Today we’d like to introduce you to Falguni Patel.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in India. I have moved to the US like others for an opportunity with my hubby. Few years later, we started a family. Since then, the camera is my friend along with my hubby. I’m born and brought up in India. I moved here in the state before my marriage, but I have always been passionate about being a woman and how much a woman’s body is capable of. I was disappointed by the fact that India as male-dominated. The fact in India, where a girl child used to get killed breaks my heart, so basically with my lense I want to support women, want to capture a woman’s beauty and the legacy that they leave for their children.
When I became pregnant with my first kid, I truly realized how amazing the woman’s body is capable of. I was so stunned with the whole pregnancy as well as the birth experience. I was experimenting with my friends plus friend’s kids with my camera skills before pregnancy but during my pregnancy, I started taking the class “how to take better pictures” basically. I started playing with my camera and started taking pictures with actual manual mode. I did not have a professional camera back then but I made a very simple website and put it on Craigslist at that time. I got a really good response from that, which pushed me to the edge to get a professional camera as well as think about real business deals.
My business is all about helping family to capture this one of the most important times of their life. I created my business model in such a way that all of my clients go home with some kind of tangible artwork, that can be either beautiful artwork for walls or albums or keepsake boxes. I also want to provide timeless and classy pictures which do not fade with time so they look back. I’m very picky about my wardrobe choices for that reason.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No roads are smooth roads, there are always bumps & hiccups and that’s what is fun about the whole journey. I had so many struggles. I used to go to clients’ houses for the session. It was extremely time-consuming. I had to take the whole studio to people’s houses. Load the car, drive to clients home, set up studio, take pictures, pack up again, drive back. All of this sometimes takes 6-7 hours, plus I was not charging enough to be worth that time. At that moment, my kids were little, and as a mom with little kids, staying away for that long with minimal to no wages was so frustrating. So when we moved to a house, we decided to build a home studio and design it in such a way that all of my clients would feel comfortable. I have designated sitting-area as well as shooting. I also learned new techniques with lighting and shooting so I can provide better artwork to my clients. I’m learning new things every day to give my clients exceptional experience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a portrait photographer and specialize in maternity and newborn portraiture. When I get an inquiry, I always ask them why they like to inquire with us. I love to hear people’s responses. I get the response from people saying, “Your images are very elegant and timeless. You seem like milimistic still your image reflects the power and we want to remember us like that.” I m so proud to hear that.
As I mentioned before, I’m so passionate about being a woman and I’m so amazed how capable a woman’s body is. Every woman is beautiful regardless of color, shape or size. I am so much attracted to the pregnancy form of the body which God granted only to us. It’s a blessing and power. Every family/child/baby is unique and they have a story to tell. I want to convey that message with my images.
We are not an ordinary studio, we are a service-based boutique studio. If you hire us, we will help you plan everything. We have a custom wardrobe for our clients. You don’t need to lift a finger for anything and that is what I tell people when they call me for taking pictures. We don’t provide just the digital images which you can post on social media, get instant gratification and be done with it. We provide art along with digitals. All of my clients go with art pieces from their sessions. Those beautiful moments we captured can cherish them for generations. Think about it, do digitals have the same feeling as when you hold your beautifully printed artwork? After the first inquiry phone call, I probably talk or meet them multiple times to plan for the session. Each of our sessions are authentic and it’s curated with specific needs and that’s what makes us special. People are camera shy, in front of a camera anyone can get nervous including me, but by the time we meet them for the shoot, we know each other very well that they are completely comfortable in front of the camera. Few of my clients have come to us for years, I love to see my client family growing!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I’m just a phone call away. Reach me out with email info@iShaiPhotography.com or number 832-271-0004.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iShaiPhotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishai_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iShaiPhotography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqJrTLFAiE9XSDne1w8lJsw
Image Credits
Falguni Patel – www.iShaiPhotography.com
