Follow the Leader

We all need mentors. Whether you are self-taught (like me!), or have been through years of school, you need someone to lean on. Someone to chat with. Someone who will answer your super "dumb" questions. Or, in this digital age, someone to stalk study on the web. I happen to have SEVERAL of these in my business circle (yes, I'm a very lucky lady and I am fully aware). Since I have plenty of photographers whom I follow religiously on Facebook and blogs, I have decided to share the wealth with you guys.

First up: Rachel Vanoven Photography. This woman is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I actually found her through another one of my favorites (to be mentioned in a moment). Rachel is a newborn and family lifestyle photographer and mentor in Indianapolis. She started out just like I did... as a mom with a camera. What I love the most about this woman is that she has built a HUGE following for her business. As in, her business is so big now that she doesn't take new clients, unless they are newborns. Also on my list of loves about Rachel is the fact that she is totally herself when it comes to her business. Her Facebook posts are often very personal, she includes her family on her page quite a bit, and I kind of feel like she's just someone I've always known (Creepy? Oh well. It's the internet.).

Second on my list of "Follow them now"s would be Oh So Posh Photography. YOU GUYS. The colors. Oh.The.Colors. Massive inspiration here. Not only is this woman a mother and a photographer, but she is also a breast cancer survivor. You should seriously click that link there and read her story. Lidia is full of passion, and in the dog-eat-dog world of photography, this is incredibly refreshing to me. Another little funky part of Lidia is that she's from Romania, so all of her posts are written in this gorgeous broken-English dialect. It's beautiful, really. Elegantly beautiful.

This blog was one of my very first to actually follow and stick with in the beginning: Natalie Norton Photography. She is based in Hawaii and everything about her work speaks to me. It's so very raw, natural, and true to life. She uses very few editing techniques and was the first photographer to introduce me to the world of lifestyle photography. I found Natalie through the Digital Photography School (this is a GREAT place to find tutorials and get answers to questions). Just like Lidia's story, Natalie's just spoke to me. Heartbreaking and powerful. And real.

Are you recognizing a trend here? All mothers. All photographers. All very real people. My kind of people.

  While I have a Facebook news feed FULL of awesome photography sites I follow, those three up there are on the top of my list. I have learned SO much from each of them. Not just about photography, but about life in general. Life as a mom. Life as a business woman. Life as a photographer.

Are you on Instagram??? Follow me! This awesome image of my city was snapped while driving. Please don't tell my mom.