Photographer turns hobby into thriving enterprise

Photographer turns hobby into thriving enterprise Johnna Bowker took her daughter to Wal-Mart on her second birthday for professional and affordable photos. Bowker specializes in family, senior and baby portraits. She decided when she started her photography business in February 2008 that she would provide affordable photography. Her favorite aspect of her work, she said, is the creativity involved with each shoot. "With children, what I love is that you never know what to expect," Bowker said. Her father was a photographer and Bowker found a love for photography through him, playing with his Pintek SLR camera as a child. "He always had a camera around," she said. Bowker said she kept this motto when she started her business during the nation's economic downturn. "I know the photos I have of myself, my kids, my grandpa and my dad, I will cherish. "It just seemed the right time," Bowker said. Then Bowker picked up her camera and started to practice her photography skills. Now, her children are 5 and 7 years old and her 7-year-old daughter has asked to help her with photo shoots. "I totally love what I do," Bowker said. Bowker said her competitive rates have surprised many clients. "I run into the fact that because my prices are so low than most other photographers I get the, 'Are you for real?' They don't see me as taking myself as seriously, but I do," Bowker said. "I faced the challenges of trying to juggle (being a housewife and mother) and keep up with the trends because photography is ever-changing," Bowker said. "That's when I thought, 'I can probably be doing better than this,'" Bowker said. At the same time she started her business, her husband was pursuing a college education and she had two young children. Photographer turns hobby into thriving enterprise Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 13/06/2012