05/07/2026
I remember a long time ago when my career was young, I told someone, "I don't want to be a birthday party photographer" and wow have the times changed. At that point, I had just moved away from my 6 years at JCPenney portraits and I had a couple of terrible event experiences right in a row where I heavily undercharged, didn't ask the right questions and got taken advantage of. Both events happened to be birthday parties. I was frustrated and I wrote them off for a while thinking if that's how it was going to be, I'd do something else! But woops, I didn't have a clue what "something else" was. So I went every which way, saying yes to all manner of jobs and followed the whims of demand, all for the sake of money and gaining clients. I could go on for miles about why this was the wrong choice but instead I'll just say this:
At the end of the day, work is work. It can be taxing just like any job. But I knew that if I didn't start letting my own joy lead the way, I would never last. Demand and trends be damned, I HAD to do what sparked joy for ME. And now, years later, here I am photographing birthday parties and it's one of my favorite things to document! As a mom, birthday parties aren't just a celebration of your children getting older, they're a celebration of you and your own journey as parents. Growing older and wiser right alongside your kids.
And ya know, getting to chase a gaggle of littles around while they blow bubbles and play and run wild? There's nothing better. ❤️
These full circle moments can be so beautiful, don't you think?
