Friday Feature - Rebekah Westover Photography

It's Feature Friday today and you should get excited. I have followed and admired the work of Rebekah Westover for a long time - her images of people are full of light, life and have such a natural beauty to them.  A few years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern and work with Rebekah. I loved getting to know her and I learned so many things from her years of experience. It was really cool to realize that I didn't have to make enormous changes to try to improve my photography; Rebekah taught me so many little things that dramatically improved my images and the way I photograph. I am excited for Rebekah to share some of her advice with us that hopefully we can all learn from.

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Hello there!

My name is Rebekah Westover and I have been a professional photographer for 10 years. I photograph weddings, families, and interiors. I have a wonderful husband and three beautiful children. I love interior design, reading, eating delicious food, watching Netflix, and I love photography. 

Q. What led you to pursue photography?

As a teenager, I loved photography. I always dreamed of becoming a photographer, but I never thought it would become a reality. Photography was just too fun to be a “real job”. In college I ditched my photography major and graduated with a degree in psychology. I worked at a residential treatment center right out of college and it wasn’t long before my co-workers were hiring me to shoot their engagement photos, bridal photos, and wedding photos. Part-time photography work continued until 2006 when my husband was laid off from his job.  We decided to take my business to the next level at this point. We officially opened my business Rebekah Westover Photography and never looked back. 

Q. What is something you wish you would have known when you started out?

Something that I wish I would have known would be how LONG it takes for one to truly be proficient at their craft.  Learning how to create beautiful photos doesn’t happen overnight.  It takes years of hard work.  I remember starting out in wedding photography and comparing myself to established photographers and thinking, “I am terrible. This is terrible work. I will never be that good”. Patience and hard work are key when developing your talent.  Someone shouldn’t compare his or her first year of work with someone who has been shooting for decades. 

Q. What are some fundamental things that helped you get to where you are now?

One thing that really helped me when I first started out was getting my weddings published.  I spent a lot of time and effort trying to get my photos noticed anywhere and everywhere.  Once my photos started appearing in local wedding magazines my name and business really started gaining momentum. 

Q. How do you balance being a mom and a wedding photographer?

I am by no means perfect at this, but one of the things I have learned is that it’s okay for me to say NO to jobs I am not interested in or don’t have time for.  I used to say YES to every job.  I burned out quickly and was exhausted.  My time is limited so I have learned to be very selective of the jobs that I accept. 

I work from home a lot, so another thing that has been helpful for me is to set specific work hours and stick to them.  I used edit after my kids went to bed and would be awake and working until 3:00 a.m. every night.  It really took a toll on my health and well-being.  These days I work during the day while my kids are tended to. I have a set amount of hours each day to really buckle down and get my work done. This has really helped me to have a separation in my work and family life.  When I am working, I like to be fully tuned in to what I am working on. And when I am with my family, I like to be fully invested in that.  

Q. A lot of us are taking pictures of kids, family events, and making a history of our lives; what is one tip you can share from your professional perspective to help us improve?
 
Just shoot, shoot, shoot, and more of it! You will improve leaps and bounds just by shooting frequently.  Also, analyze and study your photos afterwards.  What did you do wrong? What did you do right? What could you do better next time?  I used to keep a photography journal and after every shoot I would write out things that I struggled with and things I could improve on.  Also, learn how to shoot manually on your camera.  If you want to create the photos you have in your mind’s eye, you need to be able to control your camera. When you shoot in auto-modes your camera controls you!

You can see more of Rebekah's work at www.rebekahwestover.com, follow her on Facebook or Instagram at @rebekahwestover. 

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