Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Vilavanh.
Brittany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, I wanted to be a forensic psychologist. I actually hold a master’s degree in both human behavior and forensic psychology. In 2015, I married my husband who is stationed here in San Diego with the Marine Corps and moved from my home town in the bay area. Being in a military household comes with a great deal of flexibility and uncertainty when it comes to home life and living arrangements. I put my aspirations of being a forensic psychologist on hold on and decided to pursue a more practical career for our family life. I started my photography journey in 2016 after my second child was born. My love for taking photos of my children led me to finding a passion in photography. Initially, I wanted to focus on developing my business as a newborn photographer. I started out with maternity photography, hoping that this would lead me to photographing newborns. Instead, I fell in love with photographing my maternity couples, which led me to finding my true passion of photographing couples, and eventually weddings.
Has it been a smooth road?
This journey has been a wild ride. San Diego is a heavily populated area with a great deal of military influence. There are a lot of photographers in this area which brings a lot of competition. I love the motto community over competition because there is definitely room enough for all of us here. But starting out, I was constantly comparing myself to other photographers. Social media can be a damper on your self-esteem in general. But when likes and followers are involved, it often can leave a business owner feeling defeated and unworthy. Another issue that I struggled with was funding my business. I come from a single income military family, acquiring the best equipment, paying for advertising,and all the other photography equipment and addends needed to run a successful business was not an easy obstacle to overcome. And finally, being a military spouse and mother of two young children also presents its issues. My husband is often away for extended periods of time, mothering and running a business can be a bit tricky especially having a three year old that’s attached at the hip. However, I have a great support system here that consists of friends and family who have been super supportive of my business and have been tremendously helpful with my little ones.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Brittany V Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
Brittany V Photography serves San Diego and surrounding Southern California cities. I specialize in weddings and couples intimate photography sessions. My company is known for providing light and vibrant images that capture real and raw emotion. My aim is never to tell my clients to smile for the camera but to achieve images that are filled with real, genuine love and emotion through prompts and a fun-filled session. What sets me apart from other photography businesses is that I am a people-centered photographer. I care deeply about my clients’ needs and what they hope to receive from a photography session. All my clients are photographed in a way that I would want to be captured. I aim at making life long friends through my business, I dont believe in just delivering a gallery and forgetting about those who I have worked with. Being a couples photographer, I also aim to give my couples something to take from their sessions. Many of the couples that I work with aren’t in the best place in their marriage, giving them a session where they can be intimate and fun with one another is often what they need to get that spark back. Hearing from my couples how they were able to reconnect with one another through my sessions is so fulfilling and a reward in itself. I am proud to serve military families in the San Diego area, and intimate couples session.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I feel that the photography industry has always been in demand and will continue to be. Families want photos that they can cherish for a lifetime, and as long as this need exists, photography will be an in-demand industry. Styles change, of course but the desire to capture special moments and memories that will last a lifetime will always remain. My goal is to bring something different to the field of photography. With these intimate couples sessions, I aim at rekindling and strengthening marriages and relationships for those who need it, and for those who don’t, I aim at offering positive and unforgettable experiences for my clients that will provide images they cherish for the rest of their lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: Brittanyvphotography.com
- Phone: 15109323487
- Email: brittanyvilavanh@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/brittanyv_photography?igshid=1gwfe1slqzh8n
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanyvilavanh/
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