Daily Inspiration: Meet Carrie Puschmann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Puschmann

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my journey in photography shortly after I had my 2 girls. I remember taking my oldest to a popular photography chain for some baby pictures, and I left feeling like they lacked any creativity or artistry, so I bought a good starter camera and started playing around with setting up different backdrops and learning lighting, posing, etc.. My daughter was my muse. This was a just hobby for a couple years until I was pregnant with my second baby. By that time, I had friends asking me to take pictures for them, and telling me that I should be charging based on what they were seeing on my social media. So, after I had my second daughter I started a business Facebook page, took photos of my new baby as well as some photos for a few friends and word started spreading. I was self taught for many years, I remember many nights staying up until 1, 2, 3 am living and breathing photography trying to learn as much as possible to get better at my craft. Back then when I started, there wasn’t as much information out there and readily available regarding newborn photography like there is now, so it wasn’t easy. During that time when I first started out I went through a pretty bad divorce. I was working out of a home studio, which was in the basement of my 1100 sq ft. home. My kids were 3 and 5, not in school yet, their dad wasn’t in the picture (at the time) and I was basically a single mother, running a newer business, and still trying to learn the ropes of running a business while also trying to learn photography. To say this was challenging, and emotionally draining at times is an understatement, but I pushed through.

Fast forward to today, I’ve been in business since 2010. I’ve remarried, my husband is an amazing guy who supports my business and passion for photography. I’ve been able to since open a studio outside of my home, invest in photography conferences, workshops and mentoring, and I can finally say that I’m in a place where I’m confident and happy with my work.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Although I’ve loved almost every day of my job, it hasn’t always been a smooth road, there have been many things I’ve learned the hard way and through experience, from what policies to implement with customers, to technical mistakes that can happen while shooting or editing, and the biggest struggle, for me personally, which has been time management. Working from home definitely has its perks, but it can also blur the line between home life and work life. So it’s important to schedule work time, family time and self care time.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in newborn photography, most of these sessions take place within the first 2 weeks of birth. It’s such an amazing opportunity to be able to capture this special time for parents as their little ones will never be this tiny again. I also photograph maternity portraits as well as baby milestones throughout the first year, and I just started shooting high school seniors outdoors again as my daughter is a senior herself this year!

I’m most proud of making it to a point where I’m 100% confident going into a photo session, there was a long time when I didn’t feel that way, but now I’ve reached a point where I’ve been able to not only feel confident about my own work, but also mentor and teach other photographers as well which has been really fulfilling. This past year I was asked to film a teaching video by a photographer that I’ve looked up to since I first started, for her online platform. This was a true full circle moment for me and something I feel most proud of.

I think what sets me apart is my attention to detail and the natural, timeless tones of my images.

What’s next?
Plans for the future? Eventually I would like to get a bigger studio and be able to hire an associate shooter. My current studio is a good size, but having a bigger space would really open the door to more fun lighting options and different backdrop sets. My dream studio would be in a downtown area with one of those distressed brick walls, and lots of gorgeous natural light.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://carrieferrisphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrieferrisphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrieferrisphotography
• Other: https://therachelvanovencollective.com/carrie

Image Credits
Magic Moments Photography (Featured photo)
Carrie Ferris Photography