Around four years ago, Nicholas Winterer was born – and so was Leah Williams Photography. For those of you who don’t know how my photography business got started, I have a newborn baby and a good friend of mine to thank. My former teacher, coach, and now one of my best friends, Shelley, knew I had a “nice” camera (my first DSLR, a Canon Rebel) and asked me to take some photos for her when Nick arrived in April 2012. I had just gotten a 50 mm lens that past Christmas and had yet to use it. I also had yet to ever take my camera off Auto mode, nor had I ever taken pictures of anything besides cheerleading events and field trips and my dogs.
But I said yes. Because she was my friend, it was a good excuse to spend time with little Nick, and because I’m always up for trying new things. Of course, I had no idea it would turn into what it is today. The pictures could have sucked. Looking back, they do kind of suck compared to how much I have grown as an artist in the past four years. But they were enough to show me that I had some sort of little talent for photography and that perhaps I should pursue it further. So I did.
And now I have a business. I have a website, a brand, a voice. I have a portfolio I’m proud of. I have loyal clients that I hold near and dear to my heart as I’ve watched their families grow right before my eyes. And I have new clients that teach me something about business, photography, and life with every session. Oh yeah, and Shelley (and Jimmy) have two more babies. No big deal.
The Winterer family was blessed with twins, Andrew Martin and Emily Catherine, on April 19, 2016, and I couldn’t be happier for them. I had the chance to meet them a few weeks ago and also captured their newborn innocence with the camera lens while I was there. They are beautiful little humans and I can’t wait to watch them grow.
If we’re being honest, I hope my business continues to grow with them, just as it did with Nick. These two were the perfect reminder to reflect on my roots and to take a step back and appreciate how far I’ve come in four years. I’m blessed with so many things, and the ability to make money doing something I love is one of them. I’m blessed by the lifelong friendship I have with this family and I owe them the world for helping me not only find my passion, but also continuing to cultivate it. Thanks Winterer fam, this one goes out to you and your two little bundles of joy!
