1. Full name and company name: Heidi Ram, Heidi Ram Photography
2. Web site address:
http://www.heidiramphotography.com/
3. Why did you start your company?
Great question. I didn't go into photography with the intent to launch a business. I began to take it seriously while I was still in the corporate world. As I would travel through Europe on my time off, I became fixated on capturing the places I was seeing, and capturing locals. I would find myself almost ignoring the tourist attractions and instead sitting on a bench at a rail station looking for interesting people to photograph around me. A defining moment happened 4 years ago when I photographed my Pastor's family. When I met with them after to show them the images, the mom cried. She cried alot. That moment changed everything. I suddenly realized that capturing the love that people have for one another and SHOWING them the love they have for one another...is powerful. Let's face it: we don't always "feel" love for those we love and images are a good reminder for us of our love and of our life, the very things we value more than anything else.
4. What does your company do?
I photograph people. Lots of people. Little people. Just-got-engaged people. Soul-mate people. Just-got-married people. Pregnant people. Workplace people.1 and 2 and 3 year old people (my favorites!!). Big groups of people. "I-hate-having-my-picture-taken" people. Newborn people.
I love to photograph people in natural light, in outdoor settings. Not having a studio allows me to be inventive and creative, especially when asked to do a session in a home. I have awesome clients who are always willing to move furniture around or roll up area rugs to maximize the 'good light' areas.
In addition to photography, I work with clients to create artwork for their home of their favorite images. Or, if they love them all, custom design albums they can pass down to their children to help remember and relive this season of their life.
5. What's the best thing about being your own boss?
I used to say it was working from home, but now I'm not so sure because my computer is never far from me. For a photographer, the work really begins once the shoot is over. Downloading, culling, sorting, editing, blogging, backing up, burning, uploading, slideshowing...I could obsess on this if I allowed myself to.
I think now the best part is having more flexibility to do the other things I love and that are important parts of my life. I'm very involved with my church and have always been involved in serving the homeless and the poor. I'm thankful to God for the opportunities to serve in these areas which I can do because He has blessed me with a successful business.
6. What advice can you give to entrepreneurs that are starting out?
There is so much to say!! I really wish I had found a mentor early on, I think it would have saved me alot of mistakes, headaches, time and money. So my first piece of advice is to find someone who you can connect with from time to time, someone who is willing to share their wisdom and their journey to help you with yours.
Advice #2: Be prepared to work hard. Very hard.
Advice #3: Don't be obsessed with making money. Be obsessed with doing good work. Good work = money.
7. How do you manage family life and work?
I don't have any children of my own, but there are lots of children in my life between my sister and my friends. I love them all as deeply as though they were my own. In fact I've realized that the reason I love child & family photography so much is because I am fascinated with families and how they make it work. From the outside, it looks so easy! (moms: it's ok to laugh right now)
Seriously though: Balance is important, time away from the computer and camera is important. The yard and gardens have become my escape and help me refresh. It's physical work and requires attentiveness so there isn't time to focus on other things. The fact that I'm a terrible gardener helps because everything is always in various stages of being unfinished.
In the winter I LOVE LOVE LOVE to bake. The problem though is that I love to take pictures of what I bake, and then, oops... I'm unbalanced again.
8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Hmmm...I can't really envision that far down the future. I hope my life will have made an impact on some else's life, and that many more families will be able to relive today when they look at their images 10 years from now.
