“My approach to all families is to have sessions that feel like joy!” says Emily Cannata, winner of the Elena S Blair Mastermind Contest. Cannata, who is based in the Austin, Texas area, is a natural light photographer who shoots newborn, senior, and family photo sessions. She recently participated in Elena S Blair’s Mastermind Program, which offers coaching, business strategy, and mindset lessons to help photographers overcome their business hurdles, grow their businesses, and achieve their goals – fast! (Mastermind applications for the fall season are open now. Find out about it here.)

Cannata wants her clients to understand the importance of having family photo sessions at all stages of your kids’ growth, saying “families with toddlers and young children are no different to those with older children (middle school and college). So often families forget that our big kids need to be captured just the same as when they were cherub-faced preschoolers.” Her ideal in shooting family photos is to have everyone fully engaged and participating.

When it comes to newborns, Cannata strives to celebrate babies “as they perfectly are—just as is—in your arms and in your homes.” Where others see organized chaos, she sees beauty.

Find out more about Emily Cannata’s approach to business in the bonus Q&A below. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Emily Cannata Q&A

How long have you been in business?

I have been in business for over a decade but have always loved photography and storytelling via the medium. Fun fact: I launched my business while pregnant with our 4th boy!  It’s been lovely to watch both of these babies grow and evolve alongside each other. Like many of my fellow photographers, my deep desire to preserve a visible, tangible, record of existence came from becoming a mother and starting our own family.   

What are the most difficult parts of running your own business?

No matter where I have been in my business journey, it always comes back to me, in some way, being the difficulty. This may sound odd, but I believe many photographers can relate. We tend to be our own “problem” as we stumble over our own feet. As consumers, we have been conditioned to accept fast and immediate results and successful outcomes. We often lack a true understanding of what long-term success honestly looks like. My years in business have allowed me to fail in some areas, learn some rather uncomfortable truths, but ultimately taught me what I know–consistency and community are key. Many of us are single-person operations, and we learn as we go. We must sort through the noise from our own heads and find routine, daily practices, and business functions that serve us better.  

Are you able to maintain a work/life balance?

At this point in my career, I would say yes, finally–on most days. A few years ago, I came to a realization about my own work/life balance. When we think of balance, we automatically go back to a visual of scales hanging in perfect alignment–a true and equal balance. That representation of balance is really not possible or realistic for many. 

For me, balance is pouring 100% of myself into what I am doing at the moment. When I am with clients, it’s all about them, their session, and giving them all of me and my devoted attention to detail and connection. When I am with my family, it’s their time to have all of me–work boundaries are in place and maintained. This has allowed me back my most precious resource–time. Office hours are dedicated time I give to my work. Family hours allow me to be totally engaged and an active participant in my own life. 

How do you establish a bond with your clients?  

As soon as possible, I find a way to make a connection over the phone. I know that feels foreign or intimidating, but I am chatty by nature and truly believe the sound of your voice conveys more effectively than text. By having these conversations, it gets my clients excited because I am excited about working with them. Connecting with them about where I have been, as well as where I am currently residing, as a parent is key and lets them have a bit of visibility into my life. 

In the call, as well as in follow up for session prep, I am very clear about how their session will run and provide details of what they can do to embrace the experience with their family. Follow through and follow up are key in maintaining the trust and bond that we so intentionally construct. While each season brings me new families, the majority of my returning families have been with me since day one.

As a thank you to our readers, we’re pleased to offer you a Rangefinder exclusive discount code to get 25% off The Portrait Masters course below. Use the code RF25 at checkout to redeem. This code cannot be used in combination with other sales.