We’re excited to introduce you to another one of our talented alumni, Amanda Buechler.

Webiste:  http://www.amandabuechler.com

Find her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/amandabuechlerphotography

Where do you call home?Bothell, WA

Describe Your StyleMy style is very natural & organic. I love cream, brown & gray and that’s pretty much all I use! I’m addicted to texture <3

What made you decide to become a photographer?

I’ve always loved photos, I had them literally covering my wall all through high school. I took lots of photos through middle & high school, and I desperately wanted to take a photography class in college. It never once occurred to me that this is something I could do as a career. It wasnt until my second babe was born that something kind of clicked and I got my first “real” camera. I had so much fun playing and thought “this is so easy! I should become a photographer!” haha riiiiiight 😉

How did you learn? Degree? Self-taught? Workshops?I learned a lot by trial and error. A lot of trial, and a whole lot of error. I’m not one of those lucky people that can learn something well just by reading, I’m a hands on learner. I have taken one workshop and have mentored with a few amazing photographers. Each has helped me while I was in different phases of my journey. I’ve also taken a few online workshops. And I have more planned for the future! I love meeting & learning from my favorite photographers 🙂

How long have you had your Photography Business?3.5 years… I got my license almost immediately after deciding to start my business!

What do you love most about having your own business?The freedom to be able to work from home and set my own hours. And staying home with my kiddos … I missed way too much while working away from home.

What do you love the least?My boss is a total jerk! I work far too much since my work is at home. I never ever ever give my brain a break from work. It’s exhausting.

What do you wish you had known prior to starting your own photography business?Just how hard it was. Taking photos is such a small percentage of what I do. The business aspect is so so difficult. Especially if you want to be in business for the long haul.

Studio or on-location?Studio for newborn and babies, and on location for everything else … love my in home studio <3

What was your biggest “A-ha” moment?Oh so many of them. My most recent was using my lights for the first time last fall … a haaaa, duh, these are fabulous!!! Having complete control over the lighting in my session is beyond fabulous. Newborn sessions are completely in the hands of the baby, there is little to no control over what will happen in 5 seconds … buuuuutttt … with my lights I have one less thing to worry about!!! Clouds? Who cares! Direct sun? Who cares! It doesn’t matter anymore, because I have my lights. <3

Where do you find inspiration for your art?Absolutely everywhere.

Something you’re still learning?Studio maternity sessions, the idea of being is such a small area and only so many choices in background is so different than having them outside … I’ve done one and loved it but definitely still learning how to make my gallery as large as an outdoor maternity session.

How do you create balance between your business and the rest of life?I don’t. I’m terrible at it. I need to learn to unplug and just live my life, even for just five minutes.

How do you measure success?This changes for me every day. Somedays it’s sadly by how many people “like” my photos, some days it’s by the amount of inquiries I get, some days its by just one person telling me I did a good job, and sometimes it’s by having a great session. I’m still trying to figure this one out.

What has been your most memorable shoot & why?It’s almost always my last session … I’m constantly having mini ah-ha moments in the quest for my personal style in both how I shoot and what I use and I’m glad to be somewhere that I love and am very happy with, so that’s pretty memorable for me I guess.

What’s your Favorite Image? And why is it your favorite?One from yesterday’s session, I tried something a little different and it has helped me fall in love with that all natural, minimal posing style again.

Favourite gear?my 35mm lens <3

What is your go to lens & why?35mm 1.4 … I love the perspective it gives, it’s wide so I can see more than when I used my 50mm. Plus it’s different, everyone uses the 50mm so I wanted to step away from that a little. And also, I feel my work is so monochromatic that I try to find other ways to make it more visually interesting, and I think the 35mm helped with that.

RAW or Jpeg?raw

Nikon or Canon?Nikon

Mac or PC?I’m a PC.

Lightoom or Photoshop ( or both ?)lr3 & cs6

Which 5 words would your friends use to best describe you?shy, insecure, quiet, silly, chatty

What classes have you taken with The Milky Way?Illuminate … but would love to take Enlighten next time its offered