Well hello there! This is the 1st installation of Alex Beadon’s 7 Day Feel Good Blogging Challenge.

Welcome to the blog for Emily Beatty Imagery! I know there are about 3 zillion other ways you could be enjoying the Internet right now, so I’m really thrilled you’ve made your way here. I’m Emily, a colourful, glass half full, quirky and laid back portrait and wedding photographer, operating out of my home studio in quaint Belmont Village, right smack in the middle of Kitchener and Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. My mission is to create an environment where my subjects feel completely at ease being themselves, so truthful and genuinely joyous moments can happen in front of my camera.

I love all sorts of photography, but photographing faces is the common theme throughout my portfolio. Whether its documenting a newborn baby’s first days, dreaming up a vibrant new series of creative head shots, building a boudoir set, or capturing every moment of a couple’s first day as a married pair, I always strive to bring out people’s unique beauty. I am at my most fulfilled when I see somebody reacting with visible emotion to a photo I’ve taken. Long term, my goal is to open a luxurious studio designed especially to give women a once in a lifetime, pampered portrait experience.

Now they say a photo is worth a thousand words, so kindly let me share a few images of myself that will give you a much better idea of what my personality and my photography business are all about.

Photo Credit: Amy Foster of Fostered Photo

Photo Credit: Amy Foster of Fostered Photo

If I had to put it into words, I guess I’d say me and my brand are all about being yourself, living life to its fullest, and celebrating the unique traits that make you you and me me. I believe we all have the potential to be beautiful human beings because beauty is more of an attitude and a feeling than a series of physical traits. I also believe happiness is a choice, and something we can all achieve with the right perspective.

Want some fun facts?

~My fiancee Todd and I have been together for over 8 years, and love nothing more than reading in bed together on a Sunday morning.

Photo Credit: Amy Foster of Fostered Photo

~ My own mother probably couldn’t tell you my current hair colour, because it changes literally from week to week.

~My heart lives in Algonquin Park, where our family is very luck to have a cottage on crown land- even though I only get to visit for a few days each summer.

~ My bunny Ebenezer Rorschact Bunnicula lives in our kitchen and is spoiled beyond belief. He’s a brat and I love him.

~Despite my love for bunnies, my favourite animal is the giant anteater. Hands down. They are totally under appreciated for a creature with so many fascinating adaptations. There is an anteater hidden somewhere in every piece of art I produced during 4 years of high school art classes.

~ I look 10 years younger than I am. In a town with 2 universities I am constantly mistaken for an art student, and at nearly 30 years old, I still have to have my ID ready when I visit the LCBO.

~ I long to live in the tropics. I love Canada with all my heart, but sometimes I think I was meant to live in Hawaii. For now, I make due by dressing like I’m on a tropical vacation 90% of the time.

~I’m a really lousy housekeeper. I have good intentions, but my constant crafting means there are always stacks of scrapbook paper and picture frames and half finished paintings and jars of glitter invading our living space.

~My goal in life is for Todd and I to retire to a country estate complete with a library, a turret, a photo studio, and a water feature out back. I’ll spend my time with family, and creating completely unique portraits, and I’ll go swimming every afternoon. It will probably take me decades to get there, but I’m excited for the journey.

About This Blog

So what am I doing here writing about my hopes and dreams on a photography blog? Well I suspect that the only way to attract the kind of clients that will love and appreciate my work is to put myself out there. I know my work isn’t for everybody. Its very bold and bright and not for the faint of heart… or people that exclusively enjoy beige. I also know that the people that like my work, like it a lot. I take the time to retouch each and every portrait I share, and once you get used to having a professional editor on your side, its hard to go back! Furthermore, its not just the photos that keep my clients coming back, more importantly its the experience of having a custom photo session, and the way you feel when you see yourself looking polished and perfect in print.

It’s a bit of a leap of faith to hire a photographer. You’re putting your image in their hands, and you’re probably going to give up a chunk of change in the process. If you’re going to trust somebody to create memories of your family that could last a lifetime, you want to know you’ve got something in common with that person. Establishing a rapport with your photographer can go a long way to creating, relaxed, genuine portraits that reflect your true personality.

A year ago I started being a little more colourful with my online presence, and the more personality I share, the more I like the kind of clients that are finding me on the Internet. Now, the people that seek me out are almost always a good fit right from the get go.  I feel fortunate to have turned a number of clients into true friends in the 6 years since I launched my business.

The people that hire me are often other young professionals with an eye for design, fashion, or some aspect of the arts. Many are people that are falling in love, getting married, and beginning families. There are also a wonderful little group of clients that tell me, “I love how bright creative your photos are, but I just don’t have an eye for that stuff. I have no idea what colours go together or how to coordinate props- so I need you to come up with something cool for our shoot.” Regardless of background, all my clients come to me because they have something to smile about, and they want to document somebody or something in a way that is fun and fresh.

What really makes my heart happy is working with other offbeat and quirky souls. If you live life differently, if you’ve ever been called eccentric, or alternative, if you’re covered in tattoos or spend half your time immersed in some strange subculture, I’d probably love to work with you to make some one of a kind memories.

Back in March, I turned 29, and as 29 has always been my favourite number, I created a “Lucky Birthday Sale” to celebrate. Over the next 3 months, I was fortunate to work with close to 20 families to plan, shoot, select, edit, print, and deliver unique portraits for them to decorate their homes with. This sudden influx of new clients was one of the busiest times of my life, but also an excellent opportunity to gather feedback from people about what they really wanted out of a photo shoot, which products are the most desirable, and what the average young family in our community are willing to spend on a custom photography experience. Now its time for me to implement some of those lessons and take my business to the next level.

New individualized business cards, branded stickers, and most exciting of all, wall art samples are all going to help me increase the level of service I can provide for clients. Once people have seen their lightly edited proof pictures, they’ll select their favourite digital files to have edited and keep for future use. Even more fun, now they’ll be able to pull product samples out of a case during their sales session, and examine different mediums to find the perfect way to display their new photos. My photo products are all produced by independent, local, Canadian companies that know me and my work, and take care to get every single order just right.

I feel particularly good to finally have in my hands a standout product that I’ve been imagining for years. I’m proud to be the only photographer in town offering round acrylic prints. When I first requested these from my printer, the owner kind of looked at me funny and said they’d have to look into the logistics. When we looked at the finished product together all present agreed that the crisp, sharp, bright and modern acrylic format complements my style of portraiture perfectly.

My round samples are 12 inches and 16 inches in diameter, and they come ready to hang. A round piece of custom photo art might become a treasured focal point in any room. One day, I’d love to see a wall of these round “bubble prints” on a client’s wall. Round or rectangular, wall mounted or table top, wooden, canvas, metal or acrylic, EBI now has high quality photo products available to suit every client’s personal style and home decor. At last I’ve got everything in place to take people through a custom photo process from planning to presentation to printing albums and installing wall galleries.

If there’s one thing I’d like my readers to know, its that I’m incredibly grateful that I’ve found my life’s calling in making people smile. I think its very important to love what you do. Being a professional photographer in this day and age is anything but easy, but it is incredibly rewarding. Watching your families develop and grow up in front of my lens is a pleasure. Thank you so much for taking an interest in my work. I feel so lucky to have your support.

May your day be filled with sunshine and smiles!