Rising Stars: Meet Samantha Packer of Historic Downtown Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Packer.

Hi Samantha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my photography business from home in 2014. What began as just a side hobby to make a little extra money for my family slowly gained momentum, and I had a full-fledged business before I knew it! In 2020, right before the pandemic started, I knew I needed to move out of my house and into a commercial space. As it was, the business was taking over my home. Our living room was the waiting room, the master bedroom was my studio, another bedroom became prop storage, plus the side yard was my outdoor shooting space! I either needed to turn people away or grow to accommodate the building momentum. We found a beautiful property in historic downtown Glendale and put in an offer right away, which was quickly accepted. But, because of the pandemic, securing the property took several months longer than it should have. After the property was ours, it took another 6 to 9 months of renovations on a 100-year-old home, and we were finally ready to move in May of 2021. Since then, the business has been better than ever! I photograph newborns through their first birthday, offer themed holiday mini-photo sessions throughout the year, and have lovely clients that keep returning for the family-friendly experience they enjoy here at our studio. We also now have a full gift shop, supporting local vendors and having many unique gifts available year-round. One of the best parts is that we get to be a part of a fantastic business community here in downtown Glendale. We participate in and host several events throughout the year. Look us up on Facebook to follow along and join us at our upcoming events, such as Wizards and Wands: Day of Magic (in September) and Christmas Nights and Dancing Lights (beginning right after Thanksgiving and running all holiday season long)! Still, most of all, we enjoy decorating the entire property at Christmas time to add to the beauty of Glendale Glitters.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been a smooth road. I had a very steady climb in business, so I was able to adapt as we got busier. The hardest stumbling block to overcome was leaping to purchase a commercial property, and then on top of it– the wrench that the pandemic caused in our timeline. It all came to a head right when I bought the property, and all loans and paperwork got put on hold. That time was incredibly stressful, and everything felt up in the air. Once that finally went through, it was a ton of work restoring a 100-year-old building– bringing it up to code and making it functional for our needs. Ultimately, it all worked out for the best, and even though those more complex parts, it’s become the most wonderful business ever! I already love what I do, and even with the challenges we had to overcome in acquiring it, having the perfect property makes it even better!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in Newborn to First Year photography, but unlike other photographers, I offer something that families won’t find anywhere else. I photograph newborn babies before they are two weeks old, and then parents can join my Baby Club! This is a unique photographic experience that is only offered right here at my photography studio. Parents bring their baby each month to be photographed in different themes and setups, usually following the major holidays. We call this fun and unique club Capturing My First Year with Packer Family Photography, and the parents love it. When they finish their first year, we end it with a themed cake smash. I have a hundred different cake smash backgrounds, or we can create something customized for the parents’ dreams. It is so much fun to get to know a baby and their family throughout their first year, and, of course, families come back again when their next baby is born!

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The biggest lesson I learned from the Covid-19 crisis was that, as a business, you need to be able to bend and flex to survive financially. We had to make a lot of adaptations and put in new protocols very quickly so that we would retain our clients. We shifted to mostly outdoor sessions and put more time between sessions to clean and sanitize. During that time, I also learned that my wonderful clients genuinely care about me, my family, and my business. So many people were looking for ways to support me, even if they couldn’t physically come to sessions. Despite going through such a unique and challenging time, I felt very blessed and thankful.

Pricing:

• Themed Mini Marathon sessions range from 90-110
• Newborn sessions range from 150-500
• Birthday sessions range from 300-450
• Family, Milestone, Maternity and Individual Portraits are 150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://book.usesession.com/i/6MU9kdMwn
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/packerfamilyphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/packerfamilyphotography/ 

Image Credits
The first photo of myself was taken by Associate Photographer – Tracy Sarmiento. All others were by Samantha Packer.