If you’re anything like me, there are certain things you learn growing up that stick with you for the long haul. A big one for me was how to create an invitation for an upcoming event. There is a kind of formula that provides your guests with the essential information. Some of you may have learned it in school as the five W’s: Who, What, Where, When, and Why.
So here is my invitation to you! I want to invite you to allow me to capture some special moments for you and your family. This blog post is for you to learn who I am, what I do, where I photograph, when I’m available, and why I chose to start this photography journey. I’m hoping this information will build your confidence in me so you can relax and enjoy each session you book with Weber Photography.
Who: My name is Vanessa! First and foremost, I am a wife and mother to two toddlers born two years, two months, and two days apart. (That information may not be super relevant but I love numbers and find it super cool it worked out that way!) Being a mom has taught me so much about patience and understanding, especially when it comes to working with children. I know how important it is to create a comfortable and relaxed environment for kids to feel at ease, and that’s something I always strive for during my sessions.
In addition to spending time with family and my small photography business, I am in my fifth year of teaching music theatre voice at UW-Milwaukee. I hold both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and love getting back on the stage whenever I get a chance. I consider myself to be a forever student, constantly seeking out new information to be as knowledgeful as possible and enhance my skillset whenever possible.
What: My primary focus when I started this photography business was family photography because I was experiencing so many special moments of my kiddos growing up and wanted to be able to capture those memories for other families. Stemming from family photography, I created milestone packages. These sessions are geared towards everything from birthdays to senior photos and any other special events beyond the full family photo sessions.
Due to my experience on stage, I knew I also wanted to include headshot offerings. While teaching emerging professionals and being thrust in the industry, I am mostly drawn to actors and actresses but love seeing the parents from family sessions come in and hearing about their professions.
My headshot package offers recently led me to discover my love for branding photography. I enjoy the strategy that goes into branding photos and having a plan that I can stick to when going into a session. This is a fairly new addition to what I offer and I can’t wait to connect with more small businesses as this side of my photography journey continues to expand.
Lastly, it is a little known fact that I photograph weddings. On a personal note, I love weddings. I love attending weddings and being around all the joy and excitement a wedding day exudes. Because of the time commitment of photographing a wedding and the post-production time, I aim to only photograph 3-4 weddings per year but I have enjoyed tagging along with other photographers as a second shooter in addition to my own weddings so I can still get my fix of these love fest events.
Where: I am based out of Greendale, Wisconsin and ready to serve the Milwaukee area. With ties to the Racine and Kenosha area, I will often travel down that way for sessions as well. I am also open to expanding my travel further since I love to see new places and discover new hidden gem photos locations. And I will welcome any opportunity to visit my hometown of Appleton… maybe a mini session event there soon?!
When: Ideally, I like to book sessions about one to two months prior to the session date and I recommend getting in touch early if you have a specific date in mind. Alternatively, to serve families the best I can, I will take on sessions with shorter notice if I have the availability.
In addition to solo session options, I periodically offer mini sessions throughout the year. Join the VIP email list here to be the first to know about those mini session events. Most final galleries are typically delivered in 3-4 weeks from the session date with a guarantee to be in your inbox within 30 days of your session. Weddings tend to take a little longer and are delivered within 6-8 weeks.
Why: I’ve come to the realization that my memory bank is so chockful of song lyrics that I don’t have the best memory. Because of this, photographs are super important to me. There are so many moments I have experienced that I wish I could freeze in time so naturally, since I’m a girl who goes after what I want, I migrated to living behind a camera to catch all of life’s fleeting moments. I began a photography business because I wanted to serve other families in being able to capture and cherish their own meaningful moments.
So there you have it! I hope this has given you a little more insight into who the photographer is behind the camera and what you can expect when you book a session with Weber Photography. I invite you to get in touch here and let’s talk about how we can create lasting memories for you to cherish for a lifetime and beyond. See you on the other side of the lens soon!
