Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Schoolcraft.
Emily, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am originally from Bellflower, CA a suburb of Los Angeles. Moving to Texas wasn’t something I ever thought would happen but in 2017 I found myself in San Antonio and honestly, next to the birth of my children, it’s been the best thing to happen to me. My parents had moved here earlier that year for my dad’s new job position and myself and my then ten months old son followed shortly after. In 2018 I met my husband, whom also had a son, and in 2019 we had our youngest son together. We moved to Cedar Park that same year. When we moved to Cedar Park, we decided that I would stay home with our three boys because daycare was just too expensive and me staying home just made the most logical sense. I was happy to stay home but I had had a job since I was 16 so being a stay at home mom was very, very different for me and I’d sometimes find myself needing something more. I had tried out different hobbies, seeing if I could find something I’d be passionate about but nothing really stuck.
One day my husband mentioned how he had an old DSLR camera and how he had signed up for this online photography course and had never even done it. I’ve always been very interested in photography but gear is expensive and I just never really had the money to invest. I started the course and right away realized that this was going to be something I really liked. I started by taking photos of my kids, my dog, and flowers. Then I decided I was ready to take photos of people other than my family. I did a few model calls where I took photos for free and started practicing editing and trying to learn my style. Eventually, I felt like I was good enough to start charging a bit and as I got better, I started getting more and more clients. As I did more sessions, I began to really fall in love with not only taking and editing photos but also meeting new people and their families and really delivering an experience that would be memorable and enjoyable to them. I never imagined that trying to find a hobby would turn into a career that I absolutely love. 2021 has been so good to my business and I’ve learned a lot about photography and myself. I can’t wait to see what the future brings my way!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to where I am now definitely hasn’t been smooth but I wouldn’t say it’s been crazy rocky either. Learning a new craft can definitely be challenging. I’ve had to completely teach myself something I knew nothing about including running a business. As you can imagine, starting out there were plenty of times where I thought, “maybe I’m not cut out for this”. I think my biggest struggle along the way has been learning not to compare myself and my work to other photographers in the area and just in general. I would see these beautiful photos and get so discouraged looking at my work compared to theirs, but I’d try to remind myself that a lot of the people I was comparing myself to had years of experience under their belt and that I’d get to where I wanted to be in my own time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a natural light photographer that specializes in family photography. Family photography includes maternity, newborn, family, extended family, and couples. My photography style focuses more on candid moments rather than posed portraits. For me, it’s all about capturing feelings and emotions.
I am most proud of the experience I create for my clients. I want them to look at their photos and associate those photos with enjoyable memories. When I have clients that repeatedly come back to me, I know I’ve done what I set out to do.
I think what sets me apart from others the most would be my editing style. I love to use warm, rich tones that are vibrant and stay true to the original colors of what I am photographing.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think with any business starting out, you have to take risks. For me, investing in equipment has been the biggest risk I’ve taken. Spending the money not knowing how everything is going to pan out is stressful. Taking that risk though was necessary in order to get where I am today so I’d say……take the risk!
Contact Info:
- Email: emilyschoolcraftphoto@gmail.com
- Website: emilyschoolcraftphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyschoolcraftphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emschoolcraftphoto
Image Credits
Personal photo was taken by Sawsan Williams Photography (smiling holding the camera) all other photos were taken by me.
