It has been said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What no one tells is how many steps you have to take before you start to see the path clearly!
I am not one of those people who can say that I was born with photography in my blood. Growing up, I enjoyed using all of my dad’s Polaroid film and the anticipation of getting prints back from the drugstore was a thing for me…but I never dreamed it would be what I would do for a living or come be known for!
So many things led me to this destination: Photographing my own kids, going to college for design, a competitive father-in-law, and above all….the loss of loved ones. This is when I learned the importance and value of pictures. Both having them and being IN them.
I started my photographic journey like most people: a Polaroid camera, a 110 Kodak camera, a 35mm point-and-shoot camera, A Sony Camcorder, and cheap 7-pixel digital cameras. With each graduation to the next best thing, I found myself wanting MORE. Finally, I convinced my husband to stand in line on black Friday and pay $500 for a Canon T5 Rebel kit with 2 lenses and a bag! He thought I was crazy to spend that much money, but I wanted to be able to change lenses and get more reach. He did get it for me and after I took my very first picture…I was hooked! That first picture was of a starfish trapped in a shrimp net.
I began breaking out old college textbooks to refresh my memory of Photoshop. I started attending YouTube University every evening. I joined local photographer meet-up groups and got some mentors to teach me in person. I was making my husband very anxious as I came home asking for more gear! He said if I wanted better, more expensive gear, I would have to earn the money myself, that it couldn’t come out of the family account anymore. So I did just that!
In 2015 I applied for a business license, took out business insurance, and started advertising cheap portrait sessions. The business was called Magic Moments Photographer. I second shot for wedding photographers and then started shooting weddings of my own. I earned enough money to slowly upgrade my gear, pay for continuing education in the field of business and photography, and still have some fun money left to treat the family once in a while. At this point, my husband decided we would make this a family business. I taught him and our adult children how to do photography. My husband got interested in Ariel Photography (drones) and in 2020, we decided to change the business name to Brisson Imagery to encompass the entire family and each genre of photography we would provide services for.
The gear we use has increased in price, and so has the cost of doing business. These days, my husband is pleased if something only costs us $500! Photography is an expensive trade to be in, and doing business legally comes with a cost as well, but we wouldn’t change a thing! No regrets!
Today our business has its hands in multiple genres of photography Portraits, Weddings, Events, Products, food, real estate photography, e-commerce, and photographic art. We bring in help for things like props, actors, hair and makeup, wardrobe, and editing. We have been published in multiple small magazines, and we have been awarded the best photographer in Charleston for families and newborns 3 years in a row! We are so thankful for the love and support Charleston has bestowed upon us, and we look forward to continuing this journey for many years to come.
