Meet Christina Welling of Farmington Hills, Michigan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Welling

Hi Christina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
From a young age, creativity has always been a cornerstone of my life. My cousins and I would turn our home into a makeshift photo studio, dressing up and orchestrating photoshoots as kids. I was involved in dance, music lessons and theater because I grew up with a creative mother who was a church choir organist, music teacher, and high school choir director. Being surrounded by music, dance, art, and theater was second nature from a young age.

I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music education and later a master’s in educational technology. For the past eleven years, I taught within the public school system directing school-wide musicals, concerts, and talent shows and sharing my love for the arts with children.

Outside of teaching, my husband and I loved to travel. Our adventures led my husband to develop an interest in travel photography. He invested in camera gear and learned photography from YouTube. I quickly became infatuated with his travel photos and that inspired me to dedicate evenings to editing photos and learning the intricacies of Lightroom and Photoshop but it was just a hobby in my free time.

The turning point in my photo journey came with the birth of our daughter about a year and a half ago when we decided I would stay home with her while she is little. Over the past year and a half, I found myself frequently picking up a digital camera to document our daughter’s every move and found that I have a passion for lifestyle photography. My newfound passion then started to extend to photographing friends for the holidays. The joy and fulfillment I found in these moments led me to a pivotal decision: six months into my new role as momma, I decided to pursue photography as a profession. Never did I envision myself running a small business a year ago, but life has a way of leading us down unexpected paths.

Every evening and nap time has become an opportunity for growth. Every chance I get, I delve deeper into Adobe photo editing software, invest in mentorship, and hone my skills with a digital camera. Building a portfolio, designing a website, and dedicating myself to learning the nuances of photography has become my new reality.

And here we are—a journey that began with childhood dress up and evolved through a life immersed in the arts, travel, and the joy of motherhood. Today, I am proud to have transformed my passion into a growing photography business, capturing milestone moments for families.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

I’ve been very lucky, it has been a rather smooth road so far. except for trying to navigate nap time schedules and still care full time for my young child because she comes first. That has been the hardest to juggle while trying to start a business. There have been a lot of long nights and sleepless days in order to grow and start this business but that is all to be expected. I’ve had to choose between spending time with friends and family or working on getting ahead in my business at times. I don’t want that to always be the case because spending time with loved ones is most important but starting a business requires some short term sacrifices that are to be expected.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a lifestyle photographer in the Metro Detroit Area (Farmington Hills) but frequently also on the other side of the state visiting my in laws in Holland, MI and can travel for work.

I love capturing love and milestones, working with families, couples, children, babies, newborns and hearing everyone’s unique stories. I strive to make every session one of a kind. Every photography session I shoot I’m trying to create NEW art. When I’m editing photos, I think about the art that will adorn the walls of homes for years to come.

I offer unique milestone and newborn packages. I love incorporating props (some that I make or decorate) and coming up with a fun vision for each shoot! Think of it as unleashing your favorite creative Pinterest ideas!! I’m proud of all of my work. I put my heart into each session and client and really try to get to know them and what their vision is for each photography session.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I started by going to some free business mentoring classes at my local library. I was getting a lot of “Imposter syndrome” starting out and comparing myself to others that have been in the field for years. I felt a lot of the “am I too old to be starting out down a new career path” and what ifs… I let my passion for photography drive me to keep going

One speaker at the library said something that has really stuck out to me when it comes to the feelings of imposter syndrome and starting a business. He said ” Come from a place of curiosity with yourself, instead of criticism”. I repeat that to myself often. There is a lot to learn when starting a business and a new career path….adopt a growth mindset and just try to be better than you were the day before, that’s it! Dive into learning all the new things you are going to learn with a curious attitude and I promise that positive mindset will help guide you from day to day. I also limit my time on social media because we all know that you can jump down a rabbit hole of imposter syndrome when you consume more than create your own. So, I guess that’s an other piece of advice in starting out and always….create before you consume.

Pricing:

• $125 for mini sessions
• $175 for Senior Pictures
• $175 for Milestone Photos
• Newborn photography starting at $275
• $275 for standard private family sessions

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ChristinaWelling.com
• Instagram: @ChristinaWellingPhoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556687623138
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/christinawellingphotography/