pretty special.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephgphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephg_photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephgphotography.nj
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephg_photography