I Love My Job || Southcoast Newborn Photographer Explains Why Her Job Rocks

I love my job. I love just about every aspect of it (doing my taxes is probably the only part that doesn’t thrill me). But that wasn’t always the case. I graduated Brandeis University with a B.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. While that was an extremely interesting major, being young, I never gave it much thought as to what I would do with such a degree after college. I was fortunate that right after graduation, I was hired by a computer software company and I received a lot of on the job training. After a few years, the company went under and I moved on to a telecommunications job, where I also received more on the job training. I was there for a while, but again, saw the hand writing on the wall and left the job before it went under. I returned to my hometown of New Bedford, MA.  For 6 years, I ran the computer systems and phone systems at Coastline Elderly Services.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I had some great jobs. And though I truly enjoyed my co-workers and was fortunate to have a job, I wasn’t fulfilled. In all of my jobs, I counted down to vacation time and Sunday evenings, I had a pit in my stomach.

After I had my first daughter, I was laid off from my job. I was actually thrilled about that. I was so excited to remain home with my precious baby. However, I eventually needed to bring in some money again. There were no jobs around. So this “crazy” idea I had had for years, one that I kept suppressing and telling to just “go away” wouldn’t be pushed away any longer. This crazy idea was to follow my passion for photography and turn it into a thriving business.  Crazy, right?  I knew nothing about running a business.  But man, I loved photography.  How cool would it be if this dream could be a reality? Since there were no jobs out there anyhow, I figured I had nothing to lose. So with a lot of excitement and apprehension, Miss Z Photography was born.

It definitely is not all unicorns and rainbows – there is a LOT that goes into running your own business. Way more than I had ever dreamed. A lot of days, I’m frazzled, my house is a mess and I think two men in white coats will be coming to get me.  However, it is extremely fulfilling. I don’t dread any days (well, I do dread days that I have to go the dentist…;-) ) I no longer count down until vacation time.  I just honestly love my job.

As most of you know, I specialize in maternity, newborn, milestones/first birthdays and older children. So for today’s blog, I’m going to share the top 10 things about newborn photography that make my job rock!

1.) I get to cuddle with teeny tiny babies! It’s my job to get these precious little ones into a deep sleep so I can safely pose them to create amazing photos. In order to get them asleep, I swaddle, and rock these little loves in my arms.
2.) I get to dress up these teeny babies. All of my practice dressing up my Cabbage Patch Kids and Barbie Dolls in the 1980’s has paid off! I get to choose cute little outfits, headbands, hats, etc., and coordinate them and put these adorable babies into them.
3.) I often catch these adorable babies giving smiles in their sleep.  Is there anything cuter than a newborn smiling in their sleep? I don’t for one second believe it’s gas.  To me, it’s a little smile from an angel.
4.) I witness the powerful love that exists between the parents and their new little bundle of joy. There is no fiercer love than the love a parent feels for their child.  Since I see these families in the first few days after birth, I am privy to this strong bond in all of its newness.  The parents are so tired and the moms are still hormonal so everyone is wearing their emotions on their sleeves.  It always moves me at how tangible their love is.  I then have the obligation to portray it in my photos.  It’s just amazing!
5.)  I watch as older children bond with their brand new sibling.  I grew up as an only child and always wished for a sibling.  It just melts my heart when I see the pure joy older siblings have for their new ones.  I’m in awe when my two daughters play and love on each other and it’s almost magical as I watch the sibling love take place in my studio.  From the youngest “older sibling” to the oldest older sibling, age doesn’t matter.  They have a new brother or sister and they are in love.
6.)  I capture fleeting moments in time.  Time is always passing.  Children grow very quickly.  But no time is as fleeting as the newborn period.  In a blink of an eye, a newborn starts to be more alert, gets chunkier and starts doing little things – following you with their eyes,  trying to hold up their own heads, etc.  Those first few weeks with a newborn are crazy – everyone is exhausted and adjusting to a new person in the house.  Before you know it, you no longer have a newborn.  So I have the special privilege of capturing precious newborn moments – ones that pass by like trees from the window of a train.  I create something that freezes a special moment in time for these families. It’s a huge responsibility but it gives me a lot of pride.
7.) I meet the best people.  I get to know my clients during the pre-consulaltations, the 3 to 4 hour photo session and the in person sales session.  I’m very fortunate that every single client I have ever met has been wonderful and a lot of them have turned into good friends.
8.) I get to hear birth stories!  I’m a huge “birth story junkie”.  I love hearing about others’ birth stories.  Each story is so unique but yet also the same.  I’m always in awe.  During my newborn sessions my clients and I often swap birth stories.  I never get tired of hearing about the miracle of birth.
9.) I make people happy.  I’ve always been a “people pleaser” type of person.  One of the best feelings is knowing I’ve made someone else happy.  I get to do this all of the time as a newborn photographer.  My clients get all teary eyed when they view the images I’ve created for them.  They leave my studio so happy and excited.  It makes me feel good that I was able to make them happy.
10.) I get to enjoy my own family.  My amazing job is flexible so that I still get to spend time with my girls and my husband while doing what I love.