Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Rosa-Lewis.
Hi Brandi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
From the time I was about 8 years old, art was always an escape for me from a tumultuous childhood. I started with drawing and sketching, always focused on shading and light. Once I started Middle School, I also attend the local school for the gifted once weekly, placing in the top advanced Visual Arts Class with the help of my Aunt, who was also a talented Artist! Art in all forms, whether throwing on the pottery wheel, exploring watercolor, etc., I was always submerged in some form of expression. When I started my Senior year (1997), I signed up to learn Film Photography/Darkroom Development and I was HOOKED! It was the most immediately gratifying form of Art I had explored yet – I could not put my camera down and the darkroom was my new escape. From there, I graduated high school, attended 2 years of college at the TCC Visual Arts Center/Darkroom Photography and worked in various film processing labs. In 2001, I answered a newspaper ad for a professional Photographer in Buxton, NC, seeking an apprentice to train to photograph vacationing families during the summer. They were offering $300 weekly pay + room & board. For a 21 year old looking to move out from the parents house, it was a no-brainer! After the interview I was hired on the spot and soaked in everything I could over those 3 months! Beach Photography is definitely my main focus 25 years later, however, I have photographed just about everything under the sun!
As of today, I have a small in-home studio with an extensive Client Closet, catering to local Moms & families while continuing to photograph an average of 40+ extended vacationing families/single families during the summer months, as well as Special Events, Seniors, Maternity, Milestones, Glam, etc., year-round! My goal is to take the stress off of my clients so they can truly breath and focus on soaking in the fleeting moments and, as a Mom, time really becomes the most valuable thing that we can never get back. Through a TON of trial and error, so many mistakes along the way, lots of learning not only about Photography but about running an actual business, understanding what all is actually invested as it’s not just showing up and taking photos for 45 minutes, I finally feel confident in my skills and know that my clients are hiring me for my Art, my experience level and my quirky, boisterous personality! Being an Artist is such a personal journey because I feel like your work is truly a reflection of your Self. Not only has it been about self-exploration, but also about the unrealized desires of my families when it comes to serving them.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, as someone who struggled with self-confidence immensely, as a child and into adulthood. I was artistically stunted for years out of fear of failure, I charged very little and was very burnt out for 12 years. A mentor once told me, ‘Treat your business like it’s a full time job, put in the work and invest into it what you want to see, no matter how many bookings you may or may not have. For those 40 hours a week, always be doing SOMETHING to work towards the goal.’ (thank you, Judith!). Once I started doing that, I really started understanding what it was going to take to get my business off the ground and become an Artist that I could be proud of and a legitimate Business Owner. It was only after I had my 2 children (2012 & 2016) that I took a step back and re-evaluated what I was doing and the price that was being paid to leave my kiddos for sessions, time on my computer, etc., all the things that are understood when calculating your CODB and I realized that if I’m going to miss moments with my kids it needs to be worth it. In 2015, I attended a Business Bootcamp and a few more Photography classes to understand more about Digital photography (vs film) and things started coming together so much that I was able to quit running my in-home daycare full time and run my Photography business full time!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I LOVE PEOPLE and I am bursting with energy, especially when I have a big group,…seriously people ask me where I get it from! I am a nurturer and empathic by nature, I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I want everyone to have FUN and to alleviate ALL the stress! This definitely spills over in all that I do for my families! I am a Full Service Portrait Photographer and Digital Artist, guiding my Clients from A to Z, including printing and installation of Clients wall art made from their memories, designing custom albums and more! For 25 years, I have been mainly known for Beach Portraiture and photographing extended vacationing families (averaging groups of 25+ people), but I also have an in-home studio where I capture Cake Smash for 1 year olds and Glam Birthdays, Holiday themed set ups, Maternity and Families, including my LGBTQ+ families, with an extensive Client Closet full of boutique and couture pieces from the whole family for any and every occasion. Once I deliver my Clients gallery, they will make their selections and the final, selected images include digital art touch ups to from swapping heads if eyes are closed, touching up hair, skin, teeth, even smoothening out areas Moms are self-conscious about, to adding beautiful, realistic cotton candy sunset skies! I arrange for a professional Hair & Make Up Artist, as desired, for my Clients, provide ease in the ability to view locations right from my website, with guidance on how to style for my Clients chosen location and more! I am empathetic by nature, I know the stress that comes with planning for photos and I aim to take all the weight off everyones shoulders and encourage them to let me take the reigns so they can breath and soak in the moments! Anyone who has been in front of my camera will probably tell you I can make anyone laugh, even the grumpy older reluctant uncle who did not want to participate in the family reunion photo!
Though I am proud of how far I’ve come, I think what I’m most proud of are the projects that are closest to my heart. Maybe it’s because of my upbringing, maybe it’s because I was gifted a Portrait Session 10 years ago by an amazing photographer when I could not afford it…but I’m always keeping an eye out for families who are experiencing devastating health or financial issues, have suffered some kind of loss and/or are struggling in one way or another, single Moms who are trying to overcome their own internal challenges while raising and having to be present for their babies, and I gift them Portrait Sessions if it’s something that may offer them some comfort and/or fulfill a longing for Portraits that they could not otherwise afford. I believe these families treasure these captured memories the most, and it makes my heart happy to be able to gift parents Art for their home, made from moments with their favorite people.
Any big plans?
I would love to transform my 2 car garage into my studio so I can have a bigger space with have the ability to capture larger groups within my studio!
Pricing:
- $500 starting investment
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anaseyecatchers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anaseyecatchers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anaseyecatchers
