Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Young.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always loved various types of art and I love working with kids. I actually graduated with my certification to teach elementary school, but it was during a time where there were a lot of teachers being laid off and it was hard to get your foot in the door as a new teacher. I received my first DSLR as my graduation present and I took a class to learn more about how to control the camera in manual mode. Not long after, my friend asked me to take her engagement photos and then I received great feedback from people. I decided to start my own photography business since I knew it was something that would allow me to do something I enjoy, but also something I could continue doing while being a stay at home mom once we had kids, since we planned on having our first soon. I worked hard to learn and teach myself as much as I could and I edit photos for my clients the way I would like mine edited.
I love capturing memories for people and giving them something to remember their family by at that point in time. It is so amazing to be able to see my client’s family grow from just the two of them to photographing their first born throughout the entire year, and then as they continue to grow their family! I love getting to see how much each child grows, changes, and how they develop their own personality, and how much they love their parents and siblings.
It’s exciting when my client has a new idea for their session and I get to try something different. I want to create beautiful images for my clients that they will treasure and that one day their little one will look back on and enjoy as well. It makes me truly happy when someone says how much they love their photos and how I captured their child’s personality. I am so honored when a client continues to choose me as their photographer each year and when they recommend me to their friends/family.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I haven’t had any crazy obstacles, just the challenge of balancing life/work…I have two boys, one that is 5 and in kindergarten this year and a 3 year old that is with me all day, they keep me quite busy so I am limited in the amount of sessions I book throughout the year. I try to make sure I always put family first, but still try to take care of business. Having a small business and being the only employee means wearing many hats and you have to handle everything from e-mails, messages invoices, quarterly taxes, your website, social media, advertising, props, prep, sessions, culling and editing photos and more! I am a WAHM (Work At Home Mom), which means I don’t get office hours and time away to get my work done or set vacation days, it also means with my kids at home I don’t get much time if any during the day to get work done. So after my day is done and the kids are fed, bathed, and asleep, the dishes are done and the house is picked up that is when I get to do my work, which means very many late nights. Luckily I am a night owl and staying up late runs in my genes, of course watching a show or listening to music helps too!
My tip would be to just do your best, it is really all you can do, make time for your family, friends, and take care of yourself…in the end you don’t want to miss your own family’s special moments, even during the days doing your routine and busy life, really take the time to watch your children be themselves, play a game with them, make them smile and laugh, and hug or cuddle with your husband, go on a date…it is so important to balance it all the best you can and as long as you are doing that and making progress in all aspects of your life then you’re good to go.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Caroline Iris Photography – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a photographer in Katy / Houston, TX and the surrounding areas and available for travel worldwide. I photograph pretty much everything except for large weddings right now!
{Engagements | Bridals | Maternity | Newborns | Baby’s First Year | Children | Family | Seniors | Headshots | Models | Sports | Business | Boutique | Misc.}
I am proud of my work and the feedback, hearing how much my client’s and their family/friends love the photos from their session and how I captured their child’s personality. Returning clients, their kind words, every ‘like’ and comment, and just knowing that they are enjoying my hard work brightens my day and keeps me doing what I love. I feel as though the photos I produce are my artwork and I do my best to provide images people can enjoy for a lifetime as well as hoping that one day their children may also cherish the photos as they look back. I also love anytime I am lucky enough to get my work published in local magazines, articles, local business websites, etc.!
I would say what sets me apart from others is that I really try and edit each photo the way I would want it edited if it was me in the photo or my family. I take out any distractions, whether it be your stray hairs sticking out, that blurred car or street sign in the far background, or that big wrinkle in your shirt. It is my art, I edit the photo so that it is still natural looking just a better version of the photo with distractions removed, skin softened, details preserved, and the focus is on you not some random spot in the photo, and this way if you decide to hang a canvas up, it will look great on your wall. You and your photos are not just a number to me, I don’t rush you through your session, and I do not rush through editing your photos. I look over each one with a keen eye and probably even remove distractions you or someone may not even notice, but as you have chosen me as your photographer I want to make sure I have done everything I can to provide you with professionally edited images of you and your loved ones.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I hope to one day, as my children get older, be able to focus even more on my business, offering more sessions, styled sessions, and getting to try all the ideas I have running around in my head! There are still a lot of different types of sessions I would love to photograph, such as a milk bath session, solo maternity photos in gorgeous dresses, close-ups of a creative make-up artist’s work on someone’s face/hair, and any other creative sessions, also any beautiful locations!
Many people ask me about doing weddings and I haven’t dived into photographing weddings much yet, that would be something I would like to be better at and have more time for later on. I would also love to be published more! I have had the opportunity to have some of my photos chosen for local magazines and business websites, which is always exciting!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carolineiris.com
- Phone: 832-779-1985
- Email (best way to contact me): CarolineIrisPhotography@
gmail.com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ carolineirisphotography - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
CarolineIrisPhotography - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
carolineirispic - Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/
caroline-iris-photography- katy-2
Image Credit:
Photos by Caroline Iris Photography / Caroline Young
Photo of Caroline and family by My Sweet Melissa Photography
Photo of Caroline with camera by Sweet B Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
