Rising Stars: Meet Tess Thomson of Austin and Surrounding Area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tess Thomson.

Hi Tess, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have been doing photography for as long as I can remember but I decided to take it on full time and create my own business after my son, Braxten, was born. Braxten was born at the beginning of the pandemic and I knew that I wanted to capture every moment of that first year but I did not feel confident enough to take those priceless pictures myself.
So, I hired multiple photographers, some of whom are still my mentors today. I loved their work but a passion for this art form began to creep up on me and I began trying to recreate these shoots myself. Immediately, I knew that I could do this on my own and for other families.
At first, I tested the water with a few creative sessions but after the feedback I received, I decided that I was only going to do this if I went all the way in and jumped off the deep end.
I offer many different types of photo sessions; graduation, milestone, engagement, couples, maternity but my niche is with family/lifestyle photography.

Each time I work with a new family, it brings a new sense of joy back in to this passion of mine. I genuinely love capturing these priceless moments that would otherwise go with the flow of the day to day.
But, with my business, I am able to pause time with just a click of my camera and bring these sweet and subtle moments within a family, to life.
That is what keeps me doing this; soon these precious days will be just memories and when the memory fades, looking at a photo will be the reminder of how beautiful life was and always will be.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest challenge within my business is that I am a perfectionist. On top of that, I have a “type A’ personality. So, the most difficult part has been trusting my artful eye and remaining confident in my work.
Art is so subjective and there are so many skilled and amazing photographers out in the field today to compare yourself to.
Though I think that my biggest challenge is also my driving force.
Because I am such a perfectionist, I am taking every second to make sure that each photo is exactly how my client and myself imagined it to be. I am constantly learning new things, taking new courses, researching and practicing this art form; there will always be room for improvement.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in family and lifestyle photography. I specifically love capturing the candid moments. So, the moments that a family doesn’t even know exist because they can not look from the outside-in. I think these moments should be captured because that’s real life, that’s the everyday and pausing time and showing the family how beautiful and special those moments actually are, brings so much joy. My ideal session would be in the middle of a creek or open field, think Brushy Creek Park. Everyone in the family is barefoot and laughing, not even realizing that I am there. My editing style is pretty simplistic. I thought in the beginning that I wanted a dark, moody editing style but I quickly came to realize that, that will be a trend that eventually fades and I want my photos to stand the test of time.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned since starting my business is to not compare my business to others. Instead, I try to learn from them and gather as much knowledge as I can to further succeed in my own business.

What is that saying? Flowers don’t compete with other flowers, they just grow. I feel like I should get that tattooed somewhere because it has been my mantra this past year or so.
I follow so many amazing photographers and I have learned that there is room for all of us here.
There will always be someone who has a beautiful photo; beautiful photos exist al over our instagram feeds.
Instead of comparing my photos to theirs, I have learned to admire and find inspiration within their photo.

Like I said, art is subjective but beautiful all on its own.

Contact Info:

• Email: tthomson0514@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tess__thomsonphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tessthomsonphotography

Image Credits
Self Portrait- Courtney Henrichsen