I would say that today’s post is a little something different, but it’s actually a LOT different! A photographer taking on videography if you will. I learned the basics of videography while at Hallmark Institute of Photography and actually really love shooting & editing video. The camera that I shoot with (the Canon 5D Mark III) has such amazing capability for shooting video! But I firmly firmly firmly believe that, like photography, just because you have a great camera doesn’t make the photo or video magically come out amazing. There is SO much I don’t know about shooting video (which is why I don’t take on many video projects), but when my good friend Zelli at Zi Photography asked me to shoot another promo video for her, I couldn’t say no and knew it would be a fun project!

Zelli & I have known each other since high school. We played soccer & swam together in high school and both went onto pursue education degrees in college. However, both of us ended up as photographers! We both started small photography businesses around the same time and it’s amazing to see the different routes we have taken. When starting a photography career, one of the most important things you can learn is that the earlier you specialize in a certain field of photography, the stronger your work will be and the more likely it is that your business will become successful. Zelli & I both started out, like many photographers, shooting anything & everything that came our way! But as our businesses grew, we have split in totally opposite directions. Zelli is an absolutely incredible newborn photographer. She has this adorable little studio in our hometown of Ellsworth, Maine and within the last year or two has really taken her business & talents towards becoming almost exclusively a newborn photographer. When I was filming footage for this promo, I got to watch her in action at a real newborn session of hers and let me tell you… the way she handles those precious little newborns is seriously incredible. Like I actually think she might have some magic tricks to soothe those babies right into the cutest little poses. For any non-newborn photographers out there (including myself), you know how difficult this can be. She has decided to completely give up wedding photography, take on a limited number of lifestyle portrait sessions, and focus her energy on her passion: newborns. While at the same time, as my business grows, I am working to focus my energy on weddings & couples. When Zelli shared this video yesterday she wrote, “In a business where you are creating art as your product, I couldn’t feel more strongly that you need to pursue only what you are passionate about.” I could not agree more! The only difference between Zelli & I is that we are passionate about two different fields of photography! I am so proud of how successful Zelli has been in establishing her studio in our hometown of Ellsworth and I can’t wait for the day when I have a baby for Zell to work her magic on :) 

So without further ado, here is the new Zi Photography promo!