I am kind of shocked that I am actually doing this job... I never thought I would be a photographer! I grew up wanting to be a veterinarian and had a heart for missions, but things changed along the way and by the time I actually got to college I had changed my mind! LOL … I still had a missions heart and hoped that no matter what I majored in, that God would use it. But to be honest, I wasn’t very good at "listening" to what God had to say... I heard him, that’s for sure, but I just chose not to listen. I was very distracted and because of it I ended up working a few dead end jobs and taking time off from school. I was blessed with my marriage and my child, but didn’t finish school until this past May. I know... Almost 10 years of school and guess what degree I ended up with??? Psychology!!! LOL I took a PSYC class as an elective in college and loved it, but after years of not knowing what to do and taking time off I finally buckled down and stuck with something. It fortunately does help me now in this business better relate to my clients and their children. Like I said before I have always had a heart for mission and especially geared toward children! I knew that no matter what degree I obtained, I wanted to use my life for missions. I tried this in various jobs, but never thought I could take my hobby of photography and turn it into my mission work.
When I found out I was pregnant with Liam, I was laid off from my job and was devastated! How could I have a baby and not have the income to provide for him? What was going to happen to our family? Would we lose everything? I didn’t know…and I was scared! Around the same time, I had reconnected with an old friend, Treva, who I used to work for as a teachers aid. I knew her when I was 17 and she was probably close to the age I am now. She was a mom and a teacher at a local mother’s day out program. I had NO IDEA that she liked photography at the time, but NOW she is a well-known wedding photographer in our area! I was shocked! How could this "mom" create such a successful business from something as simple as a hobby? I loved photography and had always been intrigued by it, but had always focused my career towards other things and didn’t get to pursue photography for much more than just that…a hobby. I had people tell me I had talent, but I never really did anything with it.
After reconnecting with Treva I felt like, “if she can do this, without having a degree in photography and start a business at home while being a mom, maybe I can?” I shared this passion of mine with her and told her how inspired I was by her story; and she was kind enough to allow me to participate in a class she was giving at a local church for others wanting to learn about photography and their DSLR cameras. I was so excited to finally be learning! After that I joined a local photography meet up and took classes almost every weekend! I also was so inspired by her business that I began building a portfolio with the goal of starting a business of my own. After Liam was born I had a great opportunity for practice and as I would post photos of my own son, I had other people interested in me taking photos of theirs.
Slowly I would get a new friend or family member wanting photos, but I will never forget getting my first “real” client! I was so excited and SOOOO scared!!! The last year and a half of trying so hard to grow my business, it just wasn’t really happening! I would get a few clients here and there, maybe 1 every other month, but nothing steady. I was so frustrated and wondered what I was doing wrong? Little did I know at the time, but God had other plans.
As a child I was diagnosed with Legg-Perthes disease, a hip deformity and suffered in pain for over 12 years before I was able to get a hip replacement. I thought the replacement would solve all of my problems and that I would finally be without pain, but I was wrong. I was in more pain than ever and was so angry with God for allowing me to have such a debilitating disease! This anger and frustration with my disability and with God hindered my relationship with him for years! I always thought my relationship with him was good and strong, but I had never fully given this part of me over to him. I tried to handle things myself and looked to surgeons, Drs., and medication to “fix” the problem and help me manage the constant pain I was in. Due to some crazy circumstances, the replacement cannot be fixed and I am forced to live with what I’ve got. This was NOT the answer I wanted!!! So, with my “I can do this myself” mentality I again tried to live life my way, and in all aspects of it. I think because I didn’t have control over how my body felt, that I wanted to take full control over everything else. I had always felt like God was walking right behind me, tapping me on the shoulder and whispering, “Renee, I’m right here… Just turn around and let me lead.” But I was too busy trying to do everything myself and I didn’t listen. I knew I was a Christian, Knew I was saved, but always kept him at an arm’s length.
It wasn’t until this past October that I finally after 4 years of trying to live life on my own, that I broke and hit rock bottom emotionally! I couldn’t live this way anymore, I hated my body, my life, the fact that my business wasn’t going anywhere and my relationship with my husband was not the best. Without getting into a long story and lots of details, God intervened and I believe he allowed me to endure a situation that would draw me back to him. But, I had to be broken completely in order to finally look up and reach out for his help. I was angry at first and mad that God had allowed another bad situation to happen to me, but I also was angry with myself and the amount of time I had spent away from him. After being fully broken before the Lord and not only confessing, but also giving myself over to him again FULLY… bad hip, pain, marriage, business and all, I finally began to heal emotionally. I decided to give this business over to the Lord and allow him to either use it, or direct me to something different.
It sounds crazy, but almost immediately, the blessings started rolling in! I found a new way to manage my hip pain without medication and Drs., my marriage began to get stronger, I found a support group to be a part of and met 2 other individuals who also had legg-perthes, and I felt again like my life had meaning! As for the photography business, God was working on my heart about what I really wanted RTB Photography to be all about. The business is my ministry! It’s my opportunity to share Christ with others through capturing beautiful images of his creation and also giving my talent to others. It’s also teaching me to trust God to provide for my family, to trust him to provide clients and sessions every month, and to trust him that the business will grow. I am also trusting that he will show me where to take the business, where to narrow my focus, and give me opportunities to use the business for His glory!
So far, Letting God be the CEO of RTB Photography, is working out VERY well! LOL Who would have thought! LOL… Just when I start to get discouraged, he’ll send something as simple as a comment on Facebook from someone who compliments my work. If I get worried about booking a session, next thing I know I’ll get a phone call from someone wanting to book; I have to keep reminding myself that If I am patient and keep trusting him to provide, that he will! And I am learning to be happy with his timing and to not panic! Almost every day God reminds me in some way that by following him, I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Even during my times of doubt, when I think that business is too slow and that I should look for another job, or when I feel unqualified to be photographing people and doubting my skills; he send me signs like the quote at the beginning of this blog entry… “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” This was written on a sign in front of a church in the town I live in. I saw it on the way to a photo session that I felt God was calling me to give a family who otherwise would never be able to afford a professional photographer. It’s amazing how he works! I was feeling so down about my skills that day and was so worried about the session, and after reading it, I felt such peace in knowing that God was going to show me the way in this biz.
I am now so excited to see how God is going to build RTB Photography and how he is going to use me for his glory! I recently was lead to a photography Facebook group where I found out about this awesome woman who wrote a bible study for new photography business owners like me. It’s called “Prosper: a 40 Day Prayer Journey to Seek Gods Will for Your Photography Business. The author Scarlett is a photographer who struggled with allowing God to lead her business and now has felt God leading her to share her struggles and encourage others who are also trying to build a successful photography business. When I found this I was like, “are you kidding me!!!!”… “This is exactly what I need and the type of study I have been looking for!!” I’ve had people recommend business books, but I was never sure which to read and thought they were kind of confusing. I’ve been looking for something for months without being able to find a good tool to use for guidance, so when I heard about this site and listened to Scarlett’s testimony, I knew it was what I was looking for and bought the book immediately. I purchased the book Sunday evening of this week March 4th and the Next morning I got an Email from Scarlett welcoming me to the website/forum and thanking me for buying the book. She said she was shocked that she had over 200 new subscribers and book purchasers since her initial launch the THURSDAY before!!!!! Again, “ARE YOU KIDDIN ME!!!” She had just launched the book and companion website only 3 days before???? Man, after months of looking for guidance, I was amazed at Gods timing. It was as if he was waiting for her to launch the site to give me the tools I needed to grow HIS business… It still gives me chills!!!!
Ok, this Blog has become much longer than I had anticipated and to be honest, I am nervous about pressing publish, but I wanted RTB Photography to be more than just a name. I want you to get to know the person behind the lens whose life you are impacting so greatly through allowing me to be a part of your lives and capture your family and memories!
Thank You to all my clients, friends and family who have been so encouraging to me through my struggles, and my successes. Thank you for supporting me and this business; for your kind words about my images and your love of my work. I couldn’t do any of this without you!
Check out the prosper community @ http://www.prospercommunity.com/
