Sweet August Studios (Brittany Wassmer)
Arvada, CO
In business for 6 years
Fun Fact: I was once attacked by a group of 5 year olds in London while marching in the New Year’s Parade dressed as a tiger mascot. Yes, this really happened.
My photography journey started back in high school when my dad handed over his 35mm Canon to let me practice taking photos. I had that camera until it was stolen back in 2004. But that’s a whole other story. After that all I had was a point-and-shoot until after I got married and had my first child. Once I realized that this dinky little camera wasn’t going to cut it for my camera-snob self, I started saving for a “real” camera. I bought that camera just after my second baby was born. Originally I planned on using it just to capture my baby’s moments, but shortly after posting my images on my Facebook page, friends started asking me to take their family photos. I thought nothing of it until one of those friends shoved $60 into my hand for my service, and I quickly realized that maybe I could do photography and make a little side money. Fast forward 6 years later and I have discovered that babies and families are what makes my heart sing. I have four children now, some of them not-so-baby anymore, and it kills me that I don’t have every moment of their life documented. This is where my passion for what I do comes in – family. There is no other force to be reckoned with than that of the bond and love of a mother to her children. It’s fierce.
I first came across Stormy’s work a couple years ago and I was floored. I knew I needed to learn from her. I wanted to learn everything from capturing so much emotion in each image to all of her editing secrets. I decided to do a 1:2 mentorship last spring, and that began the change in my direction as a family photographer. It’s easy to feel like you’re in a rut, to lack inspiration, and to lose the ability to think of new ideas while shooting a family. I always tried to mimic Stormy’s editing style, but without sitting down with her for every image, it was difficult to feel that same emotion with my images. When Stormy announced she was creating All Heart I knew I would be joining in. I love that now I can come to watch her videos whenever I want, because with four kids sometimes life gets busy, and I can only spend a few hours (or sometimes only minutes) at a time learning these things. Plus this way, I can come back to them as needed.
All Heart Access has made such a difference for me, and I love how my images have transformed. I always intend to keep learning and growing, but even in just the last few months, my inquiries for families has increased dramatically. I no longer consider myself just a newborn photographer, but a family one as well. I hope to keep growing in this direction. I also hope to soon add video to my repertoire, using what I have learned in All Heart Access, as I know I would die to have more moving images of my babies when they were little. I want to bring all of this to the families who book me. I want them to not only love their images, but go back to them time and time again as their own children grow into adults, and I certainly hope that those images bring tears of nostalgia and love.
Imitation is the best form of flattery, and I intended to imitate the best in the industry, while adding in my own personality and style. This is why I recommend Stormy’s online course. It’s not just presets or “how-to’s” but also an in-depth look at her heart and her passion. It’s a re-evaluation of your “why” and how to get moving in that direction. It will change your photography and your business from antiquated to art. From run-of-the-mill to exceptional. There’s always going to be a thousand online courses to choose from, but I am so happy that I chose someone who truly wants to see me grow, and is willing to tell me exactly how she does it all.
