We are excited to welcome PJ with PJ Fischer Photography to our Happily Connected Community! We asked PJ to tell us a little about herself and her love for photography! Keep reading to learn more about PJ and PJ Fischer Photography too!
Tell us a little bit about you, and how you got started!
My life is all about being a creative. My full-time work is that of a freelance graphic designer working from home for various newspapers. I create advertisements and layout the pages. My graphic design tasks and weddings you could say go hand-in-hand, it’s all about my being creative, and PHOTOSHOP!
My photography passion started many years sooner though. My best friend bought me a Pentax K1000 film camera back in 1983 and I really loved it and eventually found myself photographing family and friends’ weddings and even did some paying customer weddings. But it was too stressful with film, I didn’t know what I had for shots, eyes open, mouths closed, couldn’t even fix red eye. So, I stopped doing weddings and just used the camera for scenic shots. I lived in New Hampshire then and it’s such a beautiful state to photograph. Then the digital cameras showed up and wedding photography was fun again and I can be creative after the wedding too! I so love what I do and shooting weddings is just an added bonus and I feel honored to be hired to photograph someone’s wedding.
What makes your business unique?
I started my wedding photography business as wanting to be affordable. I want to be that photographer who does weddings for under a thousand dollars, but offer really good quality work, and I do that. I don’t need to make a ton of money from weddings since I work full-time as well, but weddings give me another creative outlet. Couples have so much to pay for on their big day and I don’t want to be one of those vendors that crushes their budget. I also hand over copyrights to my images so the couples own their images and they can get what they want for prints at more affordable pricing than some photographers who still do the proof books and albums.
What is your favorite part of working with couples?
Getting paid, ha, no just kidding. My favorite time is when the bride and groom and I walk away from the madness and stress of the day to photograph just them right after the ceremony. It’s time for me to have them all to myself and get them to relax and breathe and laugh at my silly jokes and sense of humor now that they’re officially married.
One piece of advice for couples?
RELAX. Have fun. Soak it all in. The day goes quick and it is a blur. Don’t worry about things going wrong, because something will, just go with it.
Childhood career aspiration?
I wanted to be an artist. I loved to draw. I was just meant to be a creative all along.
Coffee, tea, wine or champagne? And why?
Hot tea only! Coffee is just gross! I don’t ever, ever drink alcohol, luckily I don’t like the taste of that either.
Hidden talent?
I am a really good DIY’er! I love doing home improvement projects and yard projects. I love mowing my own yard, planting flower beds and laying pavers to make a new patio, building a sun deck, installing decorative fencing. I’m not afraid to try anything inside either, but I draw the line at anything electrical or plumbing. I have laid hardwood flooring, hung a couple of interior sliding barn doors, painted many rooms, replaced carpeted stairways with hardwood, installed cabinets and counter tops in an office, I could go on, but you get the idea. How many women do you know that own a table saw?
Check out some of PJ’s amazing photos!
