Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney Smith.
Hi Brittney, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Never in a million years did I think anyone would be interested in my story — while it is not linear it is important to me I start from the beginning. So, this may be long but it will come together in the end, I promise.
I had never even held a digital camera before picking one up for my first session.
My youngest sister got pregnant with my nephew in 2012 and out of NOWHERE I had this desire to take her maternity pictures. It was a feeling inside my soul I literally could not shake. I bugged her incessantly until she finally said okay.
We went to my favorite beach in Northern California where I’m originally from and shot for a few hours. I used a borrowed Sony point and shoot. I didn’t know anything about the mechanics or settings and not to mention composition or posing… none of it! I just shot my little heart out.
Most of those images I converted to black & white with the in house editing program on my laptop and to be honest, they are some of my most cherished images to date. I gained a good little clientele over the next few years. I was gifted my first DSLR, upgraded gear started, charging for shoots and thought to myself that this was something I could really do. Something that I really wanted to do professionally.
Fast forward three years my then boyfriend, now husband received a job offer that would relocate us here to Austin. So off we went. I had no idea how to move my business or how to get clients again. As we slowly started making friends, I’d pick up my camera here and there but it just didn’t feel the same.
Life happened as it does— between work, planning a wedding, adding another puppy to our family, buying our first house, actually getting married then getting pregnant I didn’t touch my camera for the better part of 3.5 years. I sort of figured my photography journey was over.
My son was born in March of 2019 and my life completely flipped upside down. I was miles from home with barely any support, my husband was back at work after only three weeks and I quickly spiraled. Between no sleep, support and just overall lack of taking care of myself my already fragile mental state took a turn for the worse. I lost it entirely— I hated myself. I’d sob uncontrollably when my husband left for work, I questioned my own existence and choice to become a mother. I would look at my son this perfect little bean and feel so sad that he was stuck with a mom like me. Quite frankly, I hit rock bottom. After about three months, lots of tears and a not so gentle nudge from family and friends, I made the scariest call of my life to get help.
If you hadn’t already guessed, I was diagnosed with PPD/PPA. I was prescribed some medicine and sought out therapy. It helped immediately I was able to live again and was able to bond so deeply with my son. Something I thought I would never be able to do. Right after that, I went back to work at a job I loved but only for about a month before we decided it would be best for me to be a stay at home mom. I left my job, pulled my son from daycare and started my new role. I had this romanticized idea of what it was going to be like and DAAAAAMNN was I wrong. Being a SAHM is hands down one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had ever. Everyone of my needs is put last, it’s thankless and there’s no breaks. It’s a 24/7 all day everyday job that you don’t get paid for. I felt myself slipping again. I became so wrapped up in being Sterretts Mom I completely lost myself and who I was. What was my purpose beyond being his mom? I needed something for myself that’s when my camera came calling for me again.
My sweet husband knew I was struggling and surprised me for Christmas by purchasing me my domain name. For months I worked on my website and decided I wanted to launch after my son’s 1st bday. Then Covid happened— how was I going to launch during a global pandemic? I was feeling so defeated. A few months had passed and one day, I completely had had enough. I threw caution to the wind and quietly launched my little business. What did I have to lose? Literally nothing.
While it was slow in the beginning, I was able to take advantage and learned SO MUCH. I’ve been so fortunate to fall into a community of really amazing photographers, creators and vendors here in Austin. I can not show enough appreciation for those that have been a part of my come up. You are all truly a part of my happiness and it is totally safe to say Photography saved my life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Between the uncertainty of my mental health and Covid-19, you would think that would be rough enough but cue Imposter Syndrome. We’ve all probably experienced it without knowing it or understanding it.
For a long time, my biggest struggle was me. I had the hardest time admitting to myself that I was good enough or worthy enough to call myself a professional photographer. When someone would ask me what I did, I would so badly want to look them in the eye and say with confidence “I’m a photographer” but literally could not do it. I’d fear someone would call me out or not accept that as an answer. It was terrifying. Not to mention constantly comparing my work and self-worth to others on social media. It’s a dark rabbit hole some days.
As time has gone on, I’ve learned to cut myself some slack and trust my journey even on the bumpiest of days. I’m learning to be kind to myself, show up for my craft and the photog community as much as possible. It also helps that I have some of the best hype persons around (Shout out to Austin Area Photographers Group)
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a couples/elopement/intimate weddings photographer I specialize in being present for your most special moments and capturing them for ever. I don’t want the posed “look at me moments—“ I want that reckless messy love. I want to be in the moment with you and capture it just how you remember it. At the end of the day, I want to help you see your most beautiful authentic self.
I’d like to think I’m most known for how I make someone feel in front of my camera. I aim to treat every client like an old friend or like someone they’ve known for years. I love to create an environment where there is absolute comfort and trust between myself and my clients.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Defining success is hard but I don’t look at in a monetary sense but for me personally it’s measured in growth.
I’m proud of all my work, even sessions from the very beginning as bad as they are technically. It shows my progression, growth and dedication to photography. Looking at work from when I first started till now and seeing the amount of confidence I’ve gained along with the so many new skills is a huge win for me.
The more I grow my business, master new skills and reach obtainable goals the more successful I’ll be and I’d love to think I’m headed in that direction.
Pricing:
- Portrait sessions begin at $300
Contact Info:
- Email: Brittney@sweet-b.com
- Website: Sweet-b.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/
sweetbphotos - Other: https://linktr.ee/
sweetbphotos
Image Credits:
Hannah Songer Photography Julie Amelia Mady Morneault Melanie King
