Meet Stephanie Skipper

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Skipper.

Stephanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been interested in pictures. Every gift growing up was camera associated… even still today I have a metal tin of all the negatives I took while growing up! My schedule was full in high school and wasn’t able to take photography until my senior year. I feel in love with all the ins and outs of composition, film processing, etc… I did not pursue photography however, I studied biology and secondary education in college and became a high school science teacher. When my husband and I were getting married, I remember doing all the research to hire what we thought was the best of the best for wedding photographers, and they drove in from California for us. Once we started a family, it was family photoshoot after photoshoot for all the milestones with family images plastered everywhere in our home.

Eventually, I realized that if photography means that much to me… I better just do something about it! And that’s where Stephanie Skipper Photography started. So many photographers starting their businesses because they just love to photograph their children (which I love and that is special in their own right) but for me… photography and pursuing this passion… it’s for me. I have put in so much work to get where I am from online classes to YouTube videos, mentoring and styled sessions, linking up with other photographers, and even push myself to photograph things I wouldn’t normally think about to make sure I’m constantly learning. I feel like I am just barely starting to come into my own in terms of quality and I cannot wait to continue growing.

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?
Smooth road? No.. As so many, I have doubted myself a lot but what’s more if I’m being honest is the mom guilt. Spending time away from the family to pursue something of a passion at little to no financial gains in the beginning to just to keep pushing and learning was hard to push through. It’s when you have a talk with yourself and say how important is this really? How much happiness does this bring me? What is the reason I’m doing this? How much time and energy are we okay with me investing? I am SO thankful for my husband who has always been in my corner and supported my aspirations for this.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Stephanie Skipper Photography – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I have experimented in all sorts of sessions: traditional family portraits weddings, business branding, extended family shoots, events, seniors, real estate, couples, newborn, in-home lifestyle and boudoir… I will still dabble outside of my main focus and my favorites, that’s how I continue to learn and grow. My specialties however are families and couples. I love directing families and couples through a session. I love post-session when a new client takes that deep sigh and says: “Wow, that wasn’t what I expected” or “that was fun”. My style of shooting is very candid and playful. Traditional portraits are beautiful and serve a different purpose than what I choose to produce. The in between moments, to me, are more beautiful than everyone being stressed and starting the camera down with smiles. When my camera catches the emotion inside a person, that is everything to me!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future are just to continue to grow and learn. I believe it is very important to keep learning from others so I am constantly working with other photographers to gain insight and knowledge from them. Business-wise I wouldn’t say I’m the best at that side of things so I am really looking forward to being a little bit more proactive on that end and streamlining the process from start to finish of working with me.

Contact Info:

• Email: stephanieskipperphotography@yahoo.com
• Instagram: @stephanieskipperphotography
• Facebook: Stephanie Skipper Photography

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