Unlike many photographers, I didn't even realize I had a passion for photography until I was 26-years-old and married with a baby. Don't get me wrong...I still wasted rolls of film photographing my Barbie dolls and stuffed animals as a kid and bought a disposable camera before every school dance and family vacation. But it was less than a hobby. Just a tool to capture memories.

I wanted to be a teacher. From the time I was 6, I recognized not only my love for learning but for helping out other kids who maybe didn't pick it up as quickly. And that dream never wavered. I earned my Bachelors in Elementary Education and my Masters in Gifted Education. But then I spent 5 unhappy years teaching in a district where I felt overworked and underappreciated. As much as I wanted to love teaching, it was actually making me miserable. I had my first child and was barely able to enjoy my time at home with him because it felt like every waking hour was spent on lesson planning or grading, so I took a gigantic leap of faith and quit my job, closing the door on a dream I'd had for 20 years.

Now back up a few months to when my son was born. We'd received a newborn photography session as a baby shower gift (honestly, something I didn't even realize was a thing!). My son looked so tiny and adorable, and even though he was only a week old, I was already obsessed with taking his picture. I thought, "I can totally do that!" So the following weekend I got out a soft baby blanket, stripped him down (except for his diaper because pee and poo? no thank you!), and laid him on a bed next to a window. Here's a few gems from Jace's first "photo shoot" with Mommy.

Yeahhhh....definitely not as easy as the photographer made it look! Go ahead and laugh -- I have no shame in sharing these because every artist starts somewhere! Honestly, I look back at these images all the time and crack up at how totally disillusioned I was!

I continued taking photos of my little guy every month (almost every day...any other moms out there like that? Where you think your kid is just the cutest baby you've ever seen and you have to take a picture of literally every thing they do and every face they make?) Well it took until the June after I quit teaching (because, let's be honest, I had no time before then to take on a new hobby) to buy my first "nice" camera...and the quality of the images I was able to take kind of blew me away. Here's a couple faves I captured of Jace the first day I got the camera and was just playing around.

I know, super adorable right? And the quality compared to my old camera? Ridiculous!

It took nearly a year before I realized being a stay-at-home mom -- even with a cutie like this -- was just not my thing. I needed something to be passionate about, something that was for me and my personal growth but that also involved giving back to others. And that is when I decided to take photography classes and learn a skill that would make me happy but also thrill the moms to whom I provided images of their little ones.

And yes, I started with newborns, arguably one of the most difficult portrait photography genres to do, because I yearned for that challenge. Whenever there was something I wanted to learn that didn't come easily, I always tackled it with added fervor. Plus...it involved cuddling with babies, which gave me all the warm, fuzzy nostalgic feels, obvi.

I took classes at the local community college to learn how to use my fancy DSLR camera. Then I purchased online classes and traveled to photography conventions and seminars to soak in everything I could about newborn photography -- safety, posing, lighting, where to buy all the cute props and accessories. And through these classes, I decided as much as I love photographing newborns, I don't want to just be my clients' "newborn photographer" and then they have to look elsewhere for portraits as their baby grows up. I want to be my clients' photographer...period. From the time their baby is growing in mama's womb, I want to be there to capture the love those parents feel for their baby, newborn portraits, milestones that first year, family portraits, and then do it all over again for Baby #2, #3, #4.... I want to form relationships with my clients, to get to know them well enough that portrait sessions become more like hang outs that also happen to result in frame-worthy images.

I started with a few free newborn sessions while I was pregnant with my daughter, and then took her newborn portraits. Here's little Piper!

Haha! Still not great, but check out that improvement!

3 months later in January 2016 I started Emily Novak Photography. I had found my new dream, and this was one I was not only super passionate about but that made me beyond happy every day that I went to "work."

A little over 2 years later, my newborn images now look like this.

I will never stop learning ways to grow and improve, because personal growth and learning are also passions of mine. But I literally don't think I could be happier with how I've chosen to make a living and support my family.

So to anyone out there who is scared to give up on a dream that it turns out, just makes you absolutely miserable -- take a chance. It may take time and hard work. It won't be easy. But finding a career that brings you joy...well, that's beyond worth it.

God works in mysterious ways. So open your heart, and be receptive, and you may just find that His plans for you are much more fulfilling that your plans for yourself.

Love & Hugs!

Emily

Get to know more about me!

How Photographing Babies & Families Became my 2nd Career & Life's Passion