Aunt Tonya

Aunt Tonya came to visit and help out less than a week after Rylee was born. She must love all of us a lot because she missed her sons and her husbands birthdays while she was here! It was great to have her here; she knew how to help without asking, she yelled at me to sit down and not lift things, she changed dirty diapers big and small and lets not miss that she took awesome portraits!

We decided to do a little Q&A on each others blogs. Find out a little of what makes Aunt Tonya tick! Check out her blog for some of Rylee's newborn portraits and my Q&A.

How many years have you been doing photography?
I've been photographing professionally for 5-6 years. Before that I took photography classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art. And before that I studied art and received my BA in art and design.

How did you get interested in photography?
I've always loved kids. And I've always loved art. Seems like a great combination for a child and family photographer, huh!

Aunt Tonya is normally on the other side of the camera but we did manage to snap a few pics of her.

Aunt Tonya and Rylee in her 'Mommys Little Monster' shirt.

What is your favorite age to photograph?
I really couldn't pick just one age that I love to photograph. I love variety so working with families, babies, kids, and high school seniors is perfect for me. I do have an extra soft spot for those 6-9 month olds because they are so expressive and can't get away from me just yet.

What is most time consuming part of a session/your job?
Book keeping. Taxes. Packaging. Yawn. Also trying to figure out how to balance being a mom and a photographer is tough for me.

What's the most fun part?
This is easy. Hands down: my clients. They are awesome. I LOVE getting to know them. Love watching their kids grow. Love capturing the important moments in their lives.

Aunt Tonya and Avery

Oh! Bright Flash!

So much fun!

How do you come up with new ideas for sessions?
Dreams. Catalogs. Songs. Commercials. Seasons. Kids. Landscapes.

Do you have a favorite season for sessions?
All of them! Spring is wonderful because everything outdoors is so fresh and colorful. Summer is perfect for the beach. Fall is gorgeous with the warm, rich colors. Winter is great for studio or my brave clients who book snow sessions. Again, I like variety.

Do you enjoy studio or outdoor sessions more?
That's like picking a favorite child. They (studio/outdoors) are so different and there are things I love about both.

What's one important thing you have learned since you started?
Luckily I haven't had to learn this the hard way but any type of professional photographer should ALWAYS have a backup camera and at least an additional lens. Cameras break, get dropped, and malfunction. Years ago at session, I accidentally hit a button and put my camera on timer mode. And I couldn't remember how to switch it back. It was SO nice to just grab the other camera in my bag and continue on with the session.

Thanks for everything Aunt Tonya!