WOW. This maternity session was actually the best thing ever. A few weeks ago, Cherry Blossoms were unexpectedly in full bloom at Brown’s Island and my flower-loving heart was SO HAPPY! We had an awesome session walking around the area and catching up! Ashley and I went to high school together, so it was so nice to catch up and meet each other’s husbands! I love reconnecting with people I knew from my hometown and seeing them in such a joyful, new stage of life. Ashley was glowing throughout her session with her husband by her side and a sweet little blessing growing inside her. Starting a family is the most special time there is and I am so happy I could capture that for them. About one week (crazy, I know) after our session, Ashley and Jonathon welcomed their beautiful baby girl into the world! Congratulations to the O’Neal family, I know that little cutie is SO loved already!
Prepare yourself for lots and lots and lots of pretty, sunshine-filled, flowery, adorable, romantic, fun pictures! 🙂 I hope you keep scrolling to the end because you do not want to miss a moment of this session!!!
Let’s be real here. We all have a natural tendency to compare our successes or our lifestyle to someone else’s. “The comparing monster” has been trending, now more than ever, with social media being shoved in our faces all-day-every-day. What we don’t need in our lives is to feel discouraged, competitive, and sad for no actual reason. We also don’t need other people telling us to “just stop comparing” and move on… I think we need more people to educate us on how to stop comparing, how to let go and let God, and how to move forward rather than letting it slow you down.
In the past year that I have been really building and concentrating on my business, I have also experienced a few similar conversations. I’ve talked with small business owners and found that a lot of their emotions get caught up in comparing to other similar businesses. I’ve heard from some of the most successful and inspiring women and even they get caught up in the ‘comparing world’ from time to time. I’ve also had conversations with friends who are in totally different places in their lives who admitted to comparing their life or career to my own. When I hear something like that, it doesn’t make me feel good, and it just doesn’t make sense. The last thing I want to hear from a friend is that they feel the need to compare their own lives to mine. Why?
Because her success is not meant to be your own. We are all doing life on our own time and in our own way! Whatever God has in store for me, was not meant for you. Whatever God has in store for you, for her, for them, was not meant for me. No one situation is the right way or the wrong way to live life. How can you compare yourself, your success, and your life to someone or something that was not meant to be yours to begin with, and was not on your own time?
Whoever and whatever it is that you feel the need to compare to, it’s time to let that go. It’s time you know how to get past those feelings. It’s time to understand why you should be looking at this as an opportunity to grow and challenge yourself to get exactly where you want to be on your own time.Â
I want to let you in on a few tips that help me through the struggle of comparing and what allows me to move on in a positive direction.
Get to the point. Let’s say you come across someone’s instagram and you keep scrolling and scrolling until you just feel bad about yourself. Now get to the root of that feeling and figure out why you’re reacting that way. This forces you point what it is that’s making you compare. Now, what needs to change? Do you need to make a change in yourself and the way you think? Do you need to make a change in your business? Get straight the point, don’t dwell on whatever it is you’re comparing to.
Take it as a challenge. After you’ve figured out exactly what’s making you feel the need to compare, take it as a challenge to keep moving forward, to make your next big move, and to work harder to get what you want. Make this an opportunity to get yourself into gear, change your mindset, and work towards those goals!
Let go and let God. Remember, have a little faith. Maybe you just have faith in yourself, or maybe you have faith in yourself and God. Whichever works for you, don’t forget to trust the power of having faith. You have to remember that you have your own path to follow, not anyone else’s. Try to understand that whatever someone else is accomplishing, was not meant for you. Maybe your time will come, or maybe your path will take an unexpected turn. Whatever happens, is exactly what’s meant to happen for your benefit. So cheer that person on, don’t compare or compete, just let go and move on!
Put it down and get creative. This tip is my favorite way to distract myself and then totally forget I was even feeling the comparison crazies. Stop the scrolling, put down your phone, and get creative! So maybe to you, this means you’re going to put your phone away and go hiking to clear your mind in a peaceful environment! Or maybe this means you need to get creative in your business and start a new project to work towards! I love coming up with new projects to keep me motivated and get my creative juices flowing! This will take your mind off of the comparisons and make you realize there’s no need to feel that way when you are doing things your own way!
Time to reflect. Whether you enjoy meditating, praying, quiet time, taking a walk, or whatever you enjoy, do this to put your mind at ease and reflect on how far you’ve come. Think about everything you have accomplished by now compared to last year or maybe a few year ago. Reflect, be thankful, and be at peace with your own success and your own lifestyle. We are all blessed. If you make the time to do this, you will remember that comparing does nothing but make us feel discouraged, and there is no need to make ourselves feel that way. This is your life, and it’s time you own it!
Be proud of who you are, have faith in where you’re going, and remember you are loved. I’m rooting for you every step of the way, friends!Â
AHH you guys, I didn’t know a headshot session could be SO much fun. I always love doing headshots because it really gives you quality one-on-one time with your client and you get t to learn all about their business and life! This particular stunning, blue-eyed photographer shocked me when she arrived with four beautiful outfits and props… I was so thrilled with Emily’s golden-hour, beach session!! She absolutely killed it and we had the best time! I mean, seriously, we all know how much I love confetti… just wait until you see the end of this session!! 🙂
So happy Emily found me and we could meet up while we were both visiting the Outer Banks!! I love when the timing just works out so perfectly, and that is exactly what happened from the moment this session was booked to the moment I was taking pictures of a golden sunset behind a pretty little tulle skirt!
EEEEE… just look at these two!!!! They literally RADIATE with love, you guys!!! We had been trying to get together on this shoot for months. We finally found a weekend that worked and of course, the weather looked terrible. The day we planned to meet up was gloomy, windy, and no sunshine in sight! Sure enough, the sun came out of nowhere and I was SO excited!!!! I absolutely loved this session with Emily and Chris- you can feel the love through their smiles, in their eyes, and in every way they held each other. When I attend their wedding next year, I am going to lose it- packing tissues for sure. Love these two humans and I hope you love their images as much as I do!
ARE YOU ENGAGED!? LET’S GET TOGETHER!!
Contact me at remybthompson@gmail.com for all inquiries!
One of my favorite things about being a photographer is getting to know my clients before their session, and then finally meeting them in person! The best part comes when I greet them with a hug and we instantly feel like we’ve been friends for a long time. This is exactly what happened during the 30 minutes I had with Danise. We had an awesome time chatting throughout the entire session about our businesses, our personal lives, our hubbies, and how we absolutely have to get together when I visit again! When you instantly click with your clients, it makes everything feel easy, comfortable, and fun!
Danise was SO sweet and I am SO in love with the business she has created. The Busy Bee Productivity Coaching is meant to encourage and inspire those who are ready to reach their goals and live their dreams. Danise offers coaching services to help manage your time, set goals, get organized, and live more intently. I mean, seriously!? She is amazing. She works so hard at everything she does, and her passion for helping others just shines through her! I love a badass chick who can follow her heart and just go for it! Danise is so empowering to woman in the many jobs she strives at, and I was so excited that she asked me to take her headshots. If you want to take your business seriously, and you want people to know who you truly are, it is so important to have quality images to share. Danise is one heck of a boss lady and a stunning busy bee!!
Well, I think the title may have given away the big announcement! 🙂
YAS, it’s true!! I am now offering one-on-one mentoring to budding photographers who are looking to improve their skills, invest in their education, and grow their businesses! Mentoring is the best way to take your business to the next step and start making your dreams a reality! Having a mentor,  someone to push you in the right direction, and someone to encourage you to keep going, is the most valuable resource you can invest in! Over the past year or so I have been getting a lot of emails and messages asking photography-related questions. I LOVE that so many people choose to come to me for questions and it makes me feel so honored! That’s when I knew I had to start trying this whole mentor thing, to take helping other photographers to an entirely new level.
When I first started photography, I felt seriously confused about EVERYTHING. I decided to reach out to just about every photographer I could find and asked if they were offering any type of mentoring. Some people just didn’t respond and most didn’t offer anything. Then I found workshops, and decided to go that direction instead. I love workshops, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be in my business when I attended my first one! I wish I would have found someone to sit down with me and break it all down piece by piece. I was frustrated, discouraged, and totally annoyed that I couldn’t find anyone in my area to help me. You don’t need to feel that same way.
Now, it’s MY opportunity to help YOU. I want to offer mentoring to those photographers who are starting out just like I did. If you are willing to work hard, learn, grow, and chase your dreams, this is for you!! I am here to guide you, teach you, encourage you, and help you succeed in the business you are meant for! This is your time to take advantage of something that could completely change your business. I want you to feel confident in your brand, style, skills, and the goals you have for the future!
If you are interested in knowing more about my One-On-One Mentoring, please email me for details at remybthompson@gmail.com! I would LOVE to get to know you and everything about your business! It’s time to celebrate, because you are about to start investing in yourself and making your dreams reality!!
For the past few months I’ve been planning a 6-Hour Mentoring Session located in Midlothian, VA with Colleen Megan Photography. Colleen originally messaged with a question a while back. After we spoke, I learned she wanted to really grow as a photographer, so I offered her some mentoring packages to choose from. She was ALL about it! Finally, the mentor day came to life this past Tuesday! We both met at a coffee shop to review the power point lessons that I had prepared and we talked for hours. I LOVED hearing her goals and being able to push her closer to achieving them. We had an awesome day getting to know each other better through our passion for photography! Our time together was jam-packed with a ton of material and great conversation, but the fun didn’t stop there…
The package she chose included a portrait session at the end with a model. I ended up surprised her with a full photoshoot including three stunning models, a variety of session types/outfits/props to practice with, a makeup artist, a florist, and a beautiful venue! THIS WAS CRAZY FUN!!! We started our session in the golden sunshine and finished just after sunset to practice the new lighting techniques she had just learned. She left feeling SO confident and she killed it during the photoshoot!! I was so proud to see her practicing the new skills I taught her during the lessons and learning more and more as the night went on. We were both exhausted by the end of the night, but our hearts were so full! I will never forget my first One-On-One Mentoring Session thanks to Colleen, these awesome models, and amazing vendors. I am so excited to share the beautiful images from the photoshoot!
Before that, I want to share Colleen’s testimony from after our Mentor Day together! She is so so sweet and I love her enthusiasm for life! She is going to be so successful as a girl boss and I can’t wait to see her business take off!Â
“When starting my business I was struggling to keep a float in the photography world. As many say it is an intimidating, overwhelmingly lonely game, and I couldn’t agree more, that is until I met Remy. She went above and beyond to comfort me and remind me I am not alone in this. Driving away from my mentor session I was ready to take this adventure in my business head on! Her fun loving attitude broke me out of my shell, and allowed me to drastically step out of my comfort zone. I went from hiding behind my camera to taking control of it. The future is is bright for Colleen Megan Photography, and that is all thanks to my incredible mentor Remy, her words of wisdom and, guidance ignited a fire inside of me I didn’t know could exist. I am a better photographer because of her, and for that I am truly humbled for the opportunity of working alongside her! If anyone is looking to grow their education and business Remy Thompson is a game changer!”  -Colleen 8/8/17
First… headshots, of course!! 🙂 Isn’t Colleen stunning?!
NOW.. the photoshoot!! Huge shoutout to the vendors and models, they killed it!
AnnMarie is SO talented, I was thrilled to have her as a vendor!! Check her out on Facebook and Instagram @makeupbyvnnmarie_
We started off with a mini graduation shoot of these two cute friends, Compton and Maddy. Next we moved into bridal portraits with Brenna! You’re about to be blown away…
AND IN COMES THE BEST PART!!!…
Just wait until you see the horse with it’s owner, Compton. SO CUTE!!
In honor of these two lovely people getting married this weekend (EEE YAY!!), I figured I would share their sweet engagement session from this past winter! Kayla was my random roommate during my first year at East Carolina University. Sure enough, after her soon-to-be hubby proposed a few years later, she reached out to book their engagement session with me!
I was seriously SO excited for this! Kayla and Randy are crazy fun, so in love, and they just radiate happiness!! This particular winter day was, of course, absolutely FREEZING.  I don’t know how she did it, but she was really a trooper wearing those dresses in that frigid weather! She looked stunning and these images are some of my favorites!! Cloudy skies turned into the most perfect golden hour. You’ll definitely want to stick around to see how this session ended on Libby Hill! Allll the heart eyes for that lighting and these two love birds! 🙂Â
Oh my gosh, you guys, we are throwing it back today! This first session you’re about to see below was one of my first clients! She totally asked me to do her photos out of the blue so, naturally, I was nervous but SO excited. This senior session was at ECU in the Fall of 2015. At the time, I couldn’t believe that I was actually booking some shoots. It’s hard to believe I am now expected to receive at least thirty inquiries every graduation season at ECU, and I am SO thankful!!!
It’s amazing to reflect on how much I’ve improved over the past couple years from looking back at these images. I was shooting with my beginner camera gear and I edited quite differently at the time… Though things have changed, I have always loved this sweet session with Hailey- she was such a joy and just too cute!! After meeting her, I was hooked on the idea of booking new clients and getting to know more and more people through celebrating their accomplishments! This session in particular is so close to my heart just knowing how inexperienced I was at the time, but with some re-touches here and there, it is still a killer shoot!  I am fully aware that her cap was backwards, too… good thing I have enough practice to know now! 🙂 I have RE-edited some of my favorites from this session to share what my 2015 beginner-self did while knowing just about nothing, but still taking the chance and going for it!
I am also sharing a few shots of my most recent Fall senior, Taylor! Now you can compare and check out the differences just within a year… Taylor’s shoot was insanely fun with all the props she brought and that gorgeous face! I loved my time with Taylor and getting to hear about how hard she worked to graduate from Nursing school. It is so empowering and inspiring to meet people like Taylor and so many more of my college graduates who are incredibly smart, kind, loving, caring, and determined.
How do I get so lucky with my ECU graduates? I always meet the most amazing people!!! EEE I can’t wait for my Fall 2017 graduates so we can play in the leaves and capture that golden Autumn sunshine!! 🙂
