Check Out Samantha Hill’s Story

It’s a tale as old as time: a first-time mom on maternity leave and my husband bought me my first “real” camera. My intention was to be my son’s personal paparazzi like any other new mom, but I found that I loved learning to edit, learning my camera and was bringing it everywhere with me. I started volunteering to do photos for friends and families to stretch my creative muscles when it hit me – I was like, “Wait…I can do this all the time?” I decided the answer was yes! I created my Instagram account and website and poured myself into both. Every moment of my spare time was dedicated to either honing my technical skills or building a clientele. I was constantly juggling sessions in between my office job and my baby boy. I can’t lie, it was exhausting, but I was in love. So, just a lot of good ol’ fashioned hard work and passion, led me down roads I never thought possible. I remember the incredibly feeling of booking my first wedding or walking into my first event for a worldwide brand, thinking “Am I dreaming right now?”. I wish there was some magical inspirational story, but reality is: I fell in love with photography at 30 years old in a totally different career and just went for it. It’s a competitive business, expensive, and constantly evolving trends and equipment,  but there is room for everyone and I’m glad I’ve carved out my own space.

I am an extrovert by nature, which I think helps when you’re meeting strangers in an open field at 5:00 p.m. for the first time . I’m happiest when I’m vibing with a client, and I can see them loosening up and getting more comfortable. It’s cheesy but I really love connecting with people and seeing the same families every year, seeing couples go from engagement sessions to newborn to full 4 person family sessions. Also, I know most people don’t love having their picture taken (honestly, SAME) but I really pride myself on being able to make people feel comfortable during sessions and keeping the sessions very relaxed. As for what I do, I mainly focus on weddings, portraits, and events. I would describe my style as timeless yet contemporary with intimate moments peppered in. I want you to get your Christmas card photo with everyone smiling but I also want to guide with prompts so I can capture more personal and candid moments.

What does success mean to you?
Having the ability to set my own schedule, spend time with my family, pay my bills and by being the employee of the month every month — because it’s just me.