Hello, Beautiful!

I’m so glad you’ve stopped by because I’ve got a very special blog post for you tonight featuring Catrina Earls of Catrina Earls Photography!

Catrina shot our first anniversary session, and let me just say firsthand, her work is incredible. From her eye to her editing, I’m absolutely in shock and awe at the beautiful moments she captured for us. I’m going to cherish these photos and everything they mean to me for the rest of our lives. They will hang on the walls of our future first home as the most powerful reminders of everything we’ve been through and accomplished in this first year together.

Just as sweet was the process of getting to work Catrina, who has the kindest soul. Her husband – who I can tell believes in her fiercely and supports her even more – was with her waiting on top of Craggy Pinnacle. Thomas and I made it to a point in the trail with a bit of a curve and a clearing and some gigantic boulders, and there was the cutest couple in puffy dark coats staring off into the fog. I knew it was them, and not just because of the cute Aztec print camera backpack Catrina carries! (I need one so I can be like her, please.)

Anyway, I knew because she immediately turned around with a playful smile and called out, “Wait, you mean didn’t hike all the way up here IN the dress?!” I knew we were going to have some fun with Catrina in charge, and that bright, playful spirit is exactly what your soul needs when you’re standing on top of a mountain in the middle of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I don’t know about you, but how I feel in a photo shoot completely depends on how the photographer makes me feel. I know that sounds so lazy or weak, but I don’t mean it that way at all. It’s the same as with a workout class: if your fitness instructor doesn’t set the tone with those first few breaths, what’s the point? When a photographer has the level of experience that Catrina has as one of the leading photographers in Charlotte and beyond, then it leads to an easy and kind confidence that helps all the poses flow that much more naturally.

Catrina made us both feel happy and focused on each other, giggling without thinking about it, naturally, instead of feeling like the legitimately awkward kids we all know we both are. Catrina’s cues were fun and easy to follow, and chatting with her in between different spots on the trail was just as fun and easy. She’s one of those people you’re truly thankful to have met within moments of meeting them, because she’s that genuine.

To help YOU get to know more about Catrina, keep reading for some REAL TALK Q&A down below!

Catrina’s Q&A SESH:

Q: How do you balance being a mama to 2 under 5 while working full time at photography and part-time at the Med Spa? Oh, and being a fantastic daughter, wifey, and friend?

A: Honestly, it’s a wild ride every step of the way. I always make sure that I don’t book anything on the kids’ birthdays or our anniversary. There are specific dates that are sacred to me and I will never choose a job over celebrating my family. Working part time at Sona allows me more time to expand my photography business, where my true passion lies. Growing up my parents always told me I could do whatever I wanted but the main thing to remember is to be happy. As long as you’re happy, that is what truly matters! And now seeing how my daughter has a love and interest in photography makes my heart explode. Getting to share something I am so passionate about with my kids is the greatest accomplishment with having a business. Showing them they can create something from the ground up and how it takes a lot of hard work, time and sacrifice to make things successful, to me is worth it. They know they need to work hard to earn a profit. But really without my in-laws being here near us, we wouldn’t be able to pull this all off. They step up constantly to help us take care of the kids when we have sessions/weddings.

Q: What’s one thing you try to do to lift up and empower other women, whether it’s women in the wedding or photography industry, girl bosses / small business owners, or just in general?!

A: I have really taken that community over competition very seriously. I love to be friends with other creatives because they are the best to learn from and better yourself with! I always try to engage with other women in the photography business, wedding industry and just girl bosses in general. I think taking a moment to write a note of encouragement or sending them a compliment is a nice little boost. I know when I receive those, it just gives you a good warm fuzzy feeling, reassuring you that you aren’t coming off as the hot mess you feel like while running your own business!

Q: Talk about something you’ve been through that has empowered you, and what you learned from that situation.

A: So this past June my husband and I were about 8 weeks along in an unexpected pregnancy. We had always talked about possibly having a third and then when it happened we were like OH CRAP but YAY! Well one of the hardest things I learned about owning your own business is that no matter what is going on in your personal life, you unfortunately have a professionalism you have to uphold. We were shooting a wedding in Asheville and I had a miscarriage. Right after the ceremony and before everyone sat down to eat. It was the HARDEST thing to go through, and considering the circumstance of where we were, it made it even tougher. I had a moment (thankfully) with my husband to get my initial disappointment and heartbreak out but then I had to go and put on a smile and finish up the event. Having to tell myself nonstop that it’s ok, the event is almost over and although I know that my couple would have been so incredibly supportive and focused on making sure I was ok, this was the biggest day in their lives and I didn’t want to take that away from them. Going through that, I learned that I am so incredibly fortunate for my husband and the support system he is for me. He is my rock and knows how to be there for me in any situation. Frankly he is my biggest fan and I feel like without him I wouldn’t be where I am today. Despite going through such a heartbreaking situation that is very taboo to talk about, I accepted the circumstances and have powered through to try to help other women out there who have experienced this loss. It may be viewed as embarrassing or unacceptable to talk about, especially when in a professional setting, but writing about the experience allowed me to open up a VERY personal side. And knowing the overflow of love and support from my friends, family, and peers empowered me. Allowed me to accept what happened and know that sharing this can help others.

Q: What’s your favorite part of working with your clients? If you had to pick just one favorite part. 😉

A: Oh this is tough. I think my favorite part of meeting and working with new clients is building that friendship. I love when I get to meet new, amazing people and am welcomed in to their lives. I have worked with many couples from engagement to wedding to having a family. It’s truly the biggest honor and coolest part of the job. My clients really do rock!! And if you flipped through my phone you’d see I have their numbers and are Facebook friends with them! (So personal thank you to everyone who has allowed me the honor to be part of their lives and their friends!)

Q: What’s the hardest part of doing what you do, and how do you handle that part of your job?

A: The hardest part of my job is when the season gets so busy I feel like I don’t get to see my kids as much. When I go to leave and my daughter runs up, hugs me and goes “MAMA I don’t want you to go,” Or “Can I go with you, PLEASE!?” It breaks my heart in a million pieces when they are crying not wanting me to leave. But when I get home and I can put my son to bed or have my daughter curl up next to me and watch me edit, asking me questions about the families or couples I have photographed is pretty neat. I try to know that if it weren’t me leaving to go on photo shoots, Id have to leave my kids to work a full time job and really I am very fortunate for the amount of time I do get to spend with them during the week. My husband is a rock star with having helped out so I don’t have to work a 9-5 job. For that I am forever grateful.

Q: What is one piece of advice for achieving your goals / following your dreams that you’ve always lived by or would encourage others to remember?

A: One piece of advice I could give is to keep pushing through even when things seem like they aren’t going the way you had hoped they would. I think as a creative and a business owner you always want the immense amount of success to fall in your lap. I mean, really, who wouldn’t want leads to just fall in their lap? But if you feel like you are in a plateau in your business then create little things to challenge yourself. This may really apply more for a photographer, at least to me. I create little situations that I force myself to photograph. I take my kids outside several times a week and snap pics. They are the toughest crowd to work with, but I find new tricks every time and can use those when I work with other families. Things that I am not really comfortable with when it comes to shooting styles, I try to teach myself with practice. The more I practice the more I seem to get better and then I end up having a ton of fun photos of my kids/family that I LOVE to share with everyone. So bottom line, when times seem tough, know you aren’t alone but keep pushing. You will have busy times and slow times but when they are the slows times, use that time wisely to better your skill!

Q: Okay, well at this point I’m trying to be your best friend right now. So, I need to know . . . what’s your favorite food, your favorite movie, and if you absolutely had to choose – although I know it seems impossible – would you be a mermaid or a unicorn?

A: Haha! So if it were up to my daughter, she would happily volunteer me to say a unicorn. Only because that is her favorite, but if it were me, TOTALLY a mermaid. This girl right here LOVES the beach. Some of my go to favorites are HOT WINGS! (NOM! hahaha!) Seriously though, I LOVE some delicious hot wings. I actually go to Flippin’ Chicken off Carmel road and let’s just say we go enough that they know us there! LOL. And I can’t have my favorite meal without my favorite drink, Peach Snapple. I blame my son’s pregnancy on that one. One day I just tried it and never looked back. It is my weakness. My favorite movie, hands down “Sweet Home Alabama.” You know when you have that movie you can watch a million times and never tire of it… well that is SHA for me! My husband thinks it’s hilarious since I’m originally from the North.