Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Booth.
Joanna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story…that’s an interesting question. There’s so much that has built my foundation, so many things that have gotten me to where I am today. God being the direction of my life, molded by my parents, seasoned by the life experiences I’ve had.
My path has been unconventional by most standards. Meaning I didn’t grow up in one town, leave home, to get married and have kids which is how photography found me. It started in Queens, NYC surrounded by middle-class African-Americans living in the suburbs, going to a gospel church with heavy Jamaican influences and accents, and driving really far to go to private African-American and Jewish schools to get a better elementary education. It started with the sounds of the city, the hustle and bustle of traffic, the presence of unsafety, the love of my family, and lots of car rides. I remember the sounds of Mahalia Jackson on a Sunday morning, to the energy of Michael Jackson playing on the record. The beauty and structure of New York buildings, yet the contrast of grit and dirt of city elevators, buses, and subways.
My childhood shifts to the stark difference of being immersed in the South and all things southern. The number of times I asked people to repeat things because I couldn’t understand them. People telling me I talked like a Yankee. Going from an all-black neighborhood, to an all-white one. From hearing Jamaican and contemporary sounds of a Pentecostal church to the slow southern twangy hymnals of “that ole time religion.” From huge buildings to rolling hills and Main St. To the smell of really fresh air and nature; playing in the woods and riding bikes in the mud. All these have shaped my story.
In SC my love for music grew. I sang in the choir and won singing and piano awards in competitions. Then I started my journey as an oboist. I went to performing arts for music my junior and senior year of high school. Shout out to the North Carolina School of the Arts! It was where I loved me, loved my art, loved people that were talented and worked super hard at their art. My story didn’t begin here, but it definitely changed. I took photos of the sunset almost every morning. I would go and draw with a friend. I’d sing with opera folks. Jam out to techno to Deelite and rap with friends while listening to the Fugees. While in high school my dad died, which created another shift into everything that I had planned.
Fast forward 10-ish years later, I moved to the gorgeous state of Alaska, each morning you can feel the presence of God, because he comes out of the sky each morning over the mountains in the most radiant sunrise you can ever imagine. It’s so far the most beautiful state I’ve lived in. In Alaska, I started my business. I started off photographing babies when I had my son in 2010. But I didn’t know what I was doing. I was clueless.
My first session I probably charged $50. It lasted 9 hours over a two-day period. I did two more “newborns” (they were 2 months old) after that, and swore I would never do it again. It was too much. I did 4-5 weddings, and didn’t really like doing those. It was too time-crunched for my style. So I fell in love with engagements and families. I did that for a few years until a great friend asked me to do a newborn session. She begged me. I scrambled to figure out how to do it. I studied everything I could find. The session turned out really well. That client referred me to her friend, and so on and here I am today.
Great, 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?
I am a perfectionist and very type A…a quiet one, but totally type A. I am definitely hard on myself about providing a great product and service. I like to feel valued, and know that my clients like and appreciate what I do. So my initial response is everything was hard and challenging…but that probably isn’t true. Haha!
I worked part-time while I was in Alaska, so it was pretty easy going. I didn’t need clients, or money really. I just wanted to have a camera in my hand at every opportunity I could so I could get better. I feel I always struggle to get clients. But my portfolio may say otherwise. But that goes back to my wants and competitive nature to be busy and get better.
Moving to Texas in May of 2016, the struggle seems overwhelming at times. Being new to a state with no family in the area, no clients, no referrals, and going full-time is hard. It’s getting better…but it is a humbling experience. I’ve learned a lot about valuing my craft. I knew I could not subsist on doing too many sessions for free…or really low. When I first moved to Texas I was doing 4-hour newborn sessions that took 20 hours of editing for $299. It wasn’t sustainable.
There’s always a balance of doing something for free just because I want to practice and improve, instead of waiting for a client to value your art and pay you. I’m impatient. I’m also a pretty quick learner…a super focused learner too. So if I want to figure something out, I like to do it over and over until I get it, then I drop it like it’s hot. Hahaha! Seriously, I have a love-hate relationship with repetition. It’s not creative, so it doesn’t jive with my inner soul. But it’s necessary to get better…so it feeds my perfectionist side. This is why my logo says “Capturing Love by an Artistic Perfectionist.” Artistic perfection, is almost an oxymoron…but that’s where I reside. The astringent side of perfection balanced with the whims of creating.
But I realized I had to value myself much more. I had to value my family and provide for them. I knew I was talented, experienced, and worth it. In April 2017 I changed my pricing, and have headed in the right direction ever since.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Joanna Booth Photography & Sanguine Portraiture – what should we know?
Joanna Booth Photography specializes in newborn photography as well as maternity, birth, birth videography, fresh 48 and lifestyle newborn sessions. I also capture milestones such as 6 months and first birthdays.
Sanguine Portraiture is my newest branch of photography. I created it in February/March of 2017. I’m still developing this branch and exploring where this editorial/vogue side of me will go. I definitely want to keep it very magazine styled and serious yet sexy and empowered.
I don’t really know what I’m known for. My biggest portfolio is posed, newborns. So I’d say people now associate me with that type of work. I like my babies to have flawless skin. I want you to look at an image and feel as though you can pick that baby up from the computer.
I’m really proud of my work. I love receiving awards from people within the industry. That tells me that it’s not my family, friends, or clients that deem my work as wonderful. But professionals that look at wonderful portraits from around the world say that I’m doing a great job. Although I absolutely strive to make my clients happy and provide a great experience, a professional pat on the back is icing on the cake.
I was pretty excited to recently have two images place in the top 20 for the Sue Bryce Portrait Masters Competition- Newborns. https://suebryceeducation.com/award-galleries/
In January 2017 I was in the top 6 for the Child Photo Competition- Baby Boom Vol. 90. I’ve had several newborn and maternity images place as finalist of the Shoot and Share Competition in 2015 and 2016. The highest placement was a maternity image that placed 118/10,102.
Although Sanguine Portraiture is very new, I’ve had several images featured in two issues of Stubborn Magazine (The Dance and Royal Issues). I can’t wait to submit more of these images to magazines and competitions in the future
I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m very particular about things. It’s the perfectionist part of me. Clients have no idea what it takes to get baby fingers perfectly lined up and are in awe when they come to their session and watch me work to such detail. I believe in providing really great customer service, fast responses, being open to my clients whenever they need me, providing a really great product, and relatively fast editing turnaround times.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Hard work & networking:
I’m known to be a very hard worker. In music, in accounting, in photography, that’s who I am. However, a manager gave me a book about how hard work means nothing if you don’t network. I was shocked. I always felt that your hard work would get you. But it was true. People who don’t know who you are, can’t promote you. From there I tried to network. It’s not my happy place, but I do it because I need to.
Continuous Learning:
I am always learning. Whether it’s from in-person mentoring, online learning, workshops, meetups, or shootouts. I strongly believe that if you aren’t learning then you won’t grow.
Valuing Yourself:
I spend approximately 40 hours from first inquiry to finished gallery for every newborn client. This does not include birth, which can be 20 hours for the birth session alone. I value myself and my time so much more now. The toll it takes on my body, the amount of hand cramps I get, the times I miss a baseball game, family dinner, or scouting a location is figured into my time…which is reflected in my price. I have to be non-apologetic about it now, but the clients that choose me…get me!
Customer Service:
Customer service is everything. I respect each person’s family and their budget so much! If someone chooses me to be their photographer, I am overwhelmed with joy! All my clients get a little something extra. Whether it’s a take-home gift, an extra image or two, sample product, something. I love gifts…it’s my love language. I do that for my clients.
Once I had a client that was very sick. She needed to cancel a session. I sent her a gift basket from Harry and David (my favorite vendor for gift giving!) and she was super happy and felt better. My clients have access to me when they book me. They can call me with any questions, text me with any concerns or challenges, I am theirs. I genuinely love all of my clients, and want to make them happy. I want that relationship to thrive. I want to see their babies every year and their next babies. It is an honor to be their family photographer!
Pricing:
- There is a $250 session fee to book a session with me. This fee does not include digitals, prints, or products. My average client spends $1500 on their portraits.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4215 Astoria Manor Ln
Fulshear, TX 77441 - Website: www.joannaboothphotography.com www.sanguineportraiture.joannaboothphotography.com
- Phone: 907-350-3390
- Email: joannaboothphotography@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannaboothphotography/ https://www.instagram.com/sanguineportraiture/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoannaBoothPhotography/ https://www.facebook.com/SanguinePortraiture/
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