How I Became a Photographer!

I’m a mommy with a camera, and it’s often how it starts out for many of us female photographers.

Becoming a photographer was never something I aspired to become. Or so I thought …

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I remember being a teenager in high school trying to figure out what I wanted to become when I was “grown up”. I don’t know about you .. but it took me about 35 years to figure it out LOL .. SO How are we supposed to know that stuff when we are 16-17 right??

Anyways, I figured out that I really would love to travel, so off to Travel & Tourism school I went. A few years after I graduated, I got a job booking corporate travel. I did this for 10 years and was able to travel the world during my time as a travel agent which is what I had set out to do in the first place. Travelling made me discover my love for photography. Taking hundreds of photographs wherever I went. Thank god I discovered digital photography along the way. Developing film was getting expensive LOL.

During this time I also got married, and had son #1, Cameron. I enjoyed maternity leave and went back to work after one year. It was at this time I knew I didn’t want to do this job any longer, so the next best thing was getting a job with the Government, which is a go to for many canadians who wants a pension and good maternity benefits. After about a year I got pregnant with son #2 Noah, and went on maternity leave and after one year went back to the government, which by the way I hated LOL.

When Cameron was born, I wanted to capture his every waking & sleeping moments and freeze them forever. I also wanted to do it in style .. whatever that looks like when you are NOT a professional photographer. So I took lots of photos, and documented his life, and just kept getting better and better at it, because that’s what happens when you practice.

A little while after, a few people suggested I should take photographs for other people and make money doing it. I decided I would give it a try, WHY NOT!!

I created a quick logo, and build a quick wordpress blog site to include some of my portfolio and some portrait session prices. And that was the day I officially started my photography business.

If you guys are wondering why the C. in my business, Julie C Butler .. it’s because at the time my logo looked better with the C in it LOL = FACT!!

I worked full time and had a part time photography gig. Life was good!!

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It didn’t take me long to realize that there was NO WAY I could ever work this GOV JOB and part time photography gig for the rest of my life.

I am FOREVER grateful, that I took the leap, I was ALL-IN and didn’t look back!

So now you have it … I didn’t wake up one morning and decide to become a photographer, it literally kind of just happened. OR maybe it was the UNIVERSE that sent me the idea … and I listened, before I even knew the “Universe” did that kind of stuff .. Ha Ha!

I am a self taught photographer. Over the last 10+ years, I’ve practiced but I have also taken online and in person workshops. Which were game changers so much fun.

And THIS is how I became a Photographer!!!

It might have taken me a long time to figure it out .. But today I KNOW this is exactly what I am and was meant to do!

My mom called me not to long ago, and she reminded me that PHOTOGRAPHY was on that “list” that I created back in high school. See how life has a funny way of coming full circle.

What I know for sure, is that if you haven’t figured out yet what you want to be, IT’S OK!!!!

And if you have figured it out, and have a DREAM .. GO FOR IT!!

Stay Beautiful,

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