Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethany Millard.
Hi Bethany, 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?
I began photographing weddings in 2013 and was assisting other photographers for years, learning posing and lighting techniques, how to handle all kinds of situations on a busy wedding day, and most importantly, I learned that I loved wedding photography. In the fall of 2017, I decided to go full time, I quit my job at a local nonprofit and launched Bethany Grace Photography. I was so thankful for the handful of clients who entrusted their most important days to me and that handful has steadily grown to an entire community of friends, in 2021 I was fortunate enough to join in over 30 wedding celebrations!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No road to anything worthwhile is without struggle so of course there have been tough days and hard lessons learned. An unexpected struggle was learning to value me, knowing what talents I brought to the table and how that reflects in my client experience. There’s a fine art to valuing yourself in a way that prevents burnout and draws in clients that are also eager to match that energy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The two joys of my business are wedding and boudoir photography. I’m so thankful to also be able to photograph engagement and bridal sessions and sometimes even families and maternity sessions for my past brides who are entering the next season of their lives.
Wedding photography is especially important to me because it’s such an honor to create heirlooms for my clients. I imagine generations from now, looking over wedding photos and reliving such an important day. I tell my clients, that I have their backs on their wedding day, so I work incredibly hard before their wedding day to make sure they can stay present and relaxed on the day of. You’ll often find me helping with the bustle or fluffing their train so it’s perfect for every image. But most importantly, I’m not just another vendor, I try and truly get to know my clients, as individuals and as a couple so that I can tell the story of their day in a way that’s so authentically “them”.
Boudoir photography has become a recent love of mine, it started several years ago when I hosted a “boudoir weekend”, where we packed a beautiful home full of gorgeous women, an amazing hair and makeup team, a great playlist, popped some champagne and just celebrated every season of life these women were in with a photo session that made them both look and feel beautiful! I now host boudoir weekends several times a year and get the chance to photograph private boudoir sessions almost weekly!
My boudoir style reflects the power and beauty women have and I’m so thankful to have photographed women of all walks of life, from soon-to-be brides, breast cancer survivors with double mastectomies, girls in recovery from eating disorders, and even mama’s to be! It’s so empowering to watch the last few frames, there’s this extra sparkle in their eyes and I just know they feel so good about themselves, it’s incredible.
What were you like growing up?
I am the eldest child of two entrepreneurs, so after college, it was no surprise to my family when the corporate marketing world just wasn’t for me. I’ve always been creative, I loved reading, writing, and playing outside in imaginary worlds I made in my backyard. When my parents bought my first camera for me in high school, I was in constant search of interesting things to photograph, and though I look back and cringe at some of the earliest images I took, I know that it was during that season I honed in on my “eye” and the ability to see what other people couldn’t. Couple my imagination with my firstborn, “jump and the net will appear” personality, and starting my own creative business was the most natural fit.
Contact Info:
- Email: bethanygracesphoto@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.bethanygracesphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanygracesphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethanygracesphoto
Image Credits
Bethany Grace
