Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Rochelle.
Monica, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I always had a passion deep inside for photography, whether or not at times I recognized it. My Middle school had a fun photography class, that I was so fortunate to experience and learn how to develop film in a dark room. I remember taking film home every day and shooting anything and everything I saw. (I actually still have film from that era of my life to develop) As the years go on, life happens, I marry my high school sweetheart and we are blessed with 2 handsome boys. When my youngest was born, I had already bought my first DLSR and decided to do a newborn shoot of him. I immediately fell in love with the process of capturing those moments and from that point on, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this passion of mine. With the idea in my head and the will in my heart, I jumped right in, without a second thought. I spent hours upon hours of research, practiced on close friends, family and of course my very own children, who unknowingly became my personal models. Here we are today, 3 years of creative fun that I couldn’t be more proud of.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth road? Oh, how I wish that was the case. When I first started out, I thought all you needed was a creative mind and great photography skills, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
You are a photographer/customer service expert/book keeper/marketing director/social media whiz/branding chic/website creation person/CEO/CFO/and pretty much any other title you can think of.
It took every bit of not only my time, but my entire families. For a solid year if not more, our regular routine in the house was having no routine at all! As we learned how to be the best tag team we could be, it was a lot of trial and error to say the least. At night, my husband would put the kids to bed, as I would stay up all night watching videos, tutorials, courses, reading blogs and any online material I could get my hands on. I would get lost in so much information, sometimes I felt like it was mission impossible. I would schedule sessions and spend hours editing and learning new techniques. The nights felt short and next thing you knew, it was time to say good morning & good night to my husband, as he walked out the door for work.
I think the one thing that has given me the patients I needed for this journey, is that I had to remind myself daily, to RELAX and trust the timing of my life.
Please tell us about Monro Photography.
I want to take my photography journey down every chapter in a person’s life. I want to document not only the sweet day a child is born, but each milestone after.
Watching a family grow and documenting it along the way, has to be the most amazing moments, I get to enjoy looking back on. Here at Monro Photography, my goal is to meet with each of my clients, to get to know them on a level that helps create a session, based off their individual style. Capturing not only formal portrait shots, but also photojournalistic portraits, where the focus is on real moments and natural expressions.
Those are the ones that my clients will cherish forever.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Definitely would have surrounded myself with more individuals who have the same passion!
When I first started out, I was so lost. I didn’t know where to begin. I had lots of questions and made so many errors and I didn’t have anyone to turn to, that had answers. I was also super shy and a bit intimidated at all the talent out there. It was like being the new kid on the block, at a huge school, in the middle of the year. Umm. Help?
I later learned, that the community of photographers, were the most amazing folks to turn to! Everyone is truly there to support and help one another grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Monrophotography.com
- Phone: 281|789|8599
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @Monrophotos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonicaRochellephotography
- Twitter: @monrophotos
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/monro-photography-houston-2
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/monrophotos/?etslf=5108&eq=monro%20photography
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