Brooklyn Mom to Look to (if you are looking to improve your waistline, or just to better health) - p
This year is the second year I have had the pleasure of being invited to photograph Marie Isner's gorgeous little ones for holiday portraits. So what was even more thrilling than a dear client asking me to come back to photograph her family? It's that this year mom, health coach and cookbook author Marie wanted, no, was EXCITED to get in the picture.
As a Brooklyn family photographer, I always love, love LOVE to have moms get in their family's pictures, because I think it is super important for us moms to be represented, to be seen, to be remembered, to be celebrated - especially by our children, but equally important, by US.
Marie, after using the same system that she uses with her own health and wellness clients and undergoing her own impressive health transformation this past year (and looking SUPER gorgeous and radiant as a result of her efforts, I might add) - agreed. She wanted to not just remember but to CELEBRATE this accomplishment and this beautiful time in her life. And she wanted me to capture a family portrait worthy of showing off on her living room walls. I could not be more proud of her for her accomplishment AND for her decision to be part of her family's portrait! And I could not be more honored than to be the photographer that she chose to capture these memories, and to turn it into the art of her life.
Marie, you have been an inspiration by living the transformation that you inspire others to embark on, health-wise. What inspired you to embark on your health coaching journey?
After having my son in 2011, I started to finally prioritize my health and wellness so I could lose the baby weight and feel good. I believed taking better care of myself would help me be a better mother too, so I was all in. I started doing yoga regularly and writing a blog about my journey. I wanted to be an example of a "real person" who was the average size for an American female (size 12-14) who was passionate about health and constantly searching for ways to fit in life, work, family and health at the same time. When a friend of mine told me about the health coaching certification, I thought it would be a great way for me to start my own business assisting women to get healthy. I wanted to find a way to own a business and still have the flexibility to be home with my children and this seemed to be a great fit! Plus, it was my passion! Once I became a mom I knew that if I was going to work and be away from home it had to be something I cared deeply about and my job in the corporate world wasn't feeding my passion that way anymore.
How did you begin and what were your challenges in making your business a reality? Your book?
The biggest challenge with my business was expanding my network and that's where BNI really helped me. I got connected with local Brooklyn business owners and entrepreneurs that not only sent me referrals, but taught me to much about how to be in business for yourself. They have also become my friends and my defacto "co-workers".
The biggest challenge with any cookbook is coming up with enough recipes and having photographs done. I only had a dozen recipes at first, so I decided that each recipe must have a photograph otherwise there wouldn't be enough to fill a book! Plus, I only ever make the recipes I can see photos for, so I knew that it was important to show how the recipe is supposed to look. Luckily I found a food photographer willing to do the job on barter and we were able to get it done in one day. I had to cook all the dishes in advance of the photo shoot and then afterwards we got to eat the leftovers all week!
What advice to do you have for moms who want to start on their own entrepreneurial journey?
Start with what your passion is and what gets you out of bed in the morning. Look for a business that will give you the freedom to see your kids in the school play and be able to stay home when you're kid is sick, this is the part of motherhood that is priceless. Find "your tribe" of like minded women/men to run with. Having a community makes the journey much more fun!
Share with us your key advice for parents wanting to take control of their health and of their kids health.
Schedule it in your planner! Meal planning and going to the gym are very easy to do, and very easy NOT to do. My best advice is get a paper planner and write it in. If you schedule it it's way more likely to happen. Also, involve your spouse in the scheduling so they can support you and hold you accountable
Tell us, what do you want your clients to take away from sessions with you (that they would not get elsewhere)?
I want my clients to walk away from sessions with me empowered to make healthy decisions and know their bodies better than anyone.
How does being a health coach affect the way you parent and feed your children, if at all?
I give them a lot of home cooked foods leaning on organic as much as I can. I also allow them treats now and then so they don't feel too constricted.
Tell us a little bit about our family portrait session together, and what it was like for you.
I never did an on location shoot before and that was very fun. Of course working with kids can be challenging but you are very patient and are able to get the kids to focus just long enough to get those great pictures!
Talk a little bit about getting ready for your session: what did you do to prepare? Any funny (or otherwise) anecdotes?
I enjoyed the fact that you and I worked together on the wardrobe for my family so we matched! I also found it great that you brought many different options for my kids. Also, I appreciated us working together and making wardrobe changes, like when we made a last minute switch with my husband: he had chosen a sweater that was bright red and looked very "Christmastime" and since we were doing a shoot that was going to serve as Christmas cards, but also as our first professional family photo, I suggested he try wearing something else. I have a dark blue cowl next sweater from Lacoste that looks like menswear. I pulled that out and he was like "I'm not wearing a woman's sweater!" But you convinced him it looked like a men's sweater and that it made his blue eyes pop! He wore it and our pictures came out beautiful!
What were your expectations going into the session? What were you hoping the session to be like? What was your vision for the images?
I wanted the pictures to capture how much we love each other and how you can be beautiful in candid shots.
Really, THANK YOU so much for choosing me as your family's photographer - again! What influenced you to invest in a professional photographer to capture these memories?
Professional pictures are treasures that you get to enjoy everyday. The photos on the iphone are great for on the go, but my professional pictures are the ones I have printed and hung on my wall. You will capture moments that are surprising, touching and capture a special moment in time.
I chose working with you, Andreea B. Ballen Photography, because I know you are passionate about bringing photographs to life as art that you enjoy everyday. And you know the value of printing the photographs and enjoying them!
Also, I loved that you hand delivered my holiday cards and my photos and made everything very convenient and easy for me (as a busy mom and business owner it was great!).
What does having these images mean to you/your family/your friends? How do you think you will feel looking at your images every day to 5/10/20 years from now?
I am so glad to have captured the moment in time when my kids were 5&2! I have the portrait in my living room and have already received numerous compliments on it!
To contact Marie Isner for more information on transforming your own health and body visit www.thefamilyplate.com or https://www.facebook.com/marie.isner.
If you are looking for a Brooklyn family photographer or Brooklyn child photographer, click here to contact me for your own portrait session, and click here to see what kind of art your would like to create, show off, and celebrate.
