MetroMom Amy Columbus
Amy Columbus is a wife, mother to two, and owner of Amy Columbus Photography

MM - Prior to starting a professional photography business, you worked as an Assistant Dallas County District Attorney in the Appellate Division. How did such a major change in career come about?

After the birth of my son, I returned to the D.A.'s office part time. My husband and I decided to send our son to daycare upon my return, but he was repeatedly ill and eventually came down with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and pneumonia and was hospitalized in the I.C.U. for a week. At that point, we decided that it would better for me to stay at home with our son. My love of photography started about 10 years ago when I took a class on "how to use your digital camera" from a local photographer. I learned a lot from him and started shooting scenic locations around Dallas and on vacation. The first baby I photographed was my own son after he was born. Then, I began photographing my friends' children and things kind of grew from there. Having some free time on my hands after leaving the D.A.'s office, I took a photography class on studio lighting and studied numerous books and online resources. To say I threw myself into learning everything about photography is an understatement; according to my husband, it became an obsession. Well, I would probably have to agree with him on that point.  

MM - Was your family supportive of your decision?

My husband has been tremendously supportive of my photography business. He wishes I didn't spend as much money on props as I do, but understands my need to be creative and try new ideas that pop into my head. My extended family is supportive as well. At first, they did not understand why I would give up my legal career to pursue photography or thought it would just be a hobby, but now that I've grown my business and skills they understand that this is my passion and what makes me happy.

MM - In hindsight, did you have realistic expectations in building and promoting your business?

I really did not know what to expect when I started building and promoting my business. I definitely underestimated the business side of things. I had hoped that potential clients would see the creativity and the love I put into my photography and hire me because of that. But, it really takes more than being creative and having a camera to run a photography business. Now, I know that the business side takes more time and effort than the actual photography side.

MM - What advice do you have for someone thinking about professional photography?

My advice would be to really learn how to work your camera, and that means learn how to work it in manual mode, how light affects your settings, and how to change the settings on your camera to manipulate light; you cannot just set your camera on automatic and hope to get a good exposure. Also, be ready to run a business and all that entails: registering your business with the State; paying sales tax; having insurance; customer relations; web site and its maintenance; and so much more.

MM - How do you balance work and motherhood?

That's one of the hardest things to do, and now even more challenging with the addition of our daughter this month. I can definitely get wrapped up in editing a session and having a lot of face time with my computer to get work done, but I try to make it a point to get my work done while my son is at school and my daughter is taking a nap, or in the evenings after they are off to sleep. I guess I am lucky that I do not necessarily have to work conventional hours to run my business.

MM - What is your parenting motto?

I'm not sure this is a motto or not, but I just try to survive each day. Parenting can be a quite a challenge. Whether it's getting our son to school on time, feeding our new baby girl while our son is wanting attention, preventing or quelling a meltdown, making dinner or most of the time ordering dinner, or finding time for yourself, you really just having to take a deep breath, try to relax, and realize that parenting is hard but it's all worth it to get those wonderful smiles, big hugs and kisses, and to hear "I love you mommy."