Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Newton.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’m Elizabeth, owner, and operator of E Newton Photography, servicing the Dallas Metroplex. I’m a mom of two young boys, dog lover, wife to an awesomely supportive husband, knitter, caffeine addict, and photographer. Originally from Massachusetts, I’m moving my entire family and business down to Texas. We’re very excited to become a part of our new Weatherford community!
Starting back as early as I can remember, I would steal my mom’s film camera and take pictures of spider webs, pretty flowers, cool bugs, anything and everything I could take a photo of. She would scold me and remind me of how expensive rolls of film were. Thank goodness we’ve switched to digital media because I still take way too many photos during every session. I just can’t help myself!
I was greeted with an opportunity in high school to start work at a photo studio in town. I immediately fell in love with posing people, working with kids, learning about how light affects an image, how to use the professional equipment, and the business side of photography. I soaked up all of the knowledge that I could before the studio closed, then went on to purchase my own camera and lighting set up because I couldn’t be without a creative outlet.
Once I turned to my own photo business in 2014, I started to take pictures of my old high school friends and their young families. I grew and grew my clientele until eventually, I had a bustling, full-time small business by the time my first son was born. I appreciate that the hard work I put into investing in my business for a few years allowed me to stay home with my baby and never put him in daycare. My little in-home studio was perfect where I could set up my son with a few toys in his highchair while I photographed my clients. He became my mascot and clients loved to see him!
Back when I first started with photography, I would photograph everything and anything from newborns to graduations, birthday parties to maternity, weddings to corporate headshots. Now I’ve realized what I enjoy photographing the most: Maternity, Newborn, Milestone, and Cake Smash. Within the past two years, I’ve invested in so much education to hone my skills and make my clients’ experiences with me that much more special and memorable.
Meeting families in the middle of a huge life change like having their first baby is a part of my job that I enjoy the most! Seeing them go from a baby bump, not knowing what their baby will even look like, to experienced parents at the cake smash, changing diapers, and comforting baby like the pros they are. Watching their babies grow up and getting to freeze little moments in time for them is the biggest honor I could ever have. I know how quickly time slips through our fingers, especially as a mother myself. Being able to save tiny bits of their journey forever warms my heart!
I’m very excited for this new chapter in my business and my family’s life! Moving to an entirely new area while owning a small business is daunting and a little scary, but we’re all ready for the change and prepared to work hard to enrich our community.
Thank you for the read, and a huge thanks to VoyageDallas for reaching out to interview me!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think you can own a small business without having a single challenge, obstacle, or struggle!
My biggest hurdle to overcome was when I left my corporate, full-time job to fully invest in my photo business once my oldest son was born in 2017. It was a leap of faith, and through my hard work and perseverance I ended up being more financially stable as self-employed than I ever was at my desk job.
Without the motivation of my family, I never would have succeeded. I think having children changes your mindset because it’s not just yourself that you have to worry about, you have a tiny, helpless person depending on you to take care of them.
Failure is not an option.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have the absolute pleasure of photographing clients from the time they have their baby in their belly all the way until the first birthday with a cake smash!
Not saying that I have favorites, but my favorite session to put together is the Cake Smash! Clients put their trust in me to take their child’s birthday theme and bring it to life. I’ve done classics like Cookie Monster, Where the Wild Things Are, Dr. Seuss, Sesame Street and so many more, plus interesting themes like Great Gatsby and Cowgirl that are a little harder to style for a child. I love the challenge of receiving an idea then executing it!
I craft a balloon garland to coordinate with a backdrop, weave fairy lights into it, place props on the set geared towards the birthday theme, order a cake for the birthday baby that fits the theme and acquire an outfit for baby smash cake in. Everything is color-coordinated and tailored around the parents’ request!
On the day of the session, the family comes into a fully finished backdrop, the cake that’s been left out for a few hours to soften the frosting (preparing it for its messy demise), and an outfit laid out for baby. I start with nice, clean portraits of baby where I start to learn their personality. Do they know how to clap? What song gets them to smile? Are they shy or outgoing? A few minutes interacting with them is all it takes for me to figure them out!
Once we’ve captured some cute expressions and smiles, then the real fun begins. CAKE TIME! I place the cake, one parent places the baby behind the cake, and we watch as they pick and poke and sometimes face plant into frosting! It’s the best part of my job. After baby has destroyed enough cake or has had enough of being messy, I fill a miniature clawfoot tub with warm water and a rubber ducky so they can play and splash on the set. Tubby photos come out the cutest with frosting smeared all over baby’s face and water droplets going everywhere.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Aside from loving photography, I’m also an avid coffee drinker and love everything to do with caffeine. Since we’ve just moved to Texas, I’ll be very excited to visit local coffee shops and check them all out!
To connect with moms like myself, I created a mom group on Facebook called Caffeinated Moms of DFW. I would love to see some readers join if you like energizing drinks, talking about your kids, and live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We share memes, share stories, share coffee and lift each other up in a positive, helpful community.
Pricing:
- $175+
Contact Info:
- Email: enewtonphotography@yahoo.com
- Website: enewtonphotographytx.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/e.newton.photography
- Facebook: facebook.com/enewtonphotography
Image Credits:
E Newton Photography
