Why I started Portraya

Read about why I started a branding portrait side to my photography business

After fifteen years of photographing other people at different stages of their lives, from newborns and families, to weddings, I recently got asked for a headshot of myself for a charity project I was working on.

I spent almost an hour scrolling through my phone and realised I didn’t have a decent photo of myself, I was always the one behind the camera.

I ended up giving the charity a portrait from a friend’s wedding that took place five years before, that’s how hard it was!

I don’t mind being in front of the camera and often take selfies with clients or family, but I’m not used to being centre attention.

I realised that maybe I had been dodging being in front of the camera- It might have been my lack of confidence- gaining weight after two babies, having muted my dress sense or perhaps it was because I was always the one taking the pictures and no one ever took photos of me.

So last year I stepped out of my comfort zone and asked my friend Adam to take some portraits of me- as me. I chose a comfy outfit and a couple of my favourite jackets, no heels, and decided to just let my guard down. Even though I loved the idea of getting dressed up and getting my makeup done I wanted to present the authentic me.

Adam was aware of my insecurities because of my weight gain (after a year of homeschooling and neglecting my own needs),

Adam encouraged me to be myself and produced a beautiful set of images that really represented me and my authentic self.

When I saw the images, I was over the moon. I didn’t feel the need to retouch my skin or digitally skinnify (haha yes it’s a thing!) and didn’t feel that I had to conform to what society might think is pretty or perfect.

As part of this experience I have made a conscious decision to learn to love my authentic self, despite the pressures of motherhood and life. and its impact on my confidence.

This is why I love my work. I have supported many clients who have a low self-esteem and confidence by helping to instil a sense of calm and confidence in my photography and approach. Brides and Grooms always tell me that this is the reason they book me and I always receive a lot of positive feedback about this. This is why I started Portraya, my new Brand photography business. I want to offer this experience to other people, especially women.

Although I enjoy photographing men, my real passion lies in making women feel good about themselves, supporting them to show up online, confidently and authentically, to support business success or simply to have a nice collection of images of themselves. If this story resonated with you and if you would like to share your own story, I would love to chat to you about how Brand photography can help you up your game, in your business and personal life. Get in touch by clicking below.