Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Hsieh.
Hi Christine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My interest in photography started about 19 years ago when I joined a website called Clickinmoms.. As cliche as that sounds now, that’s exactly what I was! DSLRs hit the market and had become very popular. I wanted to take better photos of my kids and have always had an interest in landscape photography. With 3 small children, I spent my free time learning how to use my camera and photographing mostly macro subjects and landscapes. I’d go to local parks and nature preserves and shoot bees, butterflies, and flowers. I really took interest in the technical side of photography equipment and then friends started asking me to take photos of their kids. It just snowballed from there. My first newborn session was my neighbor’s son, and he just graduated from high school last month.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have a background in mental heath social service, so a photography career was never on my radar. After working on location and out of my basement for a few years, I took a leap and started renting a small office space for my first studio. I ended up staying there for 10-11 years while my kids played travel sports- softball and ice hockey. It was a very affordable space with a great landlord, but once my kids were all driving and needing less of my time, I took a bigger jump into a new larger studio space a few years ago.
It was so difficult to run a business around my family’s heavy travel schedule, and I still can’t believe we did it for so long. By the time my twin boys graduated from high school, I was running on fumes. My daughter just graduated from college, and my boys will be starting their sophomore year of college this fall. The past couple of years have been so different now that they are grown, and I finally have time to take care of myself again. I’m so thankful for all of the time spent traveling with my kids for their sports and all of the hard work of trying to run a business at the same time. I learned a lot about myself during that time. Since life has calmed down so much since those days. I’m more intentional about where I focus my energy. Running my business feels different now as well because I’m not keeping all of the balls in the air like I was for many years. I’m able to really focus on my clients, their session planning, and our future sessions together.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
While I specialize in motherhood photography (maternity, newborn, babies, and families), I’ve added senior portraits and headshots to the mix in the past several years. Three years ago I introduced Traditional Heirloom Portraits for babies and kids, and those continue to be requested now that this style is making its way up north.
My Grow With Me baby’s first year plan is what brings a lot of clients into my studio. All three sessions in the plan are so wildly different which is why I absolutely LOVE capturing those important milestones: newborn, 6 months-sitter, and 1 year-cake smash. It’s bittersweet watching them grow and change throughout that first year, but I’m always honored when past clients come back for outdoor family sessions and studio minis.
Extended family sessions have unexpectedly become “my thing” the past few years. They can be a little bit chaotic, but I try to embrace that energy and make it fun while still capturing the posed smiling photos that the family is looking for.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Hm, I honestly don’t know where the industry is headed. With the influx of AI in what feels like everything, it’s hard to say where things may go. I plan to stay true to my style and authenticity and only use AI when it’s absolutely necessary. This is a conversation that I have with many of my clients, and they are always happy to hear that AI is not a big part of my business and workflow at this time. About half of my clients now are not allowing me to share their images anywhere online primarily because of AI and general uncertainty about where it’s headed. I completely understand their request for privacy, but I’m SO thankful for those who do allow me to share.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christinehsiehphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehsiehphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHsiehPhotography/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-hsieh-23506597/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristineHsieh
